Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM)

For struggle, Solidarity and Socialism in Nigeria

Committee for a Workers' International

Home

Join DSM

Contact DSM

About us

Our Manifesto

Statements

Socialist Democracy

Newspaper of the DSM

Campaigns

NCP

Trade Unions

Students

Women

International

Downloads

email

Socialist Democracy November 2004

By Yemi Like-that, DSM, Polytechnic Ibadan

By December this year, Prof. Oluremi Alabi will be leaving office after more than six years as the rector of the Polytechnic Ibadan. To most of the students of the Polytechnic, the tenure of Prof Alabi is a bad story and thus, better to be forgotten.

The highlights of his administration include corrupt practices, nepotism, high incidence of cult violence that has claimed at least 15 lives due to his kid-glove approach to campus cultism, attack on the workers' unions and the students' union. privatisation of hostels with attendant outrageous accommodation charges but with a decline in standards and lack of basic facilities , astronomical increase in official and semi-official charges, poor welfare condition, and several arbitrary closures of the institution that has unduly elongated the stay of students on campus to mention but a few.

The exit of the outgoing rector will definitely make students and staff have a sigh of relief and look forward to a new lease of life and a better deal with the new administration. To that effect, there is an intense and popular agitation among the students and staff on the campus that the new rector should come from within the institution and not from the outside. This is apparently based on the erroneous perspective that Prof Alabi unleashed woe on the institution because he was not a staff of the polytechnic before becoming the rector.

We in the Democratic Socialist Movement support and agitate for a democratic process and involvement of the elected representatives of the students and the staff unions in the selection process of the new rector. We however caution against the false perspective that once a new rector is from the polytechnic, the solution has been found to the motley problems and crises in the institution. Wherever the new rector comes from, the new administration will not be fundamentally different from that of Prof. Alabi. This is because the new rector will have no choice but to implement the neo-liberal policies of commercialisation and privatisation of education like his predecessor. To get some concession or improvement it requires balance of forces between the management on one side and the students and workers on the other sides. Thus, students and workers should ensure they have strong and uncompromising unions that can defend their rights and interests. In case of attack on any union or the welfare and interests of students and staff. There should be a culture of solidarity and united action among the unions, i.e. students unions and various workers' unions. Students in particular should begin campaign for genuine and independent students' union whose elections and activities are devoid of interference of the management.

The polytechnic is just a micro of the larger society where IMF/World Bank policies of liberalisation, commercialisation, downsizing etc are the order of the day. While the students and the workers of the poly must continue to struggle for a better living and academic condition, they should bear it in mind that unless this struggle is linked with the national struggle to defeat Obasanjo's regime and its anti-poor policies also represented by Raheed Ladoja's administration like his predecessor, Lam Adeshina, which is largely responsible for maladministration and attacks on both students and workers rights in the school.

Socialist Democracy November 2004