STUDENTS’ SECURITY IN UNIVERSITY OF GHANA: THE WAY FORWARD

Article by: Austin Brako-Powers    (NUGS Press and Information Secretary)    +233 242 62 81 64

As a former student leader of the University of Ghana, Legon I have oft been approach by some concern students’ who see the current system of security on the Legon campus as worrying to say the least.

I cannot help but to agree with these students in their description of the security status quo of Legon.

While a student leader of the Legon SRC from the year 2007 – 2011, though student security was precarious, the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) did not prioritize security in the administration of the student front. There were times I have fought fiercely with SRC Intelligence Committee Chairpersons over the provision of street lights to light the darkened Legon campus.

I don’t know about you but until the assumption of office of the new Vice Chancellor of the school Prof. –Aryeetey, there was rampant theft incidents on campus like the frequency with which one take in water. The presence of Prof. Aryeetey on campus has given a new face-lit to the school we love.

Today, the whole campus looks lit which is unparallel.

However, the way security on campus and of the various halls is being handled is very distasteful.

The employment of private security firms by the university officials is surely not the best way of quelling theft cases and other incidents from happening on campus.

Let’s not be hypocritical that, the presence of the private security men is aimed at achieving the below;

·         1.Frustrate students’ from “perching” in the various rooms (which is the supreme agenda).

·         2.Prevent the infamous “Amina case” from occurring again on campus.

·         3.Quell the rampant nature of theft cases on campus.

·         4.And finally to provide quality security system on campus (which I disagree).

Fact is, instead of spending a huge budget on persons whose presence cannot hurt a fly, why not the university officials consider the option of empowering the men who’re known as Asenso Police on the Legon campus. These have been men who until recently were in charge of campus security from the Vice Chancellor’s residence to student halls.

This action of the school officials though not new has exposed the orientation of our national leadership that’s bent on giving everything from cooking to the arrangement of files in their offices to private firms to handle for God knows what.

An action of this nature is disincentive and kills innovation.

However, the ramifications of the presence of these private security men are huge and students’ are paying the price for it. There is a story circulating on the Legon campus of a Hall Master who was prevented from entering his own hall by such private security men until the time he showed his Identity card (ID card). He tried to convince the security men that he’s the Hall Master of say hall A but it was to no avail. It took the intervention of some students’ before the Hall Master was given an easy access to his own hall.

This, though funny is a testament of the challenges students’ undergo everyday of their wakeful moment. The issue of checking ID cards everytime inmates go out is frustrating, demoralizing and student leaders should begin engaging the university officials and vent the frustrations of their constituents.

Also, operators of restaurants in the various halls should begin whining about the effect of this policy on the patronage of their products to the very officials who take monthly rent from them. If not for anything at all I believe preventing students from having access to a hall especially Akuafo Hall and Mensah Sarbah Hall reduces the daily sale of the operating restaurants.

These and many more are but few of the ramifications.

Finally in my concluding statements, I’ll have to submit that, the university officials can do better by;

·       1.  Retooling of the Asenso Police to deliver quality security system since empowering them is most significant to both Lecturer’s and students’ alike. I know when we empower them they will be in a better position to ensure the safety of students and properties on campus as demonstrated in the past.

·         2.The Security Board which is made up of university officials and students should begin to put punitive measures especially in place and apply them to security men who take to drinking for instance while at post. The reason for the infamous “Amina incident was as a result of the fact that, the Security men available were drunk and funny enough they were holding spoon in addition – for God knows what”.

·         3. The model of security operation those days at work in the Volta Hall should be revisited since it was safer than this safety-disastrous-nest security system.

·         4.The SRC leadership working in tandem with the various Junior Common Room (JCR) leadership must push for dialogue with the university officials’ right about now in order to think through a better security system for both Lecturer’s and students on campus.

I herein remark that, when the above suggestions among other equally significant solutions are heeded, our desire to provide quality security presence in order to frustrate “perching” of students’ by school officials will be achieved on a more cost-effect ground.