The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) condemns the latest wave of
victimization of student activists and leaders at the Obafemi Awolowo
University (OAU), Ile-Ife, by the Prof. Tale Omole-led university
management and calls for the immediate and unconditional recall of 8
suspended student activists.
On 18th August, 2014, the management of the university placed on
indefinite suspension eight student activists over their principled
opposition to management's intervention in the affairs of the
just-restored students' union and the outrageous hike in school fees.
The affected students are: Olubanji Oluwole; Adabale Olamide; Ibirogba
Samuel; Ademuwagun Johnson; Sanyaolu Olajuwon; Olusiji Nelson; Abiodun
Abimbola; and Pele Obasa. Four of these students are members of the
Education Rights Campaign (ERC). We demand their immediate and
unconditional reinstatement.
Aside this indefinite suspension, scores of other students, alongside
these suspended students, have been placed on what the management
termed "suspended rustication" and "probation" for their roles in
genuine and legitimate student protests against the criminal increment
in school fees.
The management hinged the indefinite suspension of the eight students
on a purported pending police investigation into an unsubstantiated but
malicious allegation of "abduction". However, there has not been any
formal invitation by the so-called police authorities on this ridiculous
allegation; neither did the management show any reference letter or
invitation to the students. More than this, on several occasions, the
management had harassed the students with various probe and disciplinary
panels, all in an attempt to nail them on these malicious allegations.
At these panels, the students maintained their principled position that
they cannot be linked with any violent or uncivil actions, as they are
activists who believe in the legitimate action of the mass of people
including students, through genuine democratic processes. However, in
spite of the management's failure to come up with any shred of evidence
or produce any complainant of abduction, it still went ahead to
victimize these student activists on flimsy excuses.
In reality, these eight students were suspended for the radical roles
they played in the students' union struggle against fee hike in May and
June 2014. Prior to this time, the management had made effort to
interfere in the students' union elections. These student activists were
active in the campaign for the restoration of the union, which was
under three-year ban until March this year. Clearly, the management,
which sees a virile, democratic and an independent union as a threat to
its manner of administration, had since marked these activists down for
'punishment' for their principled roles in the campaign for the
restoration of the students' union. It was this campaign that forced the
management to reverse the undemocratic ban on student unionism.
As a damage control measure, the management organized a terribly
undemocratic electoral process that sought to isolate genuine student
activists, who played active roles in the campaign for students' union
restoration, from participating in the elections. Obviously, the
management had the plan to hike school fees the following session, and
saw the emergence of a vibrant student leadership as a hindrance to this
agenda. Thus, by colluding with the student electoral commission, which
was undemocratically set up by the management, some radical student
activists were prevented from voting or being voted for by the
management. This drew the ire of mass of students who organized peaceful
protests against this injustice. In order to achieve this horrible
agenda, the electoral commission acting the script of the management
postponed the election three times.
In spite of all this injustice, students and the affected activists,
in the quest to get their union back, allowed the elections to take
place, despite all its flaws. Unfortunately, while the students
maintained a mature approach, the OAU management is taking a contrary
posture with this ill-motivated victimization. Surely, the management's
plan to have a smooth introduction of higher fees fell flat with
organized opposition and action of students against the increased fees.
Therefore, it is no surprise that the management is trying to make
scapegoats among students, by handpicking the most vibrant activists for
'punishment' over collective action. Surely, the management is aware
that mass protests are breaking out in many campuses against fee hike,
while students of Lagos State University (LASU), after three years of
sustained resistance won total reversal of criminally hiked fees.
Therefore, this latest wave of victimization is aimed at beheading the
struggle in OAU. This approach failed in LASU, we are more than sure
that it will fail in OAU.
In fact if anyone is to be probed and reprimanded, it is the Prof.
Tale Omole-led university management that has mismanaged the meager
resources of the university. For instance, despite the claim of poor
funding as a basis for increasing fees, the university went ahead to
squander N500 million on a swimming pool project, for the last Nigerian
University Games (NUGA) games; leaving trail of corruption in its wake.
While the university management committed a whopping N500 million on
swimming pool, the university could hardly provide potable water for
students and staff. Indeed, this sum of money will at least minimally
improve the conditions of student hostels, library, laboratories, water
and power supplies, which are in need of critical attention. Yet, the
same management who cannot effectively manage the meager resources of
the university asked students to pay more fees that will send many of
them out of the academic system.
As much as we agree that there is chronic underfunding of education
by the Nigeria's capitalist government, we hold that students and their
parents should not be made to bear the brunt of this, as the country is
stupendously rich enough to fund quality education at all levels. We
also believe that university and its resources should be administered
through democratic process that involves critical interest groups
including staff and students. This is the necessary tool to avoid the
present bizarre arrangement where meager funds are misapplied or looted.
The ERC calls on the university management to unconditionally and
immediately reverse the suspension order on the student activists and
end its culture of victimization and with-hunt. This draconian method of
killing the messenger instead of addressing the message is absurd and
unbefitting of a university system, where dissenting ideas and
criticisms are supposed to be tolerated. We call on well-meaning
Nigerians, activists, workers' unions, and other student organizations
to prevail on the OAU management to recall the eight activists and end
every other attacks on democratic rights in OAU.
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