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Markus Ali, Yahya Danjuma, Yohanna Benjamin and Filimon Ayuba were among the 59 out of the 63 student-inmates of Ohogua Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) secondary school that scored above 200 in the recently released 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). While Markus Ali, 20, scored 277, Yahya Danjuma, aged 18, scored 293, Yohanna Benjamin, aged 18, scored 275 and Filimon Ayuba scored 294.
Filimon Ayuba, currently a Biochemistry student in the University of Benin as a result of the 2017 JAMB results, wrote the last UTME examination to enable him secure admission to study a course of his first choice which is medicine and surgery in the institution.
In these separate interviews with the students by IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, they spoke about life in the camp, secret behind their performances, how Boko Haram insurgents invaded their various communities, among others. Excerpts:
Markus Ali: I hawked ‘pure water’ in Abuja after escape from Boko Haram – scored 277 in JAMB
What is your score in the 2018 JAMB?
First of all my name is Markus Ali, aged 20. I am from Jibrilli village in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State. I scored 277 in the last JAMB. I scored 84 in Physics, 72 in Chemistry, 69 in Biology and 52 in English Language and I applied to study medicine and surgery at the University of Benin.
Why do you choose UNIBEN?
I chose UNIBEN because of the closeness to the Christian International Mission Centre venue of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp at Ohogua in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Why do you want to study medicine?
My love for medicine is based on my ability in science subjects, and also with the desire to help the needy like me in health-related problems.
What is the name of your former school in Borno States?
I attended Jibrilli Primary School, Jubrilli in Gwoza Local Government Area and Junior Secondary School, Michika in Adamawa State. I now started from JSS 111 at the Ohogua IDPs camp in Benin-City.
Is there any remarkable difference between your former schools in Borno and Adamawa State and the one located at the IDPs camp at Ohogua?
Before coming to the Ohogua camp, I knew little or nothing in English Language subject. When I came to the camp I had the belief that I will not pass the Junior School Certificate Examination but when I stated schooling and attended classes I wrote the examination and I passed. Also, I had not written my Primary School First leaving Certificate Examination before I left my village. The reason was that at the time Boko Haram invaded our community, I was in the school, my parents ran to Cameroon while l am in Nigeria. Till now, I have not seen them as a result I was not able to meet up with my primary school leaving certificate examination. But now, the Overseer of Christian International Mission Centre, and the operator of Ohogua IDPs, Solomon Folorunsho enrolled us for the primary school certificate examination so that we will have the certificate. I also passed the examination.
I also wrote General Certificate of Examination (GCE) when I was in SS11 when I got seven credits in the examination, and finally in 2017 I was among those that sat for the West African Senior School Certificate and I got credits in all the subjects I enrolled for including those I was not able to credit in GCE.
With this there is a big different between my former schools in Borno and Adamawa states and the one at the IDPs’ camp here in Benin-City.
Can you still remember how the crisis in Borno caused you to take refuge in this camp?
The crisis started when Boko Haram attacked communities and other villages close to ours. When they started and also due to the closure of all schools in the state, I told my parents that I was leaving the state to attend another school in Adamawa State. They immediately sent me to Michika Local Government Area. I was in Michika when they attacked my village, killed some people while my parents and others ran to Cameroun but I only heard that my junior brother died in the process of running. I was in school when the incident happened. Within that period, I had the intention of relocating to another local government area in the same Adamawa state but through the grace of God, when they attacked the school I escaped unhurt. Still, in the new community I went to, they attacked the place and by the grace of God I again escaped and was saved. I again moved to another local government area in the same state. I was in my relative’s farm in the village, when the Boko Haram attacked the community. And by the grace of God, I was again saved. When I came out there was no hope for schooling and my uncle said I should go to Abuja to start selling table water. I was selling table water in the streets. It was in the course of selling the table water in Abuja that one of my uncles called me that there is IDPs camp at Ohogua in Edo State. It was from Abuja that I came to the camp and by the grace of God I am now schooling here and very healthy.
I always call my family on phone from the camp here. I am happy that I am alive and that one day I will meet my parents and relations. They are still in Cameroun and always in touch with them.
What is your message to the state, federal government as well as well-meaning Nigerians on the need to come to the aid of the camp to improve on the infrastructure, welfare and other needs?
I sincerely appeal to government and other well- meaning Nigerians to come to our help. Things have been tough for us. We need more help in terms of education as we are preparing to write post-UTME for admission; we need help, more books, among others. Other needs in the camp are food, clothes among others. So we call on government for more help.
After achieving your educational dreams of becoming s medical practitioner, will you like to go back to your community?
If God helps me and also by His grace, and by fervent prayers I have intention that if I am successful I will go back to my community to see how things have changed and by the special grace of God, I have the belief that one day my parents who have been hoping and feeling about me we will reunite peacefully and happily.
Are you missing them?
Physically I am missing them but spiritually I am not because now that I am alive and they too are alive, my hope is that one day we will meet.
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Yohanna Benjamin (19): I was out of school for over a year due to Boko Haram insurgency- scored 275 in JAMB
I am from Ngoshe village in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State. I scored 275 in the last 2018 JAMB.
What will you attribute your superlative performance in the JAMB to?
The performance was due to the hard work as a result of my reading and also by prayers. That is how God helped me to score that mark. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish answering all the questions in English Language before the time was up. I only answered about 15 questions and I only got 31 marks.
What was your score in the exam?
I scored 31 in English Language, Chemistry 76, Mathematics 83 and Physics 81. I applied to study Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
How is life in the Ohogua IDPs camp?
