DISQUIET IN FGC AZARE: Concerned parents, students puncture PTA Chairman’s claims

DISQUIET IN FGC AZARE: Concerned Parents, Students Puncture PTA Chairman’s Claims

A number of parents and students of the Federal Government College, Azare, Bauchi State, have expressed their dismay over the levity with which the Chairman, Parents Teachers Association (PTA), FGC Azare, Prof Isma’ila Shehu, is treating the concerns raised by some parents about the antecedents of the newly appointed Principal of the school, Dr Bukar Bukare.

Prof Shehu had denied that there was no disquiet in the school following the appointment of the new principal. He claimed the report in the media was an attempt to damage the reputation of the principal. According to a statement he made available to some journalists on Monday, he called on the Federal Ministry of Education and the general public to disregard the reports against the principal, Dr Bukare.

“We are not aware of any of such happenings in the school. This is false, ungrounded and mischievous”, he stated.

However, a parent of one of the students who was transferred from FGC Bunu Yadi to FGC Azare following the massacre of Bunu Yadi students in 2014, expressed shock over the PTA Chairman’s claims, stating that it goes to show that the Chairman is not on ground to know what is happening in the school. According to him, everything said about Dr Bukare in relation to the Bunu Yadi massacre was the truth.

“Can her come out and deny that he was not the Principal when the massacre took place or that he was not informed before the attack happened and he sat on the information and exposed the boys to the attack or that he never reached out or commiserated with any of the grieving families after the attack? What is the Prof talking about?”, he asked.

Another parent who chose not to be named so that his child will not be victimized said it is a shame that the PTA Chairman chose to worry more about the reputation of the tainted Principal instead of making effort to unravel the truth in the interest of helpless children who will be kept in the custody of a man who is not worthy to be a school principal.

“What part the media report is he saying is fake? Is it the massacre of Bunu Yadi students when the man was the principal or the fact that some of us protested his coming to Azare when we learnt about his appointment? I don’t understand”.

A student of the school, Mustapha (not real name) had told media reporters that Dr Bukare was not welcomed in their school because of the role he was said to have played in the massacre of Bunu Yadu students by Boko Haram terrorists some years back. He said, “We are scared that such a man is posted to our school. He is not the kind of father we want as our principal. If they don’t remove him, I will reconsider my further stay in the that school. It is better to stop my secondary education than to be put in the hands of uncaring man who might expose us to danger”.

Dr Bukar Bukare was the Principal of Federal Government College Bunu Yadi, Yobe State in 2014 when Boko Haram terrorists stormed the school in the dead of the night and slaughtered 54 school boys. He was said to have received prior information about the impending attack and he curiously ignored, refused to alert higher authorities until the attack was carried out.

Some parents of the massacred boys are still ruing the fact the man in who care their children were kept never found it necessary to as such as reach to them nor commiserate with their family for the gruesome killing of the wards.

It was learnt that following the killing of the boys, nobody heard about the Principal again until recently when words went out that he has been appointment Principal of FGC Azare, a move some students and parents who knew about him were said to have vehemently protested against.