DEATH OF OAU MEDICAL STUDENT: ERC BERATES OAU MANAGEMENT, BLAMES PROF. BAMIRE-LED ADMINISTRATION FOR THE DEATH

ERC ALSO CALLS FOR AN END TO THE EXPLOITATION OF STUDENTS THROUGH THE HIKED PRICE OF MANUALS

THE STATEMENT BY THE STUDENTS’ UNION LEADERSHIP ON THE DEATH OF OREOLUWA SHOWS LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY AND A DEVIATION FROM THE RADICAL TRADITION OF GREAT IFE UNION

On Wednesday, the 23rd of April, the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, was thrown into mourning over the death of Adewole Oreoluwa Emmanuel, who was a Part 4 medical student of the College of Health Sciences. According to reports, he collapsed and died while waiting to take part in his oral medical examination. This is a sad loss. The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) commiserates with students and the family of the deceased.

The colleagues of the deceased made frantic efforts to resuscitate him. Unfortunately, the facilities to aid their efforts were unavailable. One would think that a faculty training students to save lives would have basic lifesaving medical equipment to aid the teaching and learning of students, and also help to attend to the health emergencies of its students. Sadly, according to the report, none was available. Worst still, the ambulance that arrived later also had no oxygen to save the situation; even a stretcher wasn’t available, reportedly.

It is crystal clear that the deceased would have been saved if he had been promptly attended to with the right equipment. For us in the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), we blame the University authorities for the loss of this precious life. Not only does the faculty of health sciences have no defibrillator, but an ambulance came without oxygen. This is nothing but a failure of the university authorities, and shows that despite the outrageous money students are charged, there are no adequate facilities to aid their proper learning, let alone attend to their health emergencies.

Sadly, the Prof. Bamire administration treated this sad loss with triviality, without any attempt to address the root cause or take responsibility for its gross failure.

The response of the leadership of the Students’ Union to the death of Adewole Oreoluwa is another irrationality of adding insult to injury. A union, which ought to take the life, safety, and well-being of its members with utmost seriousness, showed the direct opposite of that. In the statement released, this sad death was treated like a natural occurrence, just another death of a student, and even went on to advise students to take their health seriously. No word was said about the Prof. Bamire-led administration that has not taken the lives of students with any iota of seriousness. In fact, the university management has embarked on a spree of administrative recklessness and cluelessness; a case of insensitivity and cruelty to students.

Today, thousands of students are still in great pain over the management’s new transportation system; as if that was not enough, the University management tried to evict students from their hostel without providing any alternative, despite the fact that these students paid for a full session. Aside from this, many students are being forced to buy practical manuals at exorbitant prices. The union leadership failed to point fingers at the real killer of Adewole Oreoluwa. He is another victim of a failed system. This response from the Union leadership is a betrayal of the radical tradition of the Great Ife Union.

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) demands the immediate revamping of health facilities in the institutions to ensure that students and other members of the university community do not fall victim to avoidable death. We charge the union leadership to immediately call a Congress of students to discuss this sad reality and come up with demands for the revamping of facilities in the institution. The Congress must also take a position on other issues, such as the transportation crisis, the eviction of students from hall of residence, and the exploitation of students through the outrageous price of practical manuals, among other important. issues.

OGUNJIMI ISAAC,

DEPUTY NATIONAL CORDINATOR.

ADARAMOYE MICHAEL LENIN,

NATIONAL MOBILIZATION OFFICER.

Contact: 08137051249, 08059399178 or email [email protected]