ERC Calls on
Management to Meet Demands of Students and Immediately Re-open of the College
PRESS STATEMENT
The
Federal College of Agriculture (FCA), Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Oyo State, was
shut down on the Wednesday 23 August, 2017 by the Dr Babajide Adelekan-led
administration of the college. This was immediately after students in the
college resolved in their congress held on Tuesday, 22 August, 2017 to embark
on a three-day peaceful mass action scheduled to commence on the same Wednesday
23 August. The planned mass action was to protest against the prevailing poor
welfare condition in the college as well as the continuous refusal of the
college administration to give students some learning materials like lab coat,
farm coat, log books and ID card which they have actually paid for since the
inception of new academic session in the college.
For
over six weeks now, the poor welfare condition under which mass of students in
the college groan for a long time has gone from bad to worse. There has not
been supply of water and electricity to the hall of residence. The learning condition
in the college has not fared better as the laboratory continues to be in
dilapidated condition. Practical materials are grossly inadequate not even
logbook to report practical activities. Consequently, many courses being
offered in the college are currently unaccredited. This means that students
currently studying the affected courses at the HND level will not be allowed to
participate in the NYSC scheme after their graduation.
The
ICT unit of the college is more or less an avenue through which the Dr
Adelekan-led administration extorts and exploits the mass of students in the
college. For instance, all students in the college were recently forced by the
ICT unit to mandatorily pay additional fee of N600 for the re-registration of
courses for the second semester after a huge sum of N6,600 was paid for the
same purpose in the first semester.
Despite
various pleas and discussions initiated by the leadership of the students’
union with the college administration, there was no practical step taken by Dr
Adelekan-led administration to ensure that the either the complaints or
suffering of the students is looked into or ameliorated. It is in light of this
the leadership of the students’ union was compelled to convene a congress of
the entire students where they resolved to embark on peaceful protest to
express their displeasure and demand better living and learning conditions.
Unfortunately,
instead of Dr Adelekan-led administration to create an avenue for discussion
with the leadership of the student union with a view to officially listen and
address their demands, the administration, wickedly shut down the college while
students were forcefully ask go home. The Education Rights Campaign (ERC)
condemns this reprehensible action of the management and urges the leadership
of the students’ union not to be deterred and weakened by the undemocratic and
militaristic approach of the Dr. Adelekan led management.
Rather,
the leadership of the student union should seize the opportunity of the period
of the forced holiday to commence a serious media campaign with a view to build
a public sympathy and support for all of the legitimate demands of the students
while at the same time calling on parents and the general public to prevail on
the Dr Adelekan-led administration to accede to all the demands of students
including immediate re-opening of the college. We also call on workers and
staff unions in the college to solidarise with students and support the demands.
It is our believe that behind the problem of
poor welfare condition and other related ones being faced by students is
underfunding of the college side by side corruption and mismanagement of the
limited resources at the disposal of the management. This is why we are calling
on the leadership of the students union to link their demands to struggle for
adequate funding and democratic management of the public education.
To
realize this task will mean that both workers and students in the college will
have to be united in a struggle for adequate funding and democratic management
of the college including the auditing of the financial activities of immediate
past and present administrations of the college.
Our Demands:
-Immediate and unconditional re-opening of the
college
- Adequate and regular supply of water and
electricity to hall of residence and academic area
- Students’ logbooks, overalls, ID cards must
be given to all bonifide students immediately
-
Re-registration of courses for 2nd semester must be free,
-
Re-accreditation of courses for HND programmes must be done immediately.
-
Adequate funding and democratic management of public education
To Join ERC and participate in its
activities call the following numbers: 08101671137; 07037415636
Caleb
o Caleb
Branch Secretary
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