UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN: ERC Condemns the Suspension of Ojo Aderemi and Others

Students and Staff Unions Should Demand Immediate and Unconditional Recall of Victimised Students and Lift of Ban on Students Union

By Ogunjimi Isaac Oyo State Coordinator, ERC

The Education Rights Campaign, ERC, Oyo State chapter, condemns the decision of the University of Ibadan students’ disciplinary committee and its approval by the University Senate to suspend Mr Ojo Aderemi, a one-time president of the Students’ Union and other members of the purportrdly suspended student union leadership specifically because of the leading role they all played as leaders of the Students’ union during the students’ protest that broke out within the university on the May 29, 2017.

It would be recalled that the protest in question was provoked by the failure of the Prof. Olayinka-led administration of the University to carry out its basic and fundamental obligation viz-a-viz issuance of ID card to students for the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 academic session after they were forced to pay it.

Following the protest which was peaceful without any record of destruction of public and university properties, the Prof. Idowu Olayinka administration proscribed the student union activities. Even when the administration has not been able to fully resolve all of the controversies around the question of the unissued ID, it has further gone ahead to place a suspension order on the victims of its own failure and negligence. This is an act of injustice and condemnable!

ERC condemns the suspension of Ojo Aderemi and other leaders of the suspended students union, at the same time demands for their reinstatement as well as immediate restoration of the proscribed student union activities. We call on all students and staff unions in the university to also make these demands on the management.

However, it is instructive to note that the suspension of the union leaders and proscription of the students union might have been predetermined to create fear in the mind of students in the university in order to avert any resistance against anti-students actions including hike in schools and possible introduction of some form of obnoxious fees

Therefore, students must be prepared to resist any plan by the Olayinka-led administration of the university to either increase the school fees or carry out any other form of attacks that is capable to further limit the democratic rights and worsen both the living and learning condition of students. At the same time students must initiate and join struggles for the reinstatement of all the politically victimized students and immediate restoration of the suspended student union activities.

The rights to peaceful protests and independent students union are not only fundamental but also constitutionally-guaranteed. The culture of victimizing students and staff union leaders for embarking on protest is tyrannical and must be resisted. Therefore, ERC calls on the workers union on campus SSANU, NASU, NAAT and particularly members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to come out in a more and concrete principled opposition to the Prof. Olayinka-led administration’s deliberate attack on the democratic rights of students and victimization of student leaders.

ERC therefore calls on all students who are dissatisfied with the suspension of Ojo Aderemi and other student union leaders, the proscription of the union activities, poor learning and living condition and are interested in fight back and improvements to call the following numbers: 08033914091, 09058587684 and 07066249160.