FEATURE: In One year, 22 Nigerian universities' students victimized for participating in protests.
Alfred Olufemi
Protests in three Nigerian universities in the last one year, have been welcomed with suspension or expulsion of the protesting students. This amounts to the infringement on their right to expression.
The authorities of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri(FUTO) ; the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife,(OAU) have victimized a total of 22 students who protested increment in school fees and the poor welfare state.
Following the protest staged against the hike in fees by FUTO students on February 17, 2017, Nine student activists, seen as spearheads, were expelled from the university.
Also, after a peaceful demonstration by students of UNIBEN against the hike in school and hostel fees, Five students, who are Students' Union executives, were expelled for leading the protest in November 2017.
In Obafemi Awolowo University, three students were suspended after protesting 6 days of black-out on October 5, 2017 and five students were arrested and arraigned for resisting the forceful eviction of female students from hostels on March 21, 2018.
However, to justify these forms of victimization, the management of these institutions tagged these protests, 'violent' and 'a breach of the matriculation oath' swore to by the students.
The Public Relations Officer of UNIBEN, Michael Osasuyi, said the protest was intended to disrupt the institution’s 47th Founders’ Day Lecture and the 43rd Convocation Ceremony while the Registrar of FUTO, John Nnabuihe, in a press release, stated that the students were expelled for their involvement in the planning and execution of the 'violent demonstration'.
According to the letter signed by the then registrar of OAU, Dotun Awoyemi, copies obtained by OAU KILONSHELE, the students who protested were suspended for alleged criminal activities pending the investigation of the police.
OAU KILONSHELE also reported how the students were handed over to the police by the university management on March 21, 2018 . The school accused them of assaulting a university official during the process of protesting the forceful eviction of the students from their rooms.
Reinstatement, waste of time and psychological effects on the affected students.
Several months after these expulsions and suspensions, these victimized students were recalled owing to the pressure mounted on the schools' authorities by student groups and civil societies.
Though reinstated, many of them are victims of academic setbacks due to the time wasted on attending court proceedings and psychological trauma.
Omole Ibukun, who suffered two extra years, having being suspended in OAU twice by the management, explained in an interview with OAU KILONSHELE that the suspensions have caused him a great setback academically.
"My mates are done with their programmes. By now I should be a graduate but the school management have decided to delay me because of my stance against oppression." He said.
Oyedeji Samson, another OAU student, who was arraigned alongside others early this year, was advised to quit the faculty of pharmacy because of poor grades and his low attendance in classes while attending court proceedings.
"For about eight times that we went to court, my mum was coming to Ife from Ibadan to witness the sittings. Herself and I were psychologically down to the extent that I was missing classes." Samson told this newspaper.
Also Mr. Ogbonna Collins of the department of
fishery and aquaculture technology in FUTO, told our journalist that the expulsion was reversed after himself and other colleagues filed a law suit against the school.
Despite the reversal, which was done after a year, it was reported that the recalled students will have to resume in November 2018, thereby losing an academic year to the expulsion.
Civil organizations condemn victimization of student activists.
Despite the provisions of the 1999 constitution, of which section 39 and 40 account for the right of citizens to peacefully protest obnoxious government policies, several civil groups have condemned the victimization of protesting students.
In a press statement issued by the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) and signed by the National Coordinator, Hassan Soweto, in 2017, tertiary institutions' management were told to immediately reinstate all the activists under victimization and recognize the rights of students to organize a Students’ Union.
Also, the Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neoliberal Attacks (ANSA) decried the persecution of students in tertiary institutions by the authorities.
ANSA, in a press statement signed by its National Coordinator, Sanyaolu Juwon, slammed Nigerian universities for their unconstitutional and illegal restriction of the rights of students.
“It is very self-evident that managements of Nigerian tertiary institutions are exceptionally hostile to dissent and hold the greatest detestation for democratic structures. We make bold to assert that the only crime of students is questioning the ultra-fascist character of their respective management as it pertains to terrible living and learning conditions,” ANSA asserted in its statement.
Meanwhile, a human right advocate, Barrister Yemi Abiona of Alfred Adegoke Chambers, who spoke with our journalist reiterated the right of the citizenry to protest and peacefully demonstrate against that government policies that are 'anti-masses'.
"It's very sad that government and authorities now see protests as threats and they use security operatives to disrupt demonstrations." He lamented.
