Student Unionism a path to Rustication In Nigeria

It is with great enthusiasm from a frustrated state of mind due to the continuing suspension of Students involved in Unionism in Nigerian Institutions by school authorities that i write this article to "conscientize" the public on the emergence of student Unionism and why it is now considered a path to getting rusticated in Nigerian Institutions.

Student Unionism as it is became eminent in 1925 with the emergency of West African Student Union (WASU) and was partly pioneered by some Nigerian students in London. They fought the colonial masters for the rights of Africans.

National Union of Nigeria Students (NUNS) inherited the same idealism from WASU and the student union matched on as a platform of change and of informed activism.

Perceptively, every student in Nigerian Institutions should involve in Student Unionism to voice against the irrational and unjust treatment of students by the school authorities. Students should stay united and strong to fight against "neo-oppression" in a civilized manner by the authorities at the helms of affairs. Students should stay united to protest against undue strikes, emergence of uncomfortable form of actions, irrational formation of rules that obliterate our constitutional human rights. Students should be proud to engage ferociously and undauntedly in Unionism.

But unfortunately, it is with great displeasure that i announce that Student Unionism in Nigeria today is seen by school authorities, even parents as a camouflage for thuggery association and as a path to becoming cultists.
Student Unionism/Activism in Nigeria today is becoming weak every day as students now get rusticated and suspended for being a part of this rightful movement to transform from social injustice. Students are now afraid to join an association clamouring against social injustice from the managements to the students because joining such association and also enjoying your freedom of speech is definitely paramount to getting rusticated and suspended in the long run.

In Nigerian Institutions, rustication of students has been the perfect offense to the just protest by students engaging in activism. Even some school authorities call on the police to forcefully shut down any form of rational protest by students against injustice which is using violence to suppress activism. Students now either get rusticated or beaten for engaging in activism. Student Union leaders are always the first to be handed any of these form of punishments before any other student involved in activism.

In Obafemi Awolowo University, the Student's Union gets proscribed at any time the school authority feels threatened by the united voice of the students. Once the school authority sniffs that the Students' Union performing her rightful duty to stand against any form of "civilized oppression" might succeed, the union gets dissolved straight -up to obliterate any form of success or retraction of forsaken developments which also extends to either suspension or rustication of union leaders and other students. Countless number of students have been suspended by the just concluded Bamitale Omole tenure to oppress the students and show superiority of power.

 On July 10,1999, the school authority did not use their usual form of attack; rustication and suspension but called on VIOLENCE to suppress the activism of the Student's Union leaders by calling on cultists believed to silent the voice of these students leading to the death of the renowned Afrika and other martyrs.

Currently in Unilag, the Student's Union leaders have also been rusticated for protesting against the injustice laid on the students by the management.

During a media chat (whatsapp) with Hon Afolabi, the SEC Gen of ULSU on NIGERIAN CAMPUS CONNECT group, he enlightened students from other institutions on the absurd rustication of the leaders and the emergence.

He pointed that as at yesterday, the President, General Secretary, PRO, Parliament Speaker, Financial Secretary and Sports Secretary had gotten suspension letters including some non-executive students (about 10).

He explained that the April protest was birthed by Issues of water scarcity, hike in prices of commodities, power failure, poor accommodation facilities, poor sports centre which birthed the suspension of Union leaders and activists.

He further expatiated on the social injustice dawned on students as Professors and their wives control most of the shops on UNILAG campus.

He asked other students to Imagine a circumstance where students sleep over night in heat since there is no power and water supply, wake up the next morning to go for 8 am classes and exorbitant price of food supplies in butteries.

"We have only one functioning ambulance in our school that has about 30,000 regular students and about 50, 000 students in total. The Director of Medical Centre had said since December last year that they had purchased another one and they were waiting for its arrival, till now it has not arrived. Sometimes it gets really bad to the point that we’ve had to use our Union bus to convey sick or injured students to medical centres because the only one we have is in use" Hon Afolabi.

These Union leaders have been suspended for speaking and protesting against injustice which are both constitutional rights of any citizen of Nigeria. As reported, Hon Afolabi has written a 14-page letter to the Vice Chancellor on his suspension and plights of students but hasn't got any response as at the time of the interview.

It doesn't end there with just Oau and Unilag, it continues in other Institutions. Everyday, a Union leader or a student activist gets suspended or rusticated for exercising his right to speak and associate.

Activism and Unionism are our rights. Freedom of association and expression are our rights. We should not be punished for exercising them. Without Students' Unionism, injustice and irrational developments will continue to grow in Nigerian Institutions as the authorities care not about the welfarism neither do they care about the academic excellence of students. Student Unionism is not a crime. It is not a cult. No student should be indicted for engaging in Student Unionism /Activism.

I call on every student to raise their voice to protest against the continuation of this form of injustice on we students as staying together is being stronger. We can only reduce if not eradicate the continued oppression of students by school managements.

I clamour for "ReinstateULSUleaders", "NoToInjustice", "StudentUnionismIsOurRight".

I drop my pen.

Afolabi Lekan D
Student Journalist
Obafemi Awolowo University.