Prof. Gbadegesin-led management
of LAUTECH must re-open the
university and restore the suspended students’ union without further delay!
*For Adequate and proper funding of LAUTECH and POLYIBADAN!
Press
statement
The Education Rights
Campaign (ERC),Oyo State Chapter strongly decries and condemns the increasing
rate of interference of managements of
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomosho and the
Polytechnic of Ibadan in the day to day running of students union activities at
the respective institutions.
Recently, the Prof.
Gbadegesin-led management of LAUTECH arbitrarily suspended the activities of the students’
union of the institution for protesting the deplorable welfare condition of
students in the institution while Prof. Fawole-led management of the
Polytechnic of Ibadan also dissolved the democratically elected leadership of students’ union.
We demand the immediate
restoration of independent students unionism in both institutions and immediate
reopening of LAUTECH. Also, the ERC condemns the continuous poor funding of LAUTECH
by the APC-led governments in Osun
and Oyo States. The ERC decries the poor funding of LAUTECH and also POLYIBADAN
because it is responsible for the
prevailing poor welfare condition of both workers and students as well as
inadequate facilities in these institutions. Except the crisis of poor funding
of these institutions is solved, the incessant industrial disputes and students
protests that often lead to the disruptions of the academic activities will
continue unabated.
Among the excuses the
Fawole-led management of the Polytechnic Ibadan advanced to justify its action
is the alleged misappropriation of the union’s fund by the students’ leaders.
The entire leadership of the union except the Public Relation Officer (PRO)
were alleged of embezzling union money worth millions of Naira. No doubt, the alleged
conduct of the affected students is highly condemnable. However, the unilateral
action of the management to dissolve the entire executives including the PRO,
who was exonerated from the corruption cases without allowing students and necessary organs
of the union to exercise the democratic power conferred by the constitution of
the union to deal with the situation, is clearly undue interference in independent
students unionism by the school management.
To us in the ERC, both the
management and anti-poor politicians outside the campus are responsible for entrenching
the corruption and disorientation that now bedevils the students’ movement
today. For instance, most managements of tertiary institutions including
LAUTECH and POLY IBADAN are guilty of the inglorious act in which students
union leaders are often bribed with money in the bid to prevent mass protest
and resistance of students against poor welfare conditions and anti-poor
policies like increase in school fees. This is against the background of
the failure of successive governments to
ensure adequate and proper funding of these institutions. It is in the same
vein that the capitalist politicians regardless of their party affiliations
also contribute largely to the growing trend of corruption among students
leaders today especially when they induce and bribe them with public money
towards achieving their self-serving political agenda.
Independent and mass
based students’ unionism is an inalienable right of every Nigeria students.
This is supported by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So
the ERC believes that it is criminal for any management of any institution to
indulge in interference including the act of suspending the activities of the
students union under whatever guise.
It is in view of this
that ERC describes the suspension of the activities of LAUTECH by the Prof.
Gbadegesin-led management of the institution and dissolution of the leadership
of the Students Union of the Polytehnic Ibadan by the Prof. Fawole-led
management as infringements of the democratic rights of students who are
members of these unions.
In conclusion, the ERC calls
on pro-masses organizations, trade unions and the general public to prevail on Senator
Ajimobi and Aregbesola-governments of Oyo and Osun respectively to adequately
fund education at all levels (from primary schools to tertiary institutions) in
both states. We also call on the Prof Gbadegesin-led management of LAUTECH to
open the university without no further delay.
Segun Ogun
ERC, Oyo State Coordinator