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| Ekiti students protesting: www.youthdigest.com |
Protests in three Nigerian universities in the last one year, have been welcomed with suspension or expulsion of the protesting students. This amounts to the infringement on their right to expression.
The authorities of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri(FUTO) ; the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife,(OAU) have victimized a total of 22 students who protested increment in school fees and the poor welfare state.
Following the protest staged against the hike in fees by FUTO students on February 17, 2017, Nine student activists, seen as spearheads, were expelled from the university.
Also, after a peaceful demonstration by students of UNIBEN against the hike in school and hostel fees, Five students, who are Students' Union executives, were expelled for leading the protest in November 2017.
In Obafemi Awolowo University, three students were suspended after protesting 6 days of black-out on October 5, 2017 and five students were arrested and arraigned for resisting the forceful eviction of female students from hostels on March 21, 2018.
However, to justify these forms of victimization, the management of these institutions tagged these protests, 'violent' and 'a breach of the matriculation oath' swore to by the students.
The Public Relations Officer of UNIBEN, Michael Osasuyi, said the protest was intended to disrupt the institution’s 47th Founders’ Day Lecture and the 43rd Convocation Ceremony while the Registrar of FUTO, John Nnabuihe, in a press release, stated that the students were expelled for their involvement in the planning and execution of the 'violent demonstration'.
According to the letter signed by the then registrar of OAU, Dotun Awoyemi, copies obtained by OAU KILONSHELE, the students who protested were suspended for alleged criminal activities pending the investigation of the police.
OAU KILONSHELE also reported how the students were handed over to the police by the university management on March 21, 2018 . The school accused them of assaulting a university official during the process of protesting the forceful eviction of the students from their rooms.
Reinstatement, waste of time and psychological effects on the affected students.
Several months after these expulsions and suspensions, these victimized students were recalled owing to the pressure mounted on the schools' authorities by student groups and civil societies.
Though reinstated, many of them are victims of academic setbacks due to the time wasted on attending court proceedings and psychological trauma.
Omole Ibukun, who suffered two extra years, having being suspended in OAU twice by the management, explained in an interview with OAU KILONSHELE that the suspensions have caused him a great setback academically.
"My mates are done with their programmes. By now I should be a graduate but the school management have decided to delay me because of my stance against oppression." He said.
Oyedeji Samson, another OAU student, who was arraigned alongside others early this year, was advised to quit the faculty of pharmacy because of poor grades and his low attendance in classes while attending court proceedings.
"For about eight times that we went to court, my mum was coming to Ife from Ibadan to witness the sittings. Herself and I were psychologically down to the extent that I was missing classes." Samson told this newspaper.
Also Mr. Ogbonna Collins of the department of
fishery and aquaculture technology in FUTO, told our journalist that the expulsion was reversed after himself and other colleagues filed a law suit against the school.
Despite the reversal, which was done after a year, it was reported that the recalled students will have to resume in November 2018, thereby losing an academic year to the expulsion.
Civil organizations condemn victimization of student activists.
Despite the provisions of the 1999 constitution, of which section 39 and 40 account for the right of citizens to peacefully protest obnoxious government policies, several civil groups have condemned the victimization of protesting students.
In a press statement issued by the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) and signed by the National Coordinator, Hassan Soweto, in 2017, tertiary institutions' management were told to immediately reinstate all the activists under victimization and recognize the rights of students to organize a Students’ Union.
Also, the Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neoliberal Attacks (ANSA) decried the persecution of students in tertiary institutions by the authorities.
ANSA, in a press statement signed by its National Coordinator, Sanyaolu Juwon, slammed Nigerian universities for their unconstitutional and illegal restriction of the rights of students.
“It is very self-evident that managements of Nigerian tertiary institutions are exceptionally hostile to dissent and hold the greatest detestation for democratic structures. We make bold to assert that the only crime of students is questioning the ultra-fascist character of their respective management as it pertains to terrible living and learning conditions,” ANSA asserted in its statement.
Meanwhile, a human right advocate, Barrister Yemi Abiona of Alfred Adegoke Chambers, who spoke with our journalist reiterated the right of the citizenry to protest and peacefully demonstrate against that government policies that are 'anti-masses'.
"It's very sad that government and authorities now see protests as threats and they use security operatives to disrupt demonstrations." He lamented.
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