Panaf Adeyemi,
Coordinator, ERC Fed Poly Bida
The Bida branch of the Education Rights
Campaign (ERC) – situated at the Federal Polytechnic Bida in Niger State - held
a further public symposium on Tuesday August 29, 2017.
This successful symposium had an
attendance of fifty eight (58) students. The speakers at the event were former
Chair of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) at Bida Poly, Pita
Kolo; Coordinator, Northern Chapters of ERC Comrade Dimeji Macaulay, branch
coordinator of ERC Bida, Panaf Adejengbe Ashenafi Adeyemi (aka Basket);
President of the Students' Union Government, Isola Olamilekan and Umar Sani.
The symposium kicked
off with rendition of solidarity songs after which the moderator Comrade Habeeb
Bolarinwa introduced the invited guests. The branch coordinator, Panaf Adeyemi,
gave a welcome address entitled "Students' Union Government FPB: The
Missing 'U'!". This centred on charging the students to be more involved
in the affairs and activities of the students union. At the same time he said
that the student union leadership had to be true to their words which was to
serve and represent the interests of Nigerian students at all times.
Speaking on the topic "Building an
Independent, Virile and Democratic Students Union: Issues and Challenges",
the former Chair of ASUP at Bida Poly, Pita Kolo, pointed out eight vital
points that Nigerian students need to observe to bring their aspirations into
fruition. He went further to make a comprehensive analysis of how an
independent, virile and democratic students' union can be achieved. This according
to him will help to mitigate the incessant attack on students' individual and
collective rights by school management.
 |
| Pita Kolo |
He also urged students' union leaders
to be ready to defend the interest of their colleagues in peaceful and
non-violent ways. He called for unity and solidarity among students, union
leaders and staff unions on campuses. Kolo also said management should not
interfere in the running of the students' union and its affairs. He added that
unionism is for sacrifice and not for making personal gain as we have it these
days in many campuses.
Comrade Dimeji Macaulay spoke on the
topic: "Commemoration of the Centenary of 1917 Russian Revolution";
said the organization was founded on ideals of socialism and fighting with
correct method and tactics necessary to defeat capitalism.
He x-rayed on the political and
economic situation in the country vis-à-vis the original perspective of the
1917 Socialist revolution in Russia to break with capitalism and start to build
a socialist alternative. According to him, the high incidence of poverty and
underdevelopment in Nigeria today is as a result of the failure of capitalism,
worsened by the corruption of the politicians in government who are not
interested in the welfare of the masses rather in making profit at the expense
of the vast majority.
 |
| Speakers at the symposium |
The class character of the regime can
be seen in the attitude of the government rejecting demands for adequate
funding of education as well as of workers' demands for the timely payment of
the existing N18, 000 minimum wage. While dragging their feet on the issue of
increasing the level of the minimum wage last set in 2011, they also reject a
stipulated maximum wage for the thieving politicians. All the major political
parties in power seem united on not paying the minimum wage even when they pay
themselves jumbo salaries and outrageous allowances. According to him, all this
shows that students, youth and workers can only win concessions through
struggles.
He called on students to unite to fight
for improved education funding and challenged the staff and students unions to
build a movement to challenge anti-poor education policies on campus. Adding
that free functional and quality education is only possible under socialism;
Macaulay argued that the present capitalist system is not going to fund
education because they have subscribed to doctrine of privatization and
neo-liberal policies that add to the impact of the ongoing crisis in the world
economy.
Going back into history, Macaulay noted
that the events of 1917 during which workers took over power is an example to
imbibe for us to unite to fight for a better society because it is obvious that
both the ruling party, All Progressive Congress, and its main opposition,
People Democratic Party (PDP) cannot guarantee a good living standard for
Nigerians. He therefore called for building what he calls "a working
people political alternative on socialist program" to end the rule of all
capitalist parties in the country.
The students' union
president, Ishola Olamilekan, while addressing the gathering promised once
again that the executives would not renege on their various promises to the
Nigerian students. He condemned the anti-student policies and unnecessary
interference of the management in student's affairs; an example of such was the
inappropriate amendment of the constitution of the student union government by
the management.
At
the end of the symposium, thirty two students signed to join the ERC while a
sum of N1, 000 was raised as fighting fund.
No comments:
Post a Comment