PRESS STATEMENT
The Education Rights
Campaign (ERC) wishes to condemn in strong terms the undemocratic decision of
the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) authorities to close down the University and
proscribe the Students Union. For us, proscription of the Students Union at the
slightest hint of students’ protest or demand for improved condition is a relic
of those better-forgotten days of military dictatorship and jackboot
absolutism, which must not be allowed in any democratic society. We hereby
demand immediate reopening of the University, restoration of Students Union
activities and the meeting of the demands of students for improved welfare
conditions which led to the protest in the first place.
On Monday, 30th
November 2015, students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife embarked on a
day-warning lecture boycott. The major demand of the boycott was improvement in
learning and living conditions of students, which are in disgusting conditions.
The Congress of students also demanded that the Vice-Chancellor of the
University should be investigated on account of the mismanagement of university
funds, which is one of the underlying causes of the rotten conditions of facilities
and students’ welfare. Other demands are reversal of the current fee regime,
and the reinstatement of Olawale Owolabi, who was suspended in 2011 following
the protest of students against increment in acceptance fees (Increased from
N2, 000 to N20, 000). As response to the protest of students and their
legitimate demands, the University authorities have employed several options of
repression to crush students’ protest and blackmail the students, such that it
would be impossible for youths to exercise their democratic rights to protest
bad governance or oppressive policies.
In its first reaction,
the university shut down the school under the guise of a “mid-semester” break. It
subsequently directed students to vacate the university campus on or before
Wednesday, 2nd December, 2015. It is important to note that the information of
school closure was received on the same Wednesday, 2nd December. In the early
hours of Thursday, 3rd December 2015, the authorities instructed the operators
of butteries and traders to close their ventures so as to impose a blockade on
students as well as staff of the university. These are actions that show the
cruelty and callousness of the authorities. Similarly, the authorities followed
up this action with the “suspension of students’ union activities” which is a
euphemism for banning or proscription of the Students’ Union.
In May 2014, the
university authorities increased the fees of students. But the regime of new
fees does not justify the disgusting state of toilets, congestion of hostel and
poorly equipped libraries and laboratories. The Congress of students had held
on Friday, 27th November, 2015 and declared a day-warning lecture boycott to
draw the attention of the university authorities to the plights and demands of
students. Most importantly, the Congress had mandated the leadership of the
Union to sponsor advertorials in two national dailies, calling on the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) to investigate the Vice-Chancellor and
other principal officers of the university over the mismanagement of students
fees, capital grants, TETFUND money and other IGR that have accrued to the
university between 2011 and 2015. The university was obviously threatened by
these resolutions, panicked and tried to blackmail the Students’ Union.
On Monday, November 30,
the boycott was followed by a Congress, which resolved unequivocally to suspend
every protest, and mandated the leadership of the Union to immediately embark
on discussion with the authorities to defend and argue for Congressional
resolutions. It was then surprising that the university’s only response to the
request for negotiation was a purported mid-semester’s break. The idea of a
mid-semester break is mischievous, and nothing more than shutting down the
university to prevent students from pursuing the allegations of financial
impropriety that have been levied against the university. Please recall that in
July 2015, the university authorities employed a similar notion of “mid
semester” break to shut down the university in order to douse the protest of
members of Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), who were protesting
against the non-payment of 64 months of arrears of allowances. Up till this
moment, the University has not paid these arrears. There is therefore no doubt
that the current closure is forged to destabilise students’ agitation, in the
same manner that the authorities crushed the struggle of NASU.
Nigerians must condemn
the tendency of University administrators to resort to undemocratic means to avoid
meeting the legitimate demands of students and workers. Authorities that do not
want to be questioned on financial administration or policies must pursue good,
pro-student and pro-worker policies. We hereby affirm that OAU students, like
every Nigerian youth, have rights of association which is enshrined as a
fundamental right in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The ERC wishes to state
clearly at this point that we fully support the decision of Great Ife Students’
Union to demand improvement in their living conditions, and explanations on the
expenditures and finances of the university. The response of the authorities to
these demands is outrageous and condemnable. The Students Union leadership must
continue to expose the monumental corruption and profligacy of the authorities
of OAU. We also call on well-meaning Nigerians to join in the campaign and
struggle for improved funding and democratic management of the education sector.
The ERC is convinced that if elected representatives of lecturers, non-academic
staff, students and parents are involved in the making of all decisions
regarding administration of things and finances in the university, we would not
have most of the problems that are rocking the university system today.
Signed,
Osun
State Coordinator
08133927663
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