By Elizabeth Ameh and Rosemary Iyaji Olima
Amongst the 4, 437 matriculated students at the University of Maiduguri, in the 2023/2024 Academic session is Bashir Saleh, a privileged young boy from gwoza local government area of Borno state, whose educational journey began with the help of a military personnel serving in NothEast, Borno. Bashir’s Family was among the thousand displaced families as a result of the over 15 years insurgency in the Northest, Borno state which has caused devastating effect on many families and individuals.
The Journey.
According to Bashir he met his mentor in the bush where he and his family goes for Farming.
“…My name is Bashir Saleh, I am Gwoza by tribe and I am among the people chased from their homes like in Bama, Gwoza, Bag a to Maiduguri. After that I went to the bush for farming and saw military group and I went there, I saw a man, he asked for my name and I told him and then he asked where I was coming from, I told him and he said it was nice to meet you and I said thanks to him. Then he asked if I was a student, and I said No. I was a student before but not anymore. And he said he will take me to school, I told him thank you, I will inform my parents first, to seek their permission. After that he took me to school, Akbar Academic School. That is the school I attended for my Primary education…Bashir said.
The Military personnel, who saw his desire to study, decided to coach him on how to read and write using just carton papers as they do not have access to proper writing materials and later he decides to enroll him into primary school close to their camp when he finds out he adapts learning easily. Bashir was full of praise to the Military personnel for believing in his future and coaching him and later enrolled him into school.He also approached the effort of his primary and secondary school propriotor Mrs Falmata Abdulkarim for her efforts and all those who sponsored and played a vital role in his educational journey. Expressing his excitement about gaining admission into the university to study Biochemistry, a course in the college of medical science, University of Maiduguri, he also sent a special message to other IDPs children who desire to be educated and urged them to put in extrar efforts and should not give up, adding that help will come.
Mrs Falmata Abdulkarim, the proprietor of Akbar Academy then, now Sublime Intergrated model school, the primary school he attended, who is also a staff of the University of Maiduguri, was also present at the Matriculation with some of her family members to give Bashir their love and support. Recalling how the soldier first came to enroll Bashir in her school 8 years ago, Mrs. Falmata commended the Soldier’s efforts and commended their social responsibilities on how they do not just protect lives, but also dedicate their time and resources to train out of school children in various communities where they serve.
He is really a Godsent soldier, from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Army are really trying because apart from securing us during this insurgency, in fact, those in the bush, these soldiers take their time to teach them with a piece of Cartoon, they will write alphabets, and numbers for them to learn, I have first hand information, I have pictures. That is how they started with Bashir and others, yes and we still have few of the students like next year or so, we still have Bunu Maliki, we still have others like Kaka Sheru coming up to this level and those two are also intelligent.
But what I got to understand with the little mix up I have with them is that, most of the time, they are responsible for giving the message to their people, because they don’t accept whatever we tell them, It is better we groom people like Bashir to Penetrate them
To let them know that what this people are telling us is real. I have stayed with Bashir up to this level but those around him don’t trust me. If we can have 2 or 3 of Bashir’s type, they can be ambassadors amongst their community. And they can convince them to come out of the glass ceiling syndrome they are in, so they can meet up to where the state wants them to be..Mrs Abdulkarim Added. Narrating Bashir’s educational journey, she said he is a very brilliant child, that is eager and willing to learn.and that motivated her to give him scholarship in her school all through his years of study as her own way of contributing to his education.
Mrs Falmata said others can pickup from what the Military personnel had done to change Bashir’s life story. She said this is an inspiration to everyone, and a way of reaching out to people in the local community, stressing that if more IDPs Children can access better education, they can be able to go back and be an agent of change in their communities.
…Cheer Agba is a nice person, whenever he calls me, I do not know his ranking in the military but whenever he is coming he comes with his kit, dressed to me. We have met only 3 times in this 8 years but he often calls me and he is a very nice person, because he is a soldier, most of the times he thinks I fear him, so he talks to me softly, encouraging me that “ma, don’t get tired, lets push this boy, we have little left, lets make sure we tidy up and get to our dream.”..Mrs Abdulkarim narrated.
