Great Ife Students' Union Executives Have Betrayed The Struggle - SRC Member

 Olabode Oluwafemi

A Great Ife Students' Union Students' Representative Council member, has posed an accusation finger at the executive cabinet of the Great Ife Students' Union of betraying the struggle[protest] aimed at curtailing the ongoing three months Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU industrial action that has crippled academic activities across Nigerian state and federal Universities.

The accusation was contained in a Facebook post made by one of the members of the Students' Representative Council, Sumbade Jnr, he wrote that they sold out the struggle for monetary gain. According to him "In my life since I started Students' Struggle, I've never cried before, but the Great Ife Students' Union Reform led administration, made me cry today because they sold out the struggle, because of useless monetary gain". 

While interrogating Sumbade Jnr, he stressed the bribery allegation posed towards the union executive officers which amounted to the futility of the students' demonstration said; "Definitely, they were bribed, because if they were not, when today[Yesterday] we were supposed to stage a protest and to send our message to the state government that we are angry, they failed to do that. And even when the bribery allegation came up, the president and other excos could not deny it, even up till now, silence means acceptance in this case."

Quizzing another student parliamentarian, Agboola Bukunmi, said, the Union executive leaders' position during the protest "is more like" they betrayed the struggle by kicking against the protest which was meant to hold yesterday [Thursday], which could have paved way for engaging Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State while barricading his escorts after the student protesters perceived he would be journeying through the highway on Thursday.

Meanwhile, there has been a widespread alleged rumor that the union executive council members were bribed with the sum of N250, 000 by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, after a visit to his palace with a motive to hinder the continuation of the protest.

The Public Relations Officer of the Students' Union, Ogunperi Taofeek Olalekan, debunks the bribery allegation in his press release in the early hours of Friday, by saying, the Ooni didn’t pay them any N250,000 to end the protest.

According to the release signed by Ogunperi Taofeek; “The leadership of the Union would like to disclaim all allegations of foul play suspected that it has introduced to the #EndASUUStrike struggle. The meeting with Ọọni, as contained in a release earlier sent, was not “to sell the struggle”. The Union officers did not indulge themselves in any act to sell the struggle.

“In the meeting, the Union officers had conveyed the demand of the students, which is that ASUU strike has to be ended. The Ọọni did not at any point persuade or ask the Union officers to end or suspend the protest. The Ọọni did not pay any 250 000 Naira to the Union or its officers to sell the struggle.

“His Royal Majesty, Ọba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ọjaja II, only solidarised with the cause of the struggle. He added that he would, as someone who has access to politicians, mount pressure on them so that we can continue our studies. There was no time, place or means through which the Ọọni asked or instructed that the protest be suspended or called off.

“The allegations of financial crime being peddled that the protest was suspended, having being sold by the leadership of the Union, so that the Governor of the State who is having a rally in Ife today can come and go without any protest to hinder him is false. The reasons for the suspension of the protest till Monday were publicly given at the protest ground by students who gave the submission, and it is upheld based on the popular support it got at the protest ground.

“The #EndASUUStrike struggle is not an item for sale. It is a just fight for our lives. The leadership of the Union did not hold any meeting with anybody to undermine the struggle. The students are the owners of the struggle. The mandate that the leadership of the Union has and stands for is to represent this collective desire at all times.

“Until late in the evening yesterday, many students including officers of the Union were never aware of the rally of the Governor in Ife today. With the resolution reached based on the submissions of students at the protest ground that the protest be suspended till Monday, 23 May 2022, which the leadership of the Union respects, the lateness of the information on the Governor’s rally, which should have been discussed for proper planning at the protest ground, the leadership of the Union could not go ahead with any protest this day, 19 May 2022.

“Away from the fact that no protest was planned for today, there had been reports of security threats. Going ahead with any protest today would have opened students to danger. We may recall that even with our numbers and the security we had before, we have more than once been nearly trampled by men of the Nigerian Army. In our bid to fight for our rights, the jeopardy of life of any student is too grave to be trivialized.

“Truly, we have missed a chance at achieving a great feat in the struggle by not protesting today. This is a result of lack of preparedness for a development like this. The leadership of the Union, without any iota of fear or misgiving, is going to pursue the cause of the #EndASUUStrike struggle. This time, with better preparations.

“All necessary measures shall be in place to ensure that the struggle continues as the students have decided at the protest ground. The struggle has not been sold, the struggle will not be sold. Students are encouraged to keep the belief in the potency of the struggle alive.”

He stated. 

OAU KILONSHELE learnt students of Obafemi Awolowo University commenced their protest last week Thursday before the Union leaders also came into the scene on Tuesday to throw their weight behind the #EndAsuuStrike demonstration which reeked Ife town and its major highways.