Student leaders at the Obafemi Awolowo University have accused the
institution's management of being ‘high-handed’ in the manner with which
it increased their tuition by over 350%.
The students faulted the hike, during their press conference in Lagos
on Sunday, with proof that the management lacked the ground for the
decision. They also dismissed as total falsehood, claims by the
University management that the students acted violently in their recent
demonstrations.
Anchored by their President, Comrade Ibikunle Isaac, the union
leaders said they have now fled their campus to hang about, due to
threats of deadly attack on them by cult members suspected to be
sponsored by the University management.
They also condemned the threats as management's resorted tactic,
which they said has become its forte in silencing outspoken student
leaders against oppressive policies. Buttressing this, a former leader
of the Students' Union of OAU, Ola-Diamond, who was also present at the
conference, cited one instance where union members were ‘attacked’ on
account of the management's order during the reign of the former Vice
Chancellor, Prof. Wale Omole.
The current Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole is now also being accused of towing the same path.
Faulting claims by the management further, the students said they had
been peaceful in their protests, but the management has rather decided
to ‘frame them up,’ claiming violence on the part of the students.
They accused the management of planning to proscribe their union on
account of their protests. They exposed that the management has shut
down their union secretariat on campus in preparation for the
proscription.
In a statement released by the students today, they highlighted
several means by which the university has access to fund capable of
taking care of "the entire nation's need", but whereas, the management
has decided to further extort students.
In solidarity, a prominent female activist, Dr. Joe Odumakin, who
joined the conference called on the Federal Government to intervene, and
reverse the rate hikes. Speaking to journalists after the conference,
she said the tuition hike is a contradiction of the "free education"
claims by the Federal Government.
The students' press statement, which is reproduced below, states that they are open for negotiations with the management, but first, they requested that the status quo must return as regards to the initial fees.
Press Release:
GREAT IFE STUDENTS’ UNION PRESS STATEMENT:
CLOSURE OF SCHOOL: A BULLET AT OUR STRUGGLE
Honorable Nigerian citizens, gentlemen of the press and Great
Nigerian Students On Wednesday, 18th June 2014, our university
management decided to shut down the university community on account of
violent protests by peaceful Great IFE students. Members of the public
should not be deceived by this propaganda which is built on blatant lies
and distortion of obvious truth. The closure remains an anarchistic and
militaristic relic which is against our right to stage peaceful
co-ordinated protests, occupation and sit-in as guaranteed by the 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2011 as amended).We
believe the closure is a stubborn stance of the University to ensure
that our call for transparency and accountability does not see the light
of time. Doubtless, this our demand remain the hallmark of management
which our Vice-Chancellor has refused to align with us on as we are
reasonable individuals that also share in the vision of achieving a 21st
century University. As contemporary Unionists and students who reason
within the ambit of law, we consulted all stakeholders in the University
such as ASUU, NASU, SSANU and NAAT to know their position on the
matter. They do not form just part of the affected parents but also an
integral part of the University system and they posited a TOTAL REVERSAL
of the fees. Our peaceful gestures extended to the Governing Council,
through the Pro-chancellor made the Council posit that we engage the
management in further discussions to resolve the matter. Premised on the
afore-stated, our union condemns this vicious closure of the University
and demand its immediate re-opening.
Having expended a good deal of intellectual resources to carry out a
critical appraisal of the increment policy in its totality we also agree
with the agitation of the University management that the federal
government underfund education. Yet, our poor parents should not be
unduely exploited and be made to pay for the failure of a government
that has always been for the rich few.
The OAU situation itself is that which does not support any form of
increment as the University has not justified the former fees paid by
students. In 2011, the varsity management increased Acceptance fee paid
by Fresh Students from #2000 to a whooping #20,000, the struggle against
which led to the closure of school, proscription of our students union
and suspension of student leaders. Since this time there has not been
any commensurate academic and or welfare infrastructure development in
the University. The University has been generating funds that run into
multi millions yearly through various channels that if properly managed
can be used to run the varsity effectively. Some of these is the yearly
Post-UTME exams where each of the always more than 30,000 applicants pay
not less than #6000 into the University purse; the Pre-degree program
fees increase yearly with the over 4000 admitted students paying not
less than #160,000 as of now. This is not unconnected with the fees of
the Diploma students and other Distance Learning programs from which the
University generates millions constantly. It is even reported that some
officers of the University see these non-degree awarding programmes as
money refineries. We definitely cannot afford to see these injustices
thriving against the future of children of the general down trodden in
Nigeria. Our management has said that the amount being paid by students
does not appeal to average human rationality and this therefore
necessitate the increment without even considering that it has some
funds inevitably coming to the University. OAU is entitled to about N7bn
of the yearly N220bn earmarked for schools during the FG/ASUU face-off
of 2013. Millions of dollars have been given to the University by World
Bank for being one of Nigeria’s best institution, over N140 million has
been granted to the varsity by the Federal government for said ongoing
projects like First year laboratory,etc which are not visibly ongoing as
of now. Rather the university reportedly went ahead to squander
millions of university fund on controversial projects for the NUGA
Games, when the water supply system of the university has become a
typhoid and skin-diseases haven for students and a total deviation from
the generally accepted description of water as well as electricity
availability being romanced by degradation per minute. Until recently
when the University management refused to open up for discussion we have
advocated at various discussions the alternative sources of income the
university can maximize in order to avoid being catalysts of oppression
and tenders of societal inequality. The University has an Investment
company which it can maximize the production of goods being made from
these businesses.
