* ERC Condemns
Clampdown on the Heroes of the Struggle to Reverse
LASU's Outrageous Fees
* Demands Payment of
Refund of Excess Fees to Students
Press Statement
It has come to the notice
of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) a series of undemocratic actions,
including victimization, recently taken by the administration of the Lagos
State University (LASU) against members of staff and students of the
University.
We also want the general
public to note that contrary to the public announcement made by the Lagos State
government over five months ago, no single student in LASU has received any
refund of the excess fees they were compelled to pay before the reversal of the
fees in August 2014. Instead, the University administration has now instructed
students as they resume into the new academic session to pay the new fees of
N25, 000 and expect to receive the refund of the excess fees at an unspecified
future date. This is unfair and unjust. We in the ERC hereby call on LASU
students not to pay any tuition in this new academic session and until such a
time the University and the State government refund the fees students were
compelled to pay a year ago.
These victimisations are
targeted particularly at individuals and unions that came together in fraternal
solidarity last year to prosecute a struggle that ultimately compelled the
Lagos State government to reverse the highly outrageous and anti-poor tuition
regime of between N193,750 and N348,750. Some of these undemocratic actions
include:
(1) The indefinite
postponement of elections into the Students Union which should have held in
December 2014.
(2) Dragging a student
activist, Adeyemi Onikoro before a disciplinary panel for partaking in struggle
for reversal of the University's outrageous tuition fee. Adeyemi Onikoro has
been a longstanding activist and opponent of LASU fee hike. He was the chairman
of the #SaveLASU campaign movement - the joint platform that led the struggle
against LASU fees from February 1st 2014 to around May 2014. He is currently a
presidential candidate in the postponed elections into the Students Union and
generally regarded as the most popular candidate among students. Indeed it was
after efforts by University administration to disqualify him from contesting
failed that it unilaterally postponed the Students Union elections indefinitely
and also sought to rusticate him for one academic session
(3) Placement of Prof.
Tunde Fatunde, a 62 year -old academic on half salary for the past four months
for allegedly being rude to the Registrar. Whereas, his offence actually is the
"effrontery" to write an article published in some National dailies
last year calling on Governor Fashola to reverse LASU fees.
(4) Withdrawal of the PhD
Certificate of Dr. Idris Adekunle, the Chairman of the University's branch of
the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), in suspicious circumstances
that convey the impression that this is a massive and deliberate witch-hunt
against all those who played notable roles in the successful struggle against
high fees last year.
While taking these
undemocratic actions, the University administration has carefully prepared
arguments to give the impression that these are normal administrative
procedures devoid of any political agenda. For instance, the withdrawal of Dr.
Idris PhD certificate is orchestrated in such a way that the University gives
the impression that it is merely trying to correct a mistake made by the Senate
years ago in issuing PhD certificates wrongly to not only Dr. Idris Adekunle
but at least 18 other academics. Meanwhile whilst the University in its
instruction to the other 18 affected academics stated when a new certificate
would be issued once they submit the one with them, no such assurance was given
to Dr. Idris Adekunle raising the suspicion that once he submits his
certificate, the grand plan is not to issue him a new one which in all practical
terms would translate to a demotion and loss of pay and conditions.
Likewise the authorities'
illegal interference into the conduct of the Students Union election is
presented as simply a reaction to "reports of agitation from a section of
the University on the candidacy of one of the presidential aspirants". As
a result, the University administration issued on 11 December 2014 an official
bulletin (LASU/CIPPR/1525) directing "that the on-going 2014 Lagos State
University Students' Union (LASUSU) elections be put on hold".
The truth however is that
if there was any agitation from a section of the University against the
candidacy of any of the presidential aspirants, this was effectively put to
rest when on 10 December 2014 when the Students' Union Judicial council (the
judicial arm of the Students Union) in Suit No: LASUSU/HC/10/2014 declared the
candidate, Adeyemi Onikoro eligible to contest the elections. The respondent in
the suit was the LASUSU Independent Electoral Committee. In accordance with the
Students Union constitution, only the Judicial Council can adjudicate on this
matter and once its judgement is given, the electoral commission must comply.
However instead of allowing the electoral commission to comply with the court
order, the University administration announced on 11 December 2014 that it had
put the election on hold. The ERC condemns this interference in the affairs of
an independent union. The University administration has no such powers to put
Students' Union elections on hold. What the learned Professors in the
administration of the Lagos State University have done is illegal, despotic and
an assault on the basic tenets of democracy.
