For students with disabilities in Borno State University, all isn’t well. This past week there was rude shock as the news of gross discrimination against a couple Deaf students seeking admission into the Borno State University (BOSU) got out.
The outrage started when the students, Ibrahim Abdullahi and Yasseer Abubakar, whose names appeared on the admission list were denied admission letters by the institution, because they are Deaf.
One of the affected students, Ibrahim Abdullahi who got admission to study computer science told our correspondent how he and his mother did all they could to collect the original admission letter from BOSU but met resistance.
Narrating his ordeal, Abdullahi said, “that day, I and my mother went to BOSU. We met an admission officer and told him we came to collect my admission letter”.
The officer asked for the acknowledgment copy of my admission letter and I tendered it”
To our surprise, after reading the letter he wonder if I can be accepted there as no Deaf student has ever been admitted to BOSU before I and Yasseer. He therefore advised us to meet with the Director of Internal Audit.
“The Director unequivocally told us that I cannot be admitted in the school because I was the only Deaf. He advised that I be transferred to a school in Kano”.
The issue has since become a topic of discussion on various social media platforms with PWDs and other sympathizers lamenting the ill treatment meted against the students.
A fellow Deaf student Umaru Garba, who first broke the news through a post on his Facebook wall called for immediate intervention of authorities concerned to ensure justice is served the students.
Garba wrote: “I am sad and down with discouragement because my State owned university denied admission to my friends with JAMB scores of 173 and 162”.
“How can my own state university reject our Deaf members from furthering their studies just because they are Deaf, this is a very sad development for PWDs striving to achieve their academic dreams. I am calling on the Hon. Commissioner for education and the management of BOSU to do something about this very important issue.
“We are hungry for education like our hearing counterparts, so please discourage us not”
When our correspondent contacted Mallam Adamu Gaji, Chairman, Borno State Association of the Deaf (BOSAD) for comment on the issue, he said he is waiting to see the affected students and their parents before swinging into action to ensure justice is done.
Elsewhere, the development has triggered much anger and lamentation in the PWDs community – especially in the North East zone, with many calling for the National Headquarters, Nigeria National Association of the Deaf (NNAD) and the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) to ensure justice and curtail future reoccurrences.
However, recent report reaching INN noted that, the effort made by the BOSAD chairman, Mal Adamu Gaji Bukar has started yielding fruitful result as the university management seems to be rescinding their earlier stance on the issue by admitting one affected students Ibrahim Abdulahi but the other student Yasser Abubakar is yet to be admitted