STUDENT’S UNION GOVERNMENT OLABISI ONABANJO UNIVERSITY, AGO-IWOYE,
OGUN STATE – 28\08\2014
PRESS RELEASE



We express gratitude to God for His guidance and direction so far, in spite of all the odds against us since the beginning of this struggle. We have been recipients of harsh policies and decisions, yet, our resolve and determination to see this through a logical end, remains unbending, unyielding, and even more solid than it was when we set out to fight this noble course.

INSINCERITY OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT
Since the beginning of this struggle, the Ogun State Government has shown itself to be insincere with the way it
has used propaganda, told lies and peddled untruth against the innocent and lawful OOU students. Since we started, we have been very clear in what we want, but that has not stopped us from attending invitations and meetings called
by the State Government.

The only meetings the president of the Union, refused to attend was meetings which venue is the Legislative House of the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Tola Banjo, and which in most times are fixed at night. The state Government going on air to say we have refused to attend proper meetings because we have ulterior motives and alleged being sponsored by opposition is a grand lie from the pit of hell.

The second day of our peaceful protest to Abeokuta, 15th of August, the Governor, Senator Amosun requested for 7
days to resolve our issue, that he is not aware of certain things. Considering him coming out publicly to say that, we
suspended the peaceful protest, and returned to our various campuses. Five days into the 7 days, there was no call or invitation from the State Government. Our students were obviously angry and prepared to storm Abeokuta peacefully as we told the Governor on the last day of the protest.

On the 6th day, however, we were invited to a meeting with the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa, who chaired the meeting, with Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Segun
Odubela, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Student Affairs, Mr Ikechukwu Clement, present from the
State Government side. After making our demands clear to them, we were told they were taking the demands to the
Governor, since that afternoon around 1:25pm, we never saw them again, around 8:35pm that we decided to leave
after calling the commissioner of Education and he wasn’t picking up his calls or replying text messages and SA’s
phone was switched off also.

The next morning they invited us to another meeting. Following their antics the previous day, we were reluctant
to attend the meeting, but for the sake of history, we attended. Around 9:00 am we entered Abeokuta on that
Friday, they never attended to us, anytime we ask the Commissioner of Education, he would reply that they were
coming. After waiting till around 7:45pm, we called the commissioner of Education and he told us that he would
advise us to return to our campus, thinking that the government in their usual manner like the way they rushed
to the media to announce fee reduction without mutual agreement in any meeting, all to score political point. We
thought, they will announce the implementation of it commencing in our own current session, 2013\ 2014 and
other demands on the media. However, to our chagrin on Saturday, the Government announced the shutting down of
our institution with shallow, baseless and unreasonable premise.

ON ACCUSATIONS OF BEING POLITICALLY SPONSORED
The State Government’s claim that we are being sponsored by the opposition is a mother of all lies and is diversionary tactic. We are not surprised because history has shown that irresponsible and irresponsive Government as we do have them in this part of the world, always look for hiding places when confronted with genuine agitations. During the ‘Alli-Must- go’ struggle of the 70s, the protesters were accused of being politically motivated by the Federal Government.

During OAU students’ struggle, the students were accused of being sponsored by the APC. During LASU students’
struggle, the State Government of Lagos said they were sponsored by ‘fifth columnist’ and the Minister for State on
Defense, Amb. Obanikoro. We don’t expect our own case to be different. But for record’s sake, we state it boldly that
we are neither sponsored by any political party nor political actors. This is why we have been careful from the
beginning of this struggle. If the State Government is confident of all it claims that we are being sponsored, let it
publish the names of our sponsors and the name of the student leaders involved with proof. Our agitations are
premised on truth and conviction in what is right, since 2011 that we have this exorbitant fee, nothing less than 600
students have dropped out from the school. More than 200 have applied for Leave for absence to leave school that
session and come back when they have the money.

Unfortunately, many left without coming back, coupled with poor funding of the University. Why then will the students fold hands as government systematically snatch Tertiary Education from them?.......

Read the concluding part @ http://newsnownigeria.com.ng/press-release-olabisi-onabanjo-university-sug-the-struggle-so-far/