January 31, 2010
Sir: Prof Bartholomew Okolo (UNN VC) no doubt must be a confuse man. You cannot imagine that the man has seriously denied ever increasing the school fees or any other fees in the school. Prof Okolo immediately after the demonstration by the student called a press conference in Enugu Campus of the school and denied ever contemplating on increment in tuition fees or any fees. He said that some miscreant staff of the school instigated the students to violence. Hear him “the students who were involved in the rampage were used by some elements in the University community to cause disorder” he also accused the media for misrepresentation of real issue on ground, adding that the media was working in concert with those disgruntled element in the University community.But we all know that all these are blatant lies from the pit of hell. Prof Okolo is a liar and his entire claim is a mere prevarications. It does not hold water, as it is watery; it is an exercise in futility because we know the truth. His claim is a tale told by idiots full of sound and fury signifying nothing. He should have been a little bit creative in lying as a professor. Is prof Okolo saying that there were no increment? Why should the new students pay N5,000 screening fee for the post-UME examination, N10,000 shopping fee (even when they don’t know if the school will give them admission) and N25,000 acceptance fee? What of convocation fee for graduating students that was increased from N6000 to N40,000? And tuition fee for all students from N27000 to N85,000, accommodation from N9,000 to 30,000? And ’a pay off fee’ of N10,000 for student who don’t want hostel accommodation? What of the students of the UNN secondary school who first embarked on a demonstration against demand that they should pay additional N30,000 to their school fee of N35,000? Why should Prof Okolo be inaccessible to the Student? Why should he rebuff the leaders of the students’ Union Government SUG over twenty times when they made moves to dialogue with him on the planned fees increment? Why should Prof Okolo tell the SUG representatives that education is not for the poor? Why should a VC made such a provocative statement? I can go on and on but the home truth is that Prof Bartholomew Okolo has exposed his naivety, rawness, nescience and illiteracy. He is one of the generations of leaders in Nigeria today who have failed woefully. No doubt, people like him are educated illiterates in our society. They have nothing to offer yet they are in government and want to be taken serious. Irresponsible and primitive action of this simpleton called Prof Okolo could further widen the gap between the rich and the poor in this country. He is indeed unsympathetic and implacably callous. This wasn’t the legacy that great Zik of Africa sought so unflaggingly to bestow on us. This institution was not established to punish the poor and reward the rich! This charlatan called Prof Okolo simply can’t restore our dignity and it is time we all looked elsewhere for a competent leader who has what it take to govern an institution like UNN. Let the mediocre go!!!
On Sunday 17th January, some men from the Nigerian police force invaded the school after the incompetent Prof Bartholomew Okolo (UNN VC) sponsored the announcement in a certain radio station that all student should vacate the campus by 7pm (make no mistake the announcement was made by 6: 30pm of the same day). Those foolish policemen with AK-45 rifle still use horsewhips and boots on innocent students, who are guilty of no offence. When they got to school hostels (both male/female), their mission certainly change. In the process of forcing students out of the school to unknown destination, they robbed, attacked, maimed, abused, humiliated, intimidated and sexually assaulted some female students. In Zik’s flat (female hostel), some female who never participated in the demonstration were taken to an unknown place in the name of arrest and were raped. In male hostel, some policemen took advantage of the situation and invaded the hostel, broke some cupboard and glommed any useful thing they found. It was really a tragedy. And we may ask; why would these feckless police officers want to aggressively enforce a near impossible order that mandates students to vacate their campus residences in less than thirty minutes; where do these ignorant and moronic police officers want the students to go at that time? Why would some female students (who never participated in the riot) be arrested in their hostel and taken to an unknown place? Who led the operation? And what was their mission? This matter must not be swept under the carpet. It must be investigated and those foolish policemen must be brought to book.
Now the position of every student of UNN is very clear. Prof Bartholomew Okolo must go!!! Please Prof Bartholomew Okolo cannot give what he does not have. This man does not have the character, the right attitudes, and the temperament to handle this delicate and very important job as the UNN VC and to all intent and purpose; he should be forced out of the office. The FG, the alumi members and the citizen of this country should be aware of the underlying grave implication of retaining that uncaring devil. He is a threat to vision 2020. If we make the mistake of allowing that fool to go back as VC, then there will be a serious crisis in UNN. A stitch in time will this time around save more than nine.
Comrade S. Igbo
President, Student Activists Group (S.A.G)
University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
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