However this illegal
ill-motivated action of the University is what clearly exposes the real interests
and intentions of the University administration. The truth of the matter is
that only the University administration has any real problems with Adeyemi
Onikoro's candidacy. It was the University administration once it realised that
Adeyemi Onikoro was a popular candidate in the election with a chance to win
that decided to unearth and reactivate a disciplinary action against him for
allegedly participating in one of the early protests against LASU fee hike as
far back as September 12, 2012 when he was just in 100 level! LASU fee was
hiked in September 2011 and Adeyemi Onikoro as a 100 level student played roles
in the struggles that broke out against the fees in 2012. For this reason, he
was dragged before an investigative panel in 2012 on trumped up charges of
participating in an "illegal protest" and of disrupting a GNS
examination. The panel sat on the case from late 2012 into 2013 and from then
on nothing more was heard about it until now when the University saw an
opportunity to use it to stop Adeyemi Onikoro's ambition for the presidency of
the Students Union.
When the investigative
panel sat on the case in 2012 and 2013, the DSA Prof. Kabir Akinyemi appeared
before it to testify against Adeyemi Onikoro. Now in 2014, the case was
transferred to the Student Disciplinary Committee. When Adeyemi Onikoro
appeared before the committee, he discovered to his chagrin that his chief
prosecutor the DSA Prof. Kabir Akinyemi is now the Vice Chairman of the
Disciplinary committee. Interestingly all the time the committee sat on the
case, the substantive chairman, Prof. Senapone Bakre who is the Deputy Vice
Chancellor (Academics), was conveniently away allowing the DSA Prof. Kabir
Akinyemi to chair the process. Now there is no better example of an
undemocratic and unfair trial in which an individual, in this case the DSA,
becomes the judge, prosecutor and witness in a case in which he as much as his
employers, the University administration, have interest. It was therefore not
surprising when on December 2, 2014 this committee recommended Adeyemi Onikoro
to be rusticated for one academic session on trumped up charges only the DSA
out of all members of the University community could prove he committed. This
completely unfair verdict is now awaiting the approval of the University Senate
after which Adeyemi Onikoro's studentship would be suspended.
The ERC is convinced that
Adeyemi Onikoro is only being witchhunted for his leading role in the struggle
for reversal of the fee and for the threat he could be to government and
University administraion's anti-poor education policies if he becomes the
President of the Students Union. We in the ERC worked with Adeyemi Onikoro for
over four months in the leadership of the Save LASU campaign movement which was
the platform that led the struggle whilst the Students Union Executive were
still awaiting their inauguration. He was steadfast, fearless and resilient.
His personal courage and selfless examples were instrumental in mobilising more
and more students to join the struggle. The University administration fears for
good reason that if he becomes the President of the Students Union, he would
carry the same fearless and radical spirit into unionism and that would mean
all of the authorities plans to continue its policy of exploitation and
education commercialisation would be strongly resisted.
Aside the Students Union
and ASUU, members of other staff unions like the Non Academic Staff Union
(NASU) and the Senior Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) are also
facing victimisation and undemocratic attacks. For instance, at least five (5)
members of SSANU have been interdicted by the University administration. We in
the ERC see all these victimisations as preparation of the ground for
re-introduction of the tuition fees once elections are over. The University
administration wants to destroy all the unions and individuals that united to
defeat the fee hike in order to be in a position to re-introduce the fees
without resistance at a future date possibly after the 2015 general elections.
The ERC demands:
(1) A halt
to all these victimisation and witch-hunt in LASU.
(2) Immediate refund of excess fees paid by
students under the old fee regime of N193, 750 and N348, 750.
(3) Immediate reversal of all disciplinary actions
against Adeyemi Onikoro (one of the leaders of last year's struggle to reverse
LASU fees), Dr. Idris Adekunle (ASUU chairman), Prof. Tunde Fatunde as well as
other members of staff.
(4) We specifically call on the University Senate
not to approve the recommendation of the Students Disciplinary Committee for
Adeyemi Onikoro to be rusticated for one academic session.
(5) Immediate conduct of Students Union elections
without interference by the University administration. We wish to put it on
record that the University administration does not have the power to "put
on hold" the elections of the Lagos State University Students Union. Only
the organs of the Union have such powers. Therefore the action of the
University authorities is wrong in law and an affront against the
constitutional rights of students to independent unionism.
(6) We warn the University administration and the
State government to perish whatever agenda they may have to reintroduce high
tuition fees after the 2015 general elections as such would be met by mass
uprising of students, staff and people of Lagos.
Hassan
Taiwo Soweto Michael Ogundele
National
Coordinator National Secretary
07033697259
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