CAMPAIGN FOR THE RECALL OF 10 STUDENT ACTIVISTS IN OAU

A call for protest letters

Below is a leaflet issued by the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) on the continued victimization of 10 student activists at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. The student activists have been suspended from the university for over a year for leading students in demands for independent student unionism, improved living and learning conditions.

Among those victimized, 6 are student members of the DSM (CWI Nigeria). Three of the student leaders (Akinola Saburi, Olatunde Dairo and Taiwo Hassan Soweto) were detained for over four months last year and were only released last February on bail owing to local and international protest.

Up till now, they are still standing trial and have not been recalled to school. The University will resume by mid-December for a new academic session hence the need to step up the campaign for their reinstatement. We appreciate the actions of sections of the CWI, students unions, trade unions and pro-masses’ organisations in this campaign.

You can help the campaign by sending protest letters to the Vice-Chancellor – [email protected] and [email protected]; the Registrar – [email protected]; the Federal Ministry of Education at [email protected] and [email protected]. Copies of all protest letters sent should be made available to the Democratic Socialist Movement (CWI, Nigeria) at [email protected].

ONE YEAR AFTER, 10 VICTIMIZED STUDENT ACTIVISTS YET TO GET JUSTICE

The Struggle For their Reinstatement Must Commence Now!

The Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) welcome all stale and fresh students back to campus after the holiday. Particularly, we felicitate with Freshers on the occasion of their admission. Now that we have resumed, bad welfare conditions, poor condition of hostel, inadequate and overcrowded lecture theatres and education commercialization policies of government continue to confront us. This therefore places the responsibility on us to resume the struggle for a free and quality education. To start with, we commend the generality of students for their steadfastness which compelled the University Management to restore the student Union last semester. However, we cannot yet shout hurrah because about 10 student activists who fought valiantly for the independence of our union remain victimised. We must fight for their full and unconditional reinstatement.

BRIEF HISTORY

On October 15 2007, 10 student activists were suspended by the Authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) for being in the leadership of the struggles of students to defend their rights to quality education, improved welfare conditions and independent unionism. Harassed, vilified and hounded, over a year after they are yet to be recalled back to school. Three (3) of them, Akinola Saburi (former Union president), Dairo Olatunde (former Union PRO) and Hassan Taiwo Soweto (National Coordinator, Education Rights Campaign) were arrested and detained on trumped-up charges for several months in the Ilesa prison. Yet they were not criminals but young activists resisting the University Authorities’ efforts to take over the Student Union. In the climax of Authorities’ clampdown, the union was also banned for several months and was only recently restored through an election midwifed by the Authorities after prolonged and unrelenting students’ agitations.

ENDLESS LIST OF VICTIMIZATION

Those under indefinite suspension include Orgumah Andrew Segun, Dairo Olatunde, Hassan Taiwo Soweto, Frank Ogaga, Oyedeji Nurudeen, Ibraheem Kolawole and Adeniyi Adenekan Akanni while Akinola Saburi was expelled. In its bid to uproot radicalism from the University, the Authorities also victimised Chukwunyere Onyinyechi (Ghandi) and Owoeye David (Figo) both of whom are Law graduates but have been denied mobilization to Law School.

STEPS TAKEN SO FAR

The victimized students challenged their suspension at the Federal High Court and their unjust incarceration at the Magistrate Court. Unfortunately, the judiciary true to type became heavily compromised in the inordinate agenda of the University Authorities to victimize them. For instance, in the case challenging the suspension at the Federal High Court Osogbo, the court dismissed the suit in a judgement delivered on 16th October 2008 citing that suspension was not a disciplinary action but an administrative measure. To all right thinking people, this judgement can be best described as a judicial approval of victimization of student activists challenging government and University Authorities neo-liberal education policies.

In another instance, at Magistrate Court 2 Osogbo where two (2) of the victimized student activists (Tunde Dairo and Hassan Taiwo) are standing trial on trumped up charges, the court had advised lawyers to both parties to seek an out-of-court settlement. Consequently, the University Authorities had promised in the open court to withdraw the charges if the students wrote a letter of undertaking. Even though, the accused had fulfilled their own part of the bargain several months ago, the Authorities have since been avoiding withdrawing the charges. Instead of coming down hard on the authorities for this insincerity, the court has continued to adjourn the case without concern for the immense loss of the accused students who are bearing both the burden of being falsely accused and loss of their studentship. The next adjourned date now is January 12, 2008.

