Baga: The Borno Town Where Students Defy Boko Haram Ideology to Get a Western Education, by Gbenga Akingbule

Fifteen-year-old Maryam Mohammed Ali’s lifelong ambition is to become a doctor, a profession that will allow her to use her expertise to care for her community in Baga, a town on the edge of the Lake Chad Basin that has suffered several attacks by the infamous Boko Haram insurgents.

Boko Haram, which in Hausa means: Western education is forbidden, almost succeeded in making Ali give up his dream when they invaded Baga town in Kukawa Local Council of Borno State. Ali, like many other students, could not go to school because the insurgents had targeted schools, teachers and community leaders, among others. It was a dire situation at the time, as residents fled the town to wherever they could find safety.

But the situation is changing rapidly and there is already a silver lining for Ali and other students in Baga and other parts of Borno State who may abandon the dream and seize the opportunity to receive a Western education.

For now, Ali is back in school and is currently attending Junior Secondary School III (JSS3) at Baga Junior Day Secondary School. Her hope of becoming a doctor is renewed following the exploits of the Multi National Joint Taskforce (MNJTF) Operation Lake Sanity 2 to keep terrorists at bay

Ali said in a recent interview: “I am happy to be back in school, the attacks by Boko Haram terrorists cannot kill my dream of becoming a doctor in the future.

“The army is our salvation and keeps our dreams alive.”

Jafar Abdullahi, Yagana Umaru and Hassan Garba are all students at the same school as Ali, they all have different ambitions to become good citizens and contribute positively to their communities in the future, after receiving a Western education along with Quranic education.

The students, visibly happy and in a peaceful atmosphere, took turns praising the MNJTF’s efforts to restore civil authority in their communities.

Apart from the students, teachers too, who have been targeted by Boko Haram terrorists and many of them have paid the ultimate price in imparting their knowledge, are not bowing to the fear of Boko Haram terrorist attacks.

Hadiza Mohammed, a teacher at Ali’s school, says the fear of terrorists attacking their school like they have done to other schools in the past is no more. She revealed that teachers like her and many others have continued to carry out their duties without hindrance.

“I am happy to see the joint security officers guarding our town and villages. Teachers like me are confident that we can impart knowledge to the students of Baga without fearing attacks from Boko Haram terrorists,” Mohammed said.

Apart from the conducive atmosphere created by the presence of MNJTF and other security agencies to maintain peace in Baga and other parts of the Local Government Council and enable learning for the students, other socio-economic activities are also bringing in fresh air.

The famous fish market of Baga is gradually picking up steam, the hospital and police station are functioning while farmers from the farming community were seen cultivating their farmlands

Community leaders, led by district chief Zanna Arjinoma, and residents take their hats off to the non-kinetic approach employed by the MNJTF in managing an insurgency that has lasted over 14 years through interventions in schools, hospitals and support to farmers.

“We are grateful to the MNJTF for their many response projects and advocacy for our communities,” said Arjinoma.

The article Baga: The Borno town where students defy Boko Haram ideology to get a Western education, by Gbenga Akingbule first appeared on TheConclaveNg.