January 2, 2009
The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) want to use this medium to absolutely condemn the recent development in the University of Ibadan (U.I) where five (5) students have been invited by the University authorities to face disciplinary panel in connection with their alleged participation in a student protest that took place on 14 October 2008 on the campus premises against the 50% increment in tuition and other fees.
We call on the Prof. Bamiro-led management not to victimize any of the students, as these will attract swift responses from the ERC and the student movement. The Five students invited to face the university disciplinary panel have been falsely accused of "distributing fliers at the scene of the protest" and “for beating fellow students”. We regard these allegations as spurious, unfounded and highly ridiculous.
Instead, we call for the fulfillment of all the demands of students which led to the protest in the first place and these includes: a downward review of the hiked fees to the status quo, provision of adequate welfare conditions for students and staff, abolition of undemocratic Student transition Committee (SUTC) and immediate restoration of independent unionism. We in the ERC support the actions of U.I students in organizing the protest of 14 October 2008 and we shall be averse to any measures aimed at victimizing the students. This is because the protest was a justified reaction from the student populace against the undemocratic actions of the University management.
At the inception of 2008/2009 academic year, the U.I management increased fees by more than 50% and also arrested a campus student editor, Sola Amiola, for writing press articles against the increment. This was the immediate cause of the huge but peaceful protest. The protest had among its aims immediate and unconditional release of the detained student, reversal of fee increment, abolition of Students Union Transition Committee (SUTC) and restoration of vibrant students union and recall of suspended U.I activists since year 2000.
To us in the ERC, this protest is unique and heroic especially considering the situation in U.I where there has been no democratically constituted Union since 2001. Instead, the management has been fronting an undemocratic and illegal contraption called Students' Union Transition Committee (SUTC) for the past 7 years as a replacement for a legitimate union. As a result, students have been under the siege of insecurity and extortions while the living condition on campus is abysmal with epileptic electricity supply. Even staffs have also had their working conditions attacked.
It is in a bid to scare away students from fighting for the restoration of their union that has made the University administration to start this process of witch-hunt. The aim is to keep students submissive. The invitation of the five students to face disciplinary panel is just the beginning. The charges against them are in the least highly ridiculous. How can a student be arrested and victimized for circulating leaflet in a democratic society, and more importantly a university where critical debate is a major ingredient of intellectual development? How can students who organized one of the most peaceful protests in the history of the university as even acknowledged by the press be alleged of "stealing and beating fellow students"?
This is just an excuse to punish the students for taking part in a democratic action guaranteed by the constitution and charters of human rights. This action of the UI management is barbaric and all well-meaning persons must condemn this unwholesome, undemocratic and highly backward trend. Students have inalienable right of expression and association this is what the University of Ibadan must recognize.
Hassan Taiwo Soweto.
National coordinator, Education Rights Campaign (ERC).
07033697259. E-mail: [email protected]
Written by Comrade Lukman
We in ERC want to use this medium to absolutely condemned the recent development in the University of Ibadan (U.I) where five(5) students have been invited to face the disciplinary panel setup by the school authorities in connection with their participation in the struggle that broke out on 14 October 2008 in the University of Ibadan premises against the 50% increment in tuition and other fees.
Recalled that on the wake of the 14 October 2008, the mass of students of the University of Ibadan (U.I) came out enmass and staged the struggle tagged Protest Till something Happens against the school managements’ announcement of 50% increment in tuition and other fees. The protest was overwhelmingly successful because more than 6000 students of this institution participated, all the entrance leading to University of Ibadan were barricaded by the protesting students and there were no academic and administrative activities in the university premises that day. Among the vital demands of the protesting students was the restoration of the independent unionism which had long suffered serious attack from the school authorities.
Due to the consciousness and doggedness of the present generation of students in the University of Ibadan to recognized the fact that, what their future will be shall be determined by themselves and not by any agents of capitalist that have concluded through neo-liberal, anti-masses policies of commercialization to take quality education that is a fundamental right of every citizens of this country from the reach of the common masses and make it a privilege to say NO to the madness displayed by the authorities of the University of Ibadan that outrageously increased tuition and other fees by 50% .Immediately the school authorities received the signal of the traditional struggle against all forms of oppression that the University of Ibadan students were historically known for made a U-turn by declaring a paltry reduction of the fees.
As a matter of fact, the invitation of five (5) students of the University of Ibadan in connection with the protest against irrational increment in tuition and other fees to appear before a disciplinary panel setup by the school management is another attempt to victimize the conscious ones among the present generation of students in this tertiary institution so as to discourage the entire section of students from their collective agitation for the restoration of the independent unionism that have been proscribed for the past seven years by the then Prof. Ayo Falase –led administration. It should be realized that the authorities of the University of Ibadan does not have any basis to invite these five students to disciplinary panel in order to unjustly victimized them because the only instrument in the hands of the oppressed to reject any anti-masses, pro-rich policies introduced by the capitalist elements is peaceful protest like the one embarked upon by the students of U.I.
