Insecurity, inflation harming students’ academic performance — CNG

The Students Wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has raised the alarm about the adverse effects of rising insecurity, transportation costs, electricity tariffs and the increasing prices of learning materials on students’ academic performance in Northern Nigeria.

During a press conference in Kaduna, the newly elected National Executive Council (NEC) members of CNG (includes 55 student associations), expressed deep concern over the escalating insecurity, including kidnapping and banditry affecting campuses.

It described the issues as the “new normal”, causing significant psychological distress among students.

The National Coordinator of CNG, Hassan Adamu, and Secretary, Ahmad Abdulgafar, highlighted that the insecurity had led to increased anxiety among students, contributing to the withdrawal of female students from schools.

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They emphasised that the fear of kidnapping and its impact on students’ mental health were significant issues.

They also brought to the fore broader economic issues affecting students, including hyperinflation, which had drastically increased the cost of learning materials by 300 per cent, making essential textbooks unaffordable for many.

They said the rising cost of electricity had left many campuses in darkness due to unpaid bills, and that the hike in petrol price had led to increased transportation costs.

They stressed that the ongoing strike threat by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) due to unresolved issues with the federal government further exacerbated the challenges faced by students.

They, therefore, called on the president to reform the nation’s security architecture, deploy troops to campuses to alleviate students’ anxiety and prevent industrial actions that could extend the duration of academic programmes.

They also urged the government to address the flood disaster affecting the region by providing immediate relief materials and to review foreign exchange policies, reintroduce electricity subsidy for tertiary institutions and fulfil the promise to distribute CNG buses to campuses to ease transportation costs.