We demand immediate and
unconditional recall of students’ leaders, restoration of independent students’
unionism and halt to all attacks on the democratic rights of students
Press
Statement
·
The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) strongly condemns the
rustication of students’ union leaders at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) for
their role in leading fellow students to protest on April 6 and 7, 2016 against
the deplorable welfare situation, epileptic power and water supply and high
cost of living on campus.
We call on UNILAG students not to take this attack on their
democratic rights lying low. The right to peacefully protest is a fundamental
human right. When this is taken away, then students would be no more than slaves. Therefore students should
rise up in mass protest and demonstration to demand the immediate and
unconditional recall of their rusticated leaders and lifting of the suspension
placed on Students Union activities since the April protest.
The President, Mohammed Olaniyan and the Speaker, Adeonipekun
Adeyanju of the University of Lagos Students’ Union (ULSU) along with several
other activists were rusticated for between two (2) and four (4) semesters
each. This is on the heels of the suspension of Union activities, ban of
meetings and gatherings and other attacks on the democratic rights of students
since April 2016.
No doubt, the rustication is an attempt by the authorities to claw
back the right to students’ unionism which UNILAG students just won back less
than 2 years ago after a decade of proscription. In carrying out the
rustication, the University relied heavily on contrived and concocted
allegations, many of which that had no bearing to the triple issues of poor
welfare conditions, epileptic power and water supply and high cost of living
for which the mass of Unilag students trooped out in protest on April 6 and 7,
2016. Against this background, we call on students to reject the rustication
with protests, boycotts and demonstrations.
As far as we are concerned, all of the steps taken to violate
students’ democratic rights since the April 6 and 7 protest only go to portray
the Prof. Rahman Bello-led management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) as an
intolerant and despotic authority.
By rusticating students’ leaders for demanding better welfare
conditions, UNILAG is sending a clear message that it considers students as no
more than slaves who must not dare to speak up when oppressed and exploited. At
this rate, and if the authorities are not challenged, very soon students would lose
all fundamental rights accorded by the 1999 constitution (As amended). And
where students are successfully enslaved, very soon workers would lose their
own freedom as well. This is why the silence of the staff unions in the face of
the creeping dictatorship of the UNILAG authorities is dangerous because once
the authorities are able to cow students; they could visit similar attacks on
academic and non-academic staff anytime they demand their rights.
We therefore call on ASUU, SSANU, NASU and NAAT to speak up in
condemnation of the rustication of the students union leaders. As experience
has shown, it is the collective mobilization and uprising of students supported
by workers that can reverse this despotic situation developing at the
University of Lagos.
Hassan Taiwo Soweto Michael Ogundele
National Coordinator
(07033697259) National
Secretary
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