Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has said the state government would consider the reopening of the Shehu Shagari College of Education (SSCOE), which was closed after the killing of a student, Deborah Yakubu, over alleged blasphemy.

Tambuwal, who said this on Tuesday, said the development followed the submission of the report of a committee set up by the state government to investigate the May 12 students’ unrest at the college.

The governor said having received the recommendation of the committee and heard from several stakeholders and leaders in the state on the need for the college to be reopened, his administration would look into the possibility of doing so.

Tambuwal, however, also directed the Governing Council of the college to convene a meeting with a view to reopening the college soon.

He further assured the people of the state that the government would implement the recommendations of the committee, noting that the implementation would prevent future reoccurrence in all tertiary institutions in the state.

Governor Tambuwal, however, appealed to the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to find common ground toward ending the prolonged strike embarked upon by the union.

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“No issues are beyond resolution. We must, in the interest of our children and our country, find a common ground,” he said.

He added that there is give and take in negotiations, stating that ASUU and the Federal Government should shift positions and accommodate each other so that students could return to school.

The governor appealed to the ASUU members in Sokoto State University, who are in solidarity with the national body, to reconsider their position, saying the state was making effort to meet all the demands of the union “as reasonably as possible”.

Tambuwal stated that the Sokoto State Government has been paying the university staff salary regularly.

“You should not be in solidarity with the national body of ASUU since you are not affected by their demands. By expressing solidarity with them you are harming your own students and that solidarity is a very negative one. Please call it off and go back to work,” he added.

Speaking on the development, the chairman of the 12-man investigation committee of the SSCOE crisis, Engr. Abdullah Bakale, said the committee has done a thorough investigation of the matter which led them to write a comprehensive report on the closure of the college.

Umar Adam

The Star