ERC KICKS AGAINST ATTEMPT TO
VICTIMISE STUDENTS' PROTESTERS IN UNILAG
In
as much as dialogue is very essential, the rights of individuals to agitate for
their rights must not be taken for granted. We make this assertion due to
recent developments on campus.
A
few weeks ago, electricity supply to the campus deteriorated terribly. Both
students and members of staff were adversely affected. As it was close to
examinations, students were understandably anxious. Expectedly, they looked
towards their newly-inaugurated University of Lagos Students Union (ULSU)
executives to lead them in struggle to the University administration to demand
an explanation as to the reason for the power cut two weeks to the first
semester examination of 2014/15 academic session. Surprisingly, the ULSU
executives decided to keep mute on the issues that affects the generality of
students they represented. This attitude of the ULSU executive however propelled
some group of concerned students to mobilize for a peaceful action considering
the weakness of the executives to act. To show that struggle pays, the
electricity situation improved after the protest and the examinations were
further postponed to allow students prepare adequately.
However,
surprisingly after some days, there was a report that some of the students that
participated in the protest were summoned to face a disciplinary panel for
mobilizing protest without the consent of ULSU executives.
THE
CHARGE
Based
on our findings, these students have been charged to face a disciplinary panel
for trying to form a “parallel union”, by mobilizing a protest when ULSU had not
given them the consent to do so. We in the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) consider
this allegation unfair, vindictive and outright condemnable. In the first
place, the internal affairs of students (whether or not they have the consent
of ULSU to take action) should not concern the University administration. That
issue should be sorted out by the students themselves through the internal
democratic structures of their union. What should concern the administration
are the grievances and demands of students regardless of the circumstances or
means through which this is communicated. How does the circumstance through
which the displeasure over power outage was communicated to the administration
affect, diminish or delegitimize the demands for restoration of electricity
supply before examination commences?
By
making an attempt to victimise for the slightest expression of defiance, the
University administration is embarking on a ruinous path trodden severally by
authorities in the past. Unfortunately, the history of the University system in
Nigeria shows clearly that such method of witch-hunt, reminiscent of the
Inquisition, is an harbinger of crises and instability. However this allegation
only goes to confirm what the ERC has always suspected, which is that even
while the administration agreed after protracted struggle to restore the union,
it is on the basis that it would be able to monitor and control the affairs of
the union.
ULSU
MUST DEFEND THE ALLEGED STUDENTS
With
what is going on right now, many students are beginning to think that perhaps
this union is not what they expected during the whole period of the agitation
for the restoration of independent unionism. Equally, many believe that the
union leaders have a hand in the attempts to victimise these students and are
disappointed that a supposedly independent union would rely on the power of
management to discipline their fellow students who have not committed any crime
but only trying to defend their interests and that of their colleagues. These
same executives have failed to call for a congress of students to inform them
of their position about the numerous welfare problems on campus.
As
far as we are concerned in the ERC, students would not have gone out of their
way to organise protest if the ULSU leaders had been proactive. So the lesson
ULSU leaders must learn is that the students they lead are not going to be
docile and quiet while they are being oppressed and exploited. They will rise
and fight to defend their interests at all times.
The
ULSU leaders need to sit tight now in order to win the hearts and minds of
students many of whom are beginning to voice their disappointments in the
leadership. The starting point here is for the ULSU leaders to publicly defend
the students who have been invited to a panel. This is because an "injury
to one is an injury to all". If ULSU secretly supports or look away now
while students are being victimised for protesting for their rights, the
repercussion would be that ULSU leaders themselves in the coming period would
risk suffering the same victimisation whenever they have to lead struggles against
anti-student policies of the University administration. Equally if these set of
students are successfully victimised with ULSU not raising a finger, the
immediate repercussion is that many students would be frightened of ever
fighting for their rights; something which would affect students participation
in ULSU activities in the coming period. So in whatever way we look at it, it
is the union which is just coming out of a decade of proscription rather than
the individual students that have the most to lose if this victimisation is not
resisted. This is why we call on ULSU to publicly condemn the allegation and
also make representation to the University administration to argue for the
discontinuation of the disciplinary process.
DEMANDS
(1)
Discontinuation of the
disciplinary process against students that participated in the protest against
power outage.
(2)
For the recognition and defence of the right to protest
(3)
For an independent, democratic and accountable students' union
(4)
For a congress of students to discuss how ULSU should respond to the many
welfare challenges students face on campus
JOIN
US
The
Education Rights Campaign (ERC) is a campaign platform of the Democratic
socialist Movement (DSM). We stand for struggle against fee hike and for a
free, functional and democratically-managed education. We also stand for an
independent, democratic and accountable union that can defend the interests of
all students. We hold our branch meetings every Wednesday. Call the phone
number below to join and participate in our activities.
Comrade
Gbenga Opasola
Coordinator
08067526550
