On 3rd April, 2024, students from the University of Jos (UNIJOS) took to the streets in protest, claiming that inadequate medical facilities on campus played a role in the premature deaths of two fellow students.
The protesters, predominantly Dental Surgery students, stormed the school entrance brandishing signs denouncing the lack of medical resources in campus clinics despite a rise in school fees. Messages such as “Insufficient Medical Facilities in Clinics Despite Fee Hike” adorned their placards.
Signs demanding “Justice for our fallen comrades” and “Enough is enough, fix our health facilities now” echoed their shared grievances.
They demanded a reversal of the recent fee increase, arguing that the quality of facilities had not kept pace with the higher costs.
The recent loss of two students, attributed to insufficient medical resources despite a rise in tuition fees, ignited the students’ outcry against the substandard health services available on campus.
They lamented the lack of essential supplies, medical personnel, and timely emergency assistance, believing these shortcomings could have prevented the tragic loss of their peers.
The students demanded an in-depth inquiry into the circumstances behind the fatalities, urgent measures to prevent such tragedies from happening again, and accountability for the university’s incompetence.
The demonstration attracted a lot of attention since messages of support for the kids flooded the state’s social media channels.
Many voiced their outrage over the needless deaths and demanded structural changes in universities.
Abdullahi Abdullahi, the deputy registrar in charge of the university’s information unit, could not be reached for comment.
