Southern Kaduna Students pass vote of no confidence on El-Rufai, begin voting against governor

Southern Kaduna Youth and Student’s Forum, has opened Vote of No Confidence register on governor Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai against his alleged punitive, vindictive and genocidal education policy in Southern Kaduna.
The students said students are to visit the SKYSFOM social media (Facebook) platforms and vote on the voting portal they have developed, adding that voting shall take a week from today, Monday.

A press statement by the National President of the forum, Comrade Galadima Jesse, said, “On this note, we hereby declare the opening of a VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE Register on Governor El-Rufai against his punitive, vindictive and genocidal education policy in Southern Kaduna. We hereby call on all our members within Nigeria and the Diaspora to massively append their signatures in passing the VOTES.
“We call on members to massively respond within this stipulated. For our members in the rural areas who may not have access to internet services, we have opened various manual voting centres in designated locations in local government areas of Southern Kaduna as will be passed on to you by your SKYSFOM representatives, to avoid state-sponsored sabotage.
“When the collated vote reaches a threshold, we shall use the result to make our case within the Nigeria Human Rights bodies and especially International Rights Agencies.”

The students said they found reasons of government not opening schools in Southern Kaduna ss illogical, ridiculous and laughable, said, “In responsed to the aforementioned press conference which took place on Thursday 29th June, 2017 through the Commissioners of Education and Health alongside the spokesperson to the Kaduna state government, which government affirmed its desire not to reopen the schools based on the claim of working on security report, suggesting that Southern Kaduna is not safe for schools to re-open.
“Why has the Federal School of Statistics Manchock as well as the degree and diploma programs affiliated to ABU Zaria run at the Kafanchan Campus of College of Education, Gidan Waya, running smoothly without any challenge?
“Which one poses more security risk between allowing primary and secondary schools in the area to be opened since January or the tertiary institution with mature personalities?

“How have workers in various government agencies working in the areas and also market activities in the same areas, been going on smoothly since January without any security challenge affecting them?”

“Contrary to the recent press outing by the Kaduna State Government on this issue, that the Government of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai does not have a plan to slow down and kill education in the Southern part of Kaduna state, but that rather, the state government is providing a robust plan to uplift standard of education in all parts of Kaduna state, we dare to say that this claim cannot be uniformly true. If not, why are the activities of those institutions in the northern part of the state ongoing?
“The general public will recall that after armed policemen and DSS operatives botched our press conference of the Southern Kaduna Youth and Students Forum (SKYSFOM) in Kaduna on 12th June 2017, which was aimed at drawing the attention of the state government towards reopening the College of Education (COE) Gidan Way; College of Nursing Kafanchan and the Kaduna State University (KASU), Kafanchan Campus, we gave a three weeks ultimatum to the state government to reopen the schools or face the actions of students.
“Contrary to the recent press outing by the Kaduna State Government on this issue, that the Government of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai does not have a plan to slow down and kill education in the Southern part of Kaduna state, but that rather, the state government is providing a robust plan to uplift standard of education in all parts of Kaduna state, we dare to say that this claim cannot be uniformly true. If not, why are the activities of those institutions in the northern part of the state ongoing?
“Gentlemen of the Press, I wish to inform you that ABU Zaria is running some Degree and Diploma Courses for College of Education, Gidan Waya at its Kafanchan Campus. These courses are relatively elitist and cater for mostly the working class. The Kafanchan campus is an integral part of the CEO, Gidan Waya.
“To show the double standard of the security claims to the closure of other tertiary schools in Southern Kaduna, the Kafanchan campus has never been closed. Not even in the heat of the violence. Academic activities have and are still going on.”
“Prof. Andrew Nok, Kaduna State Commissioner of Education, who addressed the Press on this issue, insisted that the closure of our schools is over security concerns. This action of the government, in our opinion, is a blackmail to the people of Southern Kaduna as it is portraying to the world that Southern Kaduna is a war zone, contrary to the peace we are now enjoying.”
He called on the students from the affected institutions never to get frustrated by the travails meted on them but enjoined the students to display every sense of civility in achieving their victory.