UI: IMPOSITION OF THREE WEEKS BREAK: ERC CANVASSES TACTICS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN ANTI-FEE STRUGGLE!

Students must remain resolute as none of the offers by the university administration is acceptable

The goal must be ‘Fee must Fall Now!’

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) University of Ibadan (UI) branch stands with the mass of students as they continue the struggle for a reversal of school fees hikes, agreeing with them that the options presented by the university administration and governing council are not acceptable

We, however, warn against the spreading of defeatist sentiments as a result of the betrayal of students by the leadership of the Students’ Union (SU). These sentiments do the struggle nothing but harm. As far as we concerned, the struggle so far is not a complete waste as some concessions have been obviously won. Take, for instance, that the university has been forced to postpone the examination against the initial plan to start on the 2nd September, 2024. Admittedly this is far below what was expected by mass of the students. Nevertheless, it is an indication that a bigger concession or total reversal of school fee would be possible if the leadership of the students demonstrated more courage and readiness to provide determined leadership to the struggle against fee hike.

It is in the light of this background that the ERC condemns the Aweda-led SU for its lukewarm attitude towards the struggle so far, and at the same time, advises the students not to allow the imposition of the 3-week break by the university administration to kill the momentum of the protests. Instead they should find other ways to organise outside the school, in order to mount up the pressure. To this extent, we propose the launching of a 3-week long media campaign to television stations and radio stations particularly in Ibadan and Lagos with a view to expose to the whole country what is happening to public education in UI and to compel the UI authorities and governing council to rescind the fee hike.

Such a campaign will involve mass of UI students in both Oyo and Lagos states making themselves available at designated take off points to march to media houses with placards and banners. A committee can be elected from the Congress holding today to work out a timetable for the media campaign as well as meeting points that students can come to in both cities during the period of the break. Students in other states across the country can also organise in this direction. But we should not limit it to the traditional media alone. Students can also go online and organise with others X spaces and other online activities to trend the issue of UI fee hike on social media in order to garner support of the public.

This means that by the time the school is reopened at the end of the 3 weeks break, we could have succeeded in turning the tide against the UI authorities and also forcing the governing council to rescind its decisions. This is to us is the best tactical way to take advantage of the current situation to breathe new life into the struggle.

However, the mass of students, in light of the recent behaviour of the Union leaders, should also take as a lesson that leadership positions within the Union is not something that should be taken up by people who do not have the courage to stand with them as they struggle for their rights. Linked with this is the fact that many union leaders do not have the ideological understanding and conviction that there is an alternative to anti-students and anti-poor educational policies. So often times, they believe that anti-poor policies cannot be defeated because there is no other way of running society except through capitalism. But we say there is another way. On the basis of Socialism under which Nigeria’s economy will be placed under public ownership and democratic control and management of the working people, is possible not only to scrap all fees but also to make public education free and functional at all levels.

Hence, the ERC maintains its stance that education is a right. We fault the continuous effort to turn education into a commodity. The prevailing regime of increment in fees is attack on Nigerian students and must be completely reversed as we insist that government should resume its role in the funding of public education and democratic management of schools by the elected representatives of students, workers including the parents.

Comrade Namdi

Acting Branch Secretary

ERC UI

ERC email: [email protected]