Parents of the over 10,000 students of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, have kicked against the compulsory “toxicology test” that their children have been scheduled to undertake upon their resumption for the next academic session.
Sleeknews learnt that the test is to know if they are into drugs or not.
Besides the test, the students are individually expected to sign a form titled: “Oath Of Good Character And Compliance,” attach the same with the test result, and submit to the management upon resumption.
Our Correspondent gathered that the school management’s stance also followed the recent protest by students of the school following the murder of a 500-level Geology student by assailants.
The deceased final year student, Joseph Agabaidu, from Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State but based in Benue State was the eldest among the four children of his family who school at ATBU, Bauchi, and was stabbed to death on December 2, 2023 by suspected assailants while trying to retrieve his girlfriend’s bag, from the hoodlums who had earlier snatched it from her.
The incident happened around the Yelwan Tudu market in the Yelwa area, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis, at about 7.00pm on Saturday.
Following the attack, he was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment but could not survive the severe injuries he suffered.
However, Sleeknews further learnt that the management of the school, in a bid to avoid any escalation of the incident or other unforeseen circumstances, immediately shut down the school on December 3, 2023, for an initial one week but later extended the resumption date until January 7, 2024.
As a measure to forestall any repeat of the protest in the future and to tackle the menace of drug abuse among its students, the management thus introduced the toxicology test and the signing of the oath form by all the returning students.
A specimen copy of the form obtained by Sleeknews showed that it emanated from the Academic Division in the office of the Registrar of the school with reference number: ATBU/REG/ADM/24 and dated December 21, 2023.
According to the form, a student is to “promise to be of good character and ready to comply with the laid down rules and regulations guiding the conduct of students of the university.”
Individual students are also to promise “not to be involved in the use of illicit drugs as apparently stated in the Students’ Handbook.
“That, I shall also make available to the University, a medical report of toxicology test on my resumption on 8th January, 2024.
“That, I further undertake not to participate in any form of demonstration or protest on any of the University Campuses.”
The form also indicated that the students are to append their signature to other sections of the form which stated that: “If, in any way, I am found going against any of the above-mentioned paragraphs, I will be responsible for the appropriate sanction to be meted on me by the University Management.”
The students are equally required to write their: name, registration number, level, department, faculty, GSM number, signature and date, name, GSM number, signature and date of their parents or guardian, while the Head of Department is also to write his name and signature with date.
Our correspondent’s investigations from some of the students who have done the test said it cost them about N5,000, N7,000, N8,000 and N10,000, depending on the laboratory where the medical test was carried out.
A parent who wants anonymity, told informed Arewa PUNCH that his daughter told him about the test which he considers to be insensitive from the management to direct students to do so considering the cost implication.
He said, “When my daughter got admission, they asked her to do medical test and we went to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital and we spent about N9,000, at the end of the day, when she submitted the document during the registration, they didn’t accept it.
“This time around, they came up with this toxicology test, which means I’m going to spend another money to do it. I believe that this test can be done in their university clinic rather than for them to send the students to do it wherever they like.
“Some of the laboratories in town do not have medical doctors that can sign such documents. When we went to do my daughter’’s medical report when she got admission, I went to a particular laboratory and when they saw where the signature is to be appended, they said they don’t have a medical doctor to sign it, and at the end of the day, I spent a lot of money at the Teaching Hospital and when it was taken to them, they didn’t take the report and now, they’re saying they should go and do another test.
“I feel this is unnecessary because parents are struggling. Imagine when that incident happened, they sent them back home shortly barely one week after they resumed, and some of them came from far distances. They went back and have now resumed. Now, the school is telling them to go do a test because something happened.
“Subjecting parents and guardians to these kind of things at this time is very painful, insensitive, and difficult for parents,” he lamented.
Another parent who simply gave his name as Mr. Peter, said although he is yet to be aware of such directives to the students by the management because his son hasn’t told him about it, nonetheless, he stressed that if it is true, then, “it is not fair to force parents, guardians and students to such test.”
He said: “I am not yet aware because my son hasn’t told me about it yet. But if that is true, then I feel that’s not fair for the management to just come up with such a directive.”