It is on this notes that we in ERC absolutely condemned this backward act of the authorities of U.I and equally call on the federal government of Nigeria to immediately direct the U.I authorities to stop this reactionary act in order for peace to rain in the University of Ibadan premises.
Written by Small God
We call on the Prof. Bamiro-led management not to victimize any of the students, as these will attract swift responses from the ERC and the student movement. The Five students invited to face the university disciplinary panel have been falsely accused of "distributing fliers at the scene of the protest" and “for beating fellow students”. We regard these allegations as spurious, unfounded and highly ridiculous.
Instead, we call for the fulfillment of all the demands of students which led to the protest in the first place and these includes: a downward review of the hiked fees to the status quo, provision of adequate welfare conditions for students and staff, abolition of undemocratic Student transition Committee (SUTC) and immediate restoration of independent unionism. We in the ERC support the actions of U.I students in organizing the protest of 14 October 2008 and we shall be averse to any measures aimed at victimizing the students. This is because the protest was a justified reaction from the student populace against the undemocratic actions of the University management.
At the inception of 2008/2009 academic year, the U.I management increased fees by more than 50% and also arrested a campus student editor, Sola Amiola, for writing press articles against the increment. This was the immediate cause of the huge but peaceful protest. The protest had among its aims immediate and unconditional release of the detained student, reversal of fee increment, abolition of Students Union Transition Committee (SUTC) and restoration of vibrant students union and recall of suspended U.I activists since year 2000.
To us in the ERC, this protest is unique and heroic especially considering the situation in U.I where there has been no democratically constituted Union since 2001. Instead, the management has been fronting an undemocratic and illegal contraption called Students' Union Transition Committee (SUTC) for the past 7 years as a replacement for a legitimate union. As a result, students have been under the siege of insecurity and extortions while the living condition on campus is abysmal with epileptic electricity supply. Even staffs have also had their working conditions attacked.
It is in a bid to scare away students from fighting for the restoration of their union that has made the University administration to start this process of witch-hunt. The aim is to keep students submissive. The invitation of the five students to face disciplinary panel is just the beginning. The charges against them are in the least highly ridiculous. How can a student be arrested and victimized for circulating leaflet in a democratic society, and more importantly a university where critical debate is a major ingredient of intellectual development? How can students who organized one of the most peaceful protests in the history of the university as even acknowledged by the press be alleged of "stealing and beating fellow students"?
This is just an excuse to punish the students for taking part in a democratic action guaranteed by the constitution and charters of human rights. This action of the UI management is barbaric and all well-meaning persons must condemn this unwholesome, undemocratic and highly backward trend. Students have inalienable right of expression and association this is what the University of Ibadan must recognize.
Hassan Taiwo Soweto.
National coordinator, Education Rights Campaign (ERC).
07033697259. E-mail: [email protected]
Written by Comrade Lukman
We in ERC want to use this medium to absolutely condemned the recent development in the University of Ibadan (U.I) where five(5) students have been invited to face the disciplinary panel setup by the school authorities in connection with their participation in the struggle that broke out on 14 October 2008 in the University of Ibadan premises against the 50% increment in tuition and other fees.
Recalled that on the wake of the 14 October 2008, the mass of students of the University of Ibadan (U.I) came out enmass and staged the struggle tagged Protest Till something Happens against the school managements’ announcement of 50% increment in tuition and other fees. The protest was overwhelmingly successful because more than 6000 students of this institution participated, all the entrance leading to University of Ibadan were barricaded by the protesting students and there were no academic and administrative activities in the university premises that day. Among the vital demands of the protesting students was the restoration of the independent unionism which had long suffered serious attack from the school authorities.
Due to the consciousness and doggedness of the present generation of students in the University of Ibadan to recognized the fact that, what their future will be shall be determined by themselves and not by any agents of capitalist that have concluded through neo-liberal, anti-masses policies of commercialization to take quality education that is a fundamental right of every citizens of this country from the reach of the common masses and make it a privilege to say NO to the madness displayed by the authorities of the University of Ibadan that outrageously increased tuition and other fees by 50% .Immediately the school authorities received the signal of the traditional struggle against all forms of oppression that the University of Ibadan students were historically known for made a U-turn by declaring a paltry reduction of the fees.
As a matter of fact, the invitation of five (5) students of the University of Ibadan in connection with the protest against irrational increment in tuition and other fees to appear before a disciplinary panel setup by the school management is another attempt to victimize the conscious ones among the present generation of students in this tertiary institution so as to discourage the entire section of students from their collective agitation for the restoration of the independent unionism that have been proscribed for the past seven years by the then Prof. Ayo Falase –led administration. It should be realized that the authorities of the University of Ibadan does not have any basis to invite these five students to disciplinary panel in order to unjustly victimized them because the only instrument in the hands of the oppressed to reject any anti-masses, pro-rich policies introduced by the capitalist elements is peaceful protest like the one embarked upon by the students of U.I.
It is on this notes that we in ERC absolutely condemned this backward act of the authorities of U.I and equally call on the federal government of Nigeria to immediately direct the U.I authorities to stop this reactionary act in order for peace to rain in the University of Ibadan premises.
Written by Small God
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