THE UNION MUST TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE

Suffice to stress; the case of the unresolved victimization of the OAU 10 is a defeat for President Yar ‘Adua’s false claim of rule of law. While big time looters walk freely, young students agitating against official corruption and mis-governance are being detained and suspended from school. Even when any of these big time looters are tried in court, it always ends with a pat on the back as the case of former Governor Alameseigha of Bayelsa State reveals. However, this confirms what we have always said which is that not the judiciary but political struggle for a revolutionary change of society is the true hope of the common man. OAU students must therefore prepare to embark on a protracted struggle to secure the unconditional reinstatement of the victimized activists.

We urge the recently elected leadership of the Student Union to take up the challenge of leading a campaign for their recall. Of course, the fact that the new union executive is not decidedly radical and pro-struggle in outlook would limit its ability to wage a consistent and uncompromising struggle. Nonetheless, if the mass of students are prepared to fight and shows this readiness clearly and unquestionably, the union leadership will have no choice but to lead the struggle.

STRUGGLE CAN WIN

At the swearing-in ceremony of the new union leadership, the Vice Chancellor of the University had announced that though some victimized student activists will be reinstated but Akinola Saburi and Orgumah Andrew will never get a certificate of the University. To us in the DSM and ERC, this is not new. We recall that a former Vice Chancellor Prof. Wale Omole once expelled Anthony Fashayo (Ex-union president) and some other student activists in 1995 and vowed that they will never be recalled. Despite appeals from respected people in the public on behalf of the students, the Vice Chancellor stuck to his guns. Eventually, Prof. Wale Omole was disgraced out of the University few months to the end of his tenure while Anthony and Co. were reinstated through mass actions. This shows that whatever is the mindset of the Vice Chancellor on this issue, the will of the mass of students and public will prevail especially when this will is expressed in the language of political struggle.

We therefore urge the Union Executive and the parliament to come out with a coherent program of action on the reinstatement struggle. This program of action must include appeal letters to the Authorities, Senate, Governing Council and Alumni while the solidarity of staff unions must be courted. Efforts should be made to hold meetings with different sections of the University Authorities and details of these meetings reported to the parliament and/or congress. Also, leaflets, posters, symposia and rallies must be organised to mobilise the mass of students for the struggle. Congresses must be called occasionally to review the progress of the struggle. With a consistent approach buoyed by press campaigns to media houses, parents and the public can be won over to put pressure on the Authorities to recall the victimised students.

We urge the mass of students not to abandon the victimised activists because an injustice to one is an injustice to all. We recognise that there has been rapid academic calendar for a while now. While this is commendable it also must be stressed that it is a product of the struggles of students over time. Hence, this should not make us indifferent when Authorities trample on our democratic rights and victimizes our leaders. Whenever union activists are victimised for defending our interests, the democratic rights of all other students come under threat. Thus, the best way we can guarantee an undisturbed academic calendar as well as quality education and improved welfare conditions is to defend our victimised leaders. ‘Every generation out of relative obscurity discovers its mission either to fulfil or betray it’ (Frantz Fanon). Once again we welcome all students back to campus. While we felicitate with our fresh students for surmounting the hurdles of admissions, we urge them to join the struggle, attend all parliamentary sittings and congresses as well as other political activities.

DEMANDS

(1) Immediate and unconditional reinstatement of all the victimized activists

(2) All criminal charges against them must be dropped now

(3) Respect of all democratic rights and the right of students and staff to independent unionism

(4) Improved welfare conditions

(5) 26% funding of education in the national budget as a step towards provision of free and quality education at all levels

(6) A national living wage to all workers

(7) Public ownership of the commanding heights of the economy under the democratic control and management of the poor working people

(8) A mass based working people’s party with a fighting program to intervene in the daily struggles of the masses and link this with the need for the working masses to take over the reins of society from the capitalist looters in order to form a working people’s government with socialist programs.

(9) A socialist Nigeria and a Socialist federation or confederation of Africa and the world.