Mass Protest on Wednesday 17 July in Ibadan
On the Friday, 12th July, 2013, members of the
Education Right Campaign (ERC), University of Ibadan branch, staged a public
stall at the main gate of the university to kick start its campaign for a
united struggle among students and education workers against poor funding and
chronic commercialization of Nigeria public education, particularly in the face
of the current university lecturers strike.
The
activity which was originally meant to start by 10am could not start until
11.30am. This delay was caused by the attempt by university security agents,
who were demanding for permission letter to hold the activity from the Dean of
Students, to frustrate the event from being held.
Following
the intervention of members of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU)
after an altercation between ERC/DSM comrades and the security agents, the
university security men were made to realize that university is a public place.
Therefore, no permission is needed for an expression of right to freedom of
association and peaceful assembly.
During
the event which lasted for over three hours, over two thousand copies of ERC leaflet calling on students to support the strike and
for a joint action of education workers and students to fight against attacks
on education were distributed among people who include students,
workers, non-students.
So
many questions and comments both in support and against the strike were ensued
while the activity was ongoing. Some
students put to us the question of whether the ERC members are actually happy
about the strike. While many workers and some students also expressed their
dissatisfaction with the attitude of government towards the agreement reached
with the ASUU since 2009.
In
responding to whether ERC members are happy about the ongoing ASUU strike, it
was clearly stated that members of ERC are also students and definitely not
happy about avoidable disruption of the academic activities.
 |
| Abbey Trotsky, DSM Secretary Oyo State, stressing a point at the stall |
However,
ERC holds that the implementation of ASUU/FGN agreement will to some extent
improve the funding the public education in Nigeria and consequently be a
relief to Nigerian students who have been groaning under anti-poor neo-liberal
policies of underfunding and commercialization of education sector. This
explains why we of the ERC are calling on students to unite with the education
workers in a struggle to make sure the government implement the agreement it
has reached with not only ASUU but all the staff unions in the education
sector. It should be recalled that before the ASUU began the strike the
polytechnics nationwide had been shut down for over two months also as a result
of the failure to government to implement agreement with ASUP and SSANIP. The ERC members have also been active
in the struggle of polytechnic workers and students since the beginning of the
strike. With
this argument, we were able to convince many students of the importance of not
only supporting the strike but also taking concrete actions like protests and
demonstrations.
This activity was also used to intimate the public about
other lined-up programme of ERC to mobilize Nigeria students in support of ASUU
demands actually had a tremendous effect on mass of the people who took time to
engage ERC comrades in discussion.
Another
highlight of the activity was the President of Student Union of University of
Ibadan who came and identified with the activity. In discussion, he
suggested an urgent need for a meeting of progressive Students' union leaders
and activists across the South-West part of the country toward making sure that
Nigerian students have their independent programme of activities to force
government to implement agreements with ASUU and other unions.
Later, in the evening a meeting of ERC members with
representatives from Polytechnic of Ibadan and Moor Plantation and leadership
of Students Union of University of Ibadan was held.
At the end of the meeting a three man-committee with two
members of ERC : Comrade Micheal (UI) and Comrade Taiwo (Moor plantation) was
constituted to work out the modality to convene the meeting of the student
activists proposed to hold on Tuesday 17th
July, 2013 at SUB university of Ibadan.
Aside this, the ERC is organising a mass protest at the
University of Ibadan (U.I) on Wednesday 17 July 2013. Take off point is the UI
Students Union Building and time is 7am. This protest together with other
activities will go a long way in stepping up students solidarity for the
strike.
Ogundele
Michael
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