By Emmanuel AFOLABI (AFOO)
Who do we run to, when the government and institutions oppress and infringe on the fundamental and inalienable rights of those that they are supposed to protect?
Who can help us out, when those that are supposed to nurture and uphold intellectualism lack the capabilities to even maintain the little knowledge they possess?
Who will save this Nation, when those that we call ‘scholars’ in our higher institutions of learning make illogical conclusions, take irrational decisions, and make a fool of themselves in their bids to oppress?
According to the great American Philosopher and Author, Dr. Debasish Mridha, the whole purpose of education is to transfer and transform knowledge for the future generations so that they can transcend their lives and humanity as a whole; educators not only teach, but they also inspire students to learn, ignite the light of imaginations, shine the sense of perception, and define the path of life for future generations.
Unfortunately for us in this clime, our situation is different; our educators, rather than ignite imagination and