The investment coy produces bread, sachet and table water, has
shuttle buses and large hectares of land called OAU Farms among other
ventures. There is a ready over 50000 population on campus to consume
the bread and water and to board the shuttle buses. There is a free
man-power used on the farm i.e the Part IV Agricultural science
students. The farm alone if properly managed can produce enough to feed
the nation. The coy can even be avenue for a profitable work-study
program for indigent students. Why can our management not look inward
into these things other than taking the last hope of the poor Nigerian
Child away from him- education Despite faulting the logic of this
increment, elected officers of the union reached out to the university
management for critical appraisal of the fee regime. While at a point,
our congress conceded for a 5% increase, the university management
stubbornly maintained its “no review” stance and threatened frantically
to close down the university if students resist the fee regime. Our
congress considering the federal character of the policy decided to
stage peaceful mass actions on Ife-Ibadan-Abuja express roads and Ife
environs and also embarked on mass political sensitization between 20th
May and 22nd May, 2014. The Students’ Union afterwards sought
progressive response from the University management but all to no avail.
The harsh and unyielding stance of the University management instructed
our Congress, on 15th June, 2014, in deciding that the Vice-Chancellor
and his cabinet should be invited to address the Congress of students
over the continual rejection of our demands as well as to find an
historical solution to this imbroglio.
As a Union, we had decided to embark on constitutionally warranted
actions on campus to press home our demands. And all of these actions,
such as mass protests and road occupation, have been carried out
peacefully. In fact, staff unions on campus had not only declared
support for our actions, they have also joined our protests in spirit of
solidarity to help confront this monstrous policy. For instance, the
NASU Chairman of OAU, Com. Oluwole, joined us in ushering his members
and other workers in the University Secretariat down, when we occupied
the premises of this building. Aside the fact that this occupation was
peaceful and supported massively by staff and students, our students
also showed a high level of maturity as they resisted provocation by
security operatives of the university community.
Our demonstration on Wednesday 18th June was as peaceful and smooth
as usual. However, it was just six hours into the protest that the
University Senate decided that the school has been shut down
indefinitely upon allegations of violent and disruptive protests by
coordinated Great IFE students that were rather playing, singing and
dancing at various points in the university campus. The management
declared our maiden resumption congress as illegal when the idea of
legality of our right to gathering cannot be determined by it. It
claimed that the university senate was burnt by the vice-president with a
gas filled cylinder when she actually prepared puffpuff for obviously
hungry students with a gas powered stove at motion ground. The
management further claimed that the University Senate gate was welded by
students and they attempted a stampede of the V.C’s office when the
Security men at the building readily chained the gates and locked it
with their own padlocks. They falsely declared that the ICT Centre and
Computer building were burnt with a view to shutting down e-portal when
students actually met the place locked without their workers around. Our
parent unions such as ASUU, NASU, NAAT even disclaimed the propaganda
of our actions being violent by giving statements to that effect
immediately the closure declaration was made. Rendering matters on the
temple of exigency we like to state our displeasure with the parade of
misinformation our management has embarked on this issue. A criminal
offense for that matter! In its recent information to the public the
Registrar distorted the original fees being paid by students by telling
the public that since the past ten years all students pay an amount
which already has #1600 TISHIP fund deducted from it and the amount is
not even applicable to fresh students. The Registrar further misled the
University Senate and public that the student leaders were called to a
meeting on Tuesday, 17th June and refused to attend. It is important to
note that the Union Parliament on 9th June, the day elected officers of
the union were sworn in, directed a re-opening of discussion with the
University which was done immediately by the Executive Council only for
the varsity management to decline replying our letter until we
protested on Monday 16th. The notice of the meeting came late after our
congress that day, the letter itself had no agenda and venue as we knew
that this could be an avenue to arrest our union leaders. We demand a
total reversal of these fees as rate of stealing has sky-rocketed on
campus, finalists are being made to pay under duress for fear of being
dismissed and rusticated. Our security report files are increasing daily
and the management said that 97% of poor Nigerian parents have paid the
money when only 22% privileged few and those that can strive tooth and
nail, blood and water, in pains and agony have paid in reality.
A congress of Students held in the wee hours of Wednesday after the
occupation and declaration of closure of the varsity decided that
students continue to peacefully occupy the campus having agreed not to
leave. As at Thursday morning; Soldiers and policemen had been deployed
to the University Gate to assault students SSS officers had been
recruited and planted amidst students to effect quiet and orchestrated
arrest of Union leaders and other student activists. Plans had been
put up to proscribe the Students’ Union by further levying of
allegations against Union leaders.
Also, the University has followed this wickedness up by instructing
workers in sensitive departments of the university such as power house,
water dam, health centre, butteries and market to shut down so as to
frustrate students who reside on campus. It has also fraudulently opened
the e-portal for students to continue to pay when the school had been
shut down. Our Union condemns this onslaught and we remain undaunted in
our struggle against oppression of the poor.
Following various congresses held by Great IFE Students, an
harmonization of our resolutions goes thus: That the University be
re-opened immediately That on total reversal of these hiked fees we
stand. That there should be an upward funding of education by the
federal government. That Great IFE students remain open to discussion
based on mutual respect on this matter That all charges against
indicted student activists be withdrawn. That a non-victimization policy
be entrenched by the management. That the struggle continues with
externalized national actions despite the closure ALUTA CONTINUA…
VICTORIA ASCERTA
About Guest AuthorOluwalana Samuel
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