Chinedu Eze
A security summit has advanced strategies for the reduction and ultimate prevention of criminal acts in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The three-day summit organised by the International Centre for Executive Security Training and World Certification Institute recently held at Transcorp Hotel, Calabar with the theme ‘Crime, Fear and Insecurity in Tertiary Institutions: Challenges, Impact and Prevention Strategies’.
The summit was aimed at examining the causes of crimes in tertiary institutions and mapping out preventive strategies to ensure a safer and quiet environment for learning, teaching and research in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The keynote speaker, Professor O.B.C Nwolise of the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan and other resource persons, including Professor Rowland Ndoma-Egba, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ife and Professor Michael Faborode, former Secretary General of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors proffered practical solutions on the way forward.
The speakers observed that crime wave in Nigerian tertiary institutions has become serious threats to life and property, as well as dedicated learning, teaching and research. They identified some of the causes of insecurity such as cultism, drug abuse, untrained security personnel, poor funding, ill-equipped libraries, accommodation, sporting, workshops, laboratories, poor family upbringing and faulty character building curriculum.
The summit recommended that government and the society should give urgent attention to trending crime wave in tertiary institutions to mitigate the impact. In addition, there should be a well-designed dedicated curriculum for character moulding for students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria to balance the curriculum that is currently only academic focused.
The participants stressed the need for parents and the society to take the socialisation of their children and the youths more seriously, as it will enable them to know early enough unacceptable behaviours that are detrimental to their development.
They called on government and owners of private tertiary institutions to adequately fund their institutions and provide facilities relevant for interesting learning and teaching.
“The government should use intelligence personnel to fish and flush out cultists and criminals from tertiary institutions, as well as create a database for students expelled from any tertiary institution to be shared by all such institutions.”
