It is an attack on students’ democratic rights
Press
Statement
- The University of Ibadan Senate has no power to suspend/ proscribe the students’ union as it violates the Nigerian constitution. We call for immediate re-opening of the school for all undergraduate students and unconditional restoration of the students’ union.
- Refusal to give student I.D cards despite the fact that they paid for it is criminal and misappropriation punishable under the Nigerian law. We recommend Prof. Olayinka Idowu for immediate investigation by an independent probe panel comprising elected representatives of staff and students
The Education Rights Campaign ( ERC) Oyo
state chapter strongly frowns at the recent attacks on students’ democratic rights
by the university of Ibadan management. We condemn in strong terms the
arbitrary suspension of the students’ union by the university of Ibadan senate.
We in the same manner oppose the sudden closure of the university against undergraduate
students of the university. The university management under the leadership of
Prof. Abel Olayinka Idowu must immediately reopen the university for all
undergraduate students and unconditionally restore the activities of the
students’ union claimed to be suspended.
The University of Ibadan management
under the Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka unilaterally shut down the
university against undergraduate
students of the university on
Monday 29th May, 2017. This
is immediately after mass of students staged a protest to express their
dissatisfaction against anti-student policies of Prof. Olayinka-led management.
Part of the agitations of students during the May 29, 2017 protest was against
the failure of the university management to issue to them their school I.D
cards which has been paid for in the last 3 academic semesters, bad student
welfare on campus, and victimization of students who were suspended or expelled
because they exercised their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful
assembly.
Worthy to note that, since 2015/2016
academic session, university of Ibadan students have continued to be denied school
I.D cards despite the fact that they are
being forced to pay exorbitantly for same. In 2016/2017 academic session for
instance students were forced to pay a sum of N650 as the levy for the
production of the school I.D card. This amount was increased by over 200% to
N2,000 in the 2016/2017 session without any prior discussion with either the
student or their representatives. Despite different forms of difficulties students went through before they could pay
this outrageous amount for just a mere production of ID card, the Olayinka-led
management still went ahead to deny them of the issuance of the ID card. To us
in the ERC, the refusal of Prof. Olayinka led university administration to
issue school I.D Cards to students despite the fact that they have paid for it
is a criminal act punishable under the Nigerian law.
ERC therefore uses this medium to call for
an independent panel comprising elected representatives of staff and students
to carry out a public probe of the financial misappropriation carried out by
Prof. Olayinka and his allies in the University of Ibadan. The refusal to give
students their I.D cards after payment is a breach of Nigerian contract law and
deserve immediate investigation and possible trial.
The students’ welfare condition on campus is
another area of concern. It has continued to degenerate as toilets and
bathrooms in the hostels became more terrible, kitchenettes across the hostels
have practically collapsed, lecture rooms and practical laboratories are
ill-equipped and the university library refused to be opened for students.
All of these issues formed the
background upon which the students’ union leadership of Ojo Aderemi held a
union congress on 27th May, 2017 where the entirety of students
resolved to protest against the continuous refusal of the Prof Olayinka led
administration to issue students their ID cards. The Ojo Aderemi union
leadership carried out the congressional resolution by leading a peaceful
protest of students on 29th May, 2017. This is despite the threats
by the Oyo state Police Commissioner who promised to rain fire; brimstone and kill any student who come
out to protest on May 29. This protest recorded a huge success as generality of
students refused to be threatened and organized themselves more for a peaceful
demonstration without any record of
destruction of properties or life lost! As matter of fact the peaceful protest was
conducted under the watch of the Oyo State police commissioner and his men.
Unfortunately, instead of the Prof.
Olayinka-led management to accede to the demands of the aggrieved students, it
so sad to note that the Vice Chancellor unilaterally decided to force undergraduate students out of the university
and put all student hostels under lock and key. An emergency senate meeting was
summoned the second day which was largely used to rubber stamp the arbitrary
closure of the university following which the students union and its activities
were pronounced suspended. ERC condemns in strong terms both the sudden closure
of the university against undergraduate students and proscription of the
students’ union. This is obviously not in tandem with the provisions of the
Nigerian constitution. The Nigerian constitution recognizes the rights of all
Nigerians to freedom of association and peaceful assembly. We therefore call
for immediate and unconditional restoration of the students’ union. We hold
that the student union is not a cube of sugar that can just be dissolved at
will by the university senate!
ERC also condemns the political
victimization of students and demands an immediate reinstatement. It must be
stated that before now the Olayinka led administration has been victimizing
students who participated or led a protest of students on campus. Students who
speak against the ills of the university administration were either rusticated
or expelled from the university. It is obvious that Prof. Idowu Olayinka has now turned the university of
Ibadan to a military empire where students’ independent voice is being trampled
upon and students who raise radical positions against the abnormalities of the
university are victimized.
We commend the courage of students who
came out in their hundreds to protest against the fraudulent act of the
university management. We at the same time encourage them not to be discouraged
with the sudden attacks that was unleashed on them by the university
management. The union leadership at this material point in time should come out
with practical lines of actions to force the university management to immediately
re-open the university and for unconditional restoration of the students’
union. The ERC Oyo state chapter pledges to give all necessary political
support to the union leadership, in principle, towards fighting for the
reinstatement of the union activities and immediate recall of all politically
victimized students.
ERC remains resolute in the fight for
immediate reinstatement of the union and re-opening of the university for all
undergraduate students. The union
leadership of Ojo Aderemi should commence the process to organize mass actions
across communities and towns in Ibadan and beyond where UI students reside as a
means of kick-starting political struggle for the immediate re-opening of the
school.
Our Demands:
- Immediate and unconditional re-opening of the school
- The university senate has no power to suspend any of the union activities or proscribe the union. We demand an immediate and unconditional restoration of the union
- Students have rights to independent unionism. No to interference in the running of the union activities. No to authority-midwifed attempt to review the students union constitution.
- The refusal to give students I.D card after payment is criminal. We recommend the University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abel Olayinka Idowu, for immediate investigation by an independent probe panel comprising elected representatives of staff and students
- All politically and unjustly rusticated/expelled students must be immediately and unconditionally recalled.
- We oppose any form of attack on students’ democratic rights on campus. Students have rights to associate, rights of expression and rights to form unions.
- We call on all other sister unions on campus: NASU, SSANU, ASUU and the wider trade and labour union movement- NLC, ULC and TUC to lend support and solidarity to the struggle of students going on in the university of Ibadan.
Segun
Ogun
Oyo
state Coordinator
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