I am very happy that the overseer of the church and the operator of the camp provided a place for us for safety because when I was in Borno State I was not getting the kind of word of God like we are having here. In the camp we have good standard of education and we are being built spiritually.
I was attending Central Government Primary School, Ngoshe in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno. After Boko Haram displaced us from our community I stayed away from school for over a year before I heard of this camp in Benin that is caring for people that are displaced by the Boko Haram insurgents and those that lost their parents. That is how I came here and I started my SS1 from here to now SSS 111.
How did Boko Haram chase you people away from your community?
I was at home when Boko Haram came in large number, burnt most of the houses, killed many people and stole cars and motorcycles.
What has been your experience in the camp?
The camp has built my spiritual life, teaching the word of God and even education. We have many qualified teachers even Master degree holders in the school compared to Secondary school certificate holders in Gwoza.
What is your appeal to the general public and Nigerians for the development of the camp?
I want Nigerians to assist us with textbooks, educational materials, foodstuffs, medicine, science laboratory equipment, among others.
Why do you want to study Electrical and Electronics?
I chose to study electrical and electronics engineering to contribute to the power and energy development in the country as well as in my community.
You remember when Boko Haram came to your community. How did it happen?
It was very terrible. On that day, I saw some of them that carried gun. Thank God for helping us to escape to the bush. In the bush, I saw many bullets flying but I thank God again for protecting me and others. Many of the people in the village escape through the bush, slept in the bush and some never came back home until now.
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Yahya Danjuma: Hard work, prayers pillars of my success- Scored 293 in JAMB
I am Yahaya Danjuma, 18 years old and from Agapalawa in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
I attended Agapalawa Primary School, in Gwoza Local Government and from there to Comprehensive Secondary School, Kwarhi in Adamawa State.
You were among the Internally Displaced Persons at International Christian Mission Centre who writes the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination. What was your score?
I scored 293 in JAMB.
As an IDP, how were you able to achieve such grade?
First, I will start with the background of my school. In all the examinations we did not indulge in examination malpractices and that was what helped me to be able to pass my WASC and NECO with good grades and also get the 293 in my JAMB examination. I did not depend on anybody; I only depend on my God and books. And because of that I prepare very well and achieve success in all my examinations. Our guardian taught us to depend on God, hard work and ourselves. That aided me in my preparation and with God on my side, I made good grade in JAMB.
What was your subject for the JAMB and the various scores in each of the subjects?
I sat for English Language, and scored 65, Biology 73, Physics 77 and Chemistry 79.
What do you want to study?
I applied to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Benin, Edo State.
What has been your experience in the school at the camp?
My experience is that of good and bad because of the way I came to the camp but God has been helping us and people have been bringing textbooks and other writing materials though not enough for us all. So God has helped us, the people have helped us and because of that we are doing well in school today. The experience is good because despite the hard way of coming down to this place, I have gotten my education right and on the verge of entering the university.
You were attending school in Borno State before Boko Haram insurgency, how will you describe your experience there and here at IDP?
I was attending Agapalawa Primary School and Universal Basic Education, a government secondary school in Borno State. The teaching I received there was quite different from the one here. In Borno, though we had teachers but they are not as trained as the ones here. Most of them are holders of National Certificate of Education (NCE) but when I came here I met teachers with BSC and Master Degree. Also, in my former school, I was not reading well because we believe in external help but when I arrived here, I learn how to depend on myself and resort to hard work. That was my experience here which is better than my former school.
Can you share your experience on how you escape Boko Haram in Borno to this camp?
It was the grace of God that we were able to leave our Community Agapalawa in Borno State to this camp. I see the journey as God’s destiny in my life. The Boko Haram disguise as military officers when they entered our village. They were wearing army uniform and we thought they were military officers who came to our rescue, so the community surrendered to them but soon after that they started killing people and burning down houses, our house was burnt down. I was in school when my father came to meet me and told me that we were homeless as Boko Haram has destroyed everything that we have. My father only escaped with the clothe he was putting on. As we were moving from one place to the other in search of a safe haven, where I can continue my schooling because I was already in JSS 3, my father heard of this IDPs’ camp in Edo and we decided to try the camp in 2015. That was how I came to this camp and I thank God for leading me to this place because of the education.
How has the camp impacted your life?
It has really impacted my life physically, spiritually and academically. I can see that my life is improving well. I have made my papers and preparing to gain admission into the university. Also, at the camp when I am sick, I can easily access healthcare here unlike in our place. So the camp has really impacted my life positively.
Why do you want to study Medicine and Surgery?
When I came here and saw what our Pastor was doing by helping others, I decided that the only way I can help others, especially my people is by becoming a medical doctor. In our side, there are no many hospitals, so I believe that when I become a medical doctor I would be able to help and impact on the life of others the same way our Pastor has impacted ours.
What is your appeal to government, organisations and individuals as regards the education of inmates?
The population of the camp has increased this year and because of this, textbooks and other instructional materials are not enough so I appeal to them to provide instructional aids to the camp so that other students can also acquire good education.
Any plan of going back home soon?
I will go back but I want to achieve what God has destined in my life. Since it was God’s plan for me to come here, I believe it is also God’s plan for me to go back home.
What is your appeal to the Federal Government on Boko Haram?
I want the government to eradicate Boko Haram insurgency so that we can all go back home; and also enable students who are out of school to go back to school because education is the best legacy any government or parent can bequeath to its citizens or children. Also the Federal Government should establish schools in the camps so that other IDPs can also have the opportunity to attend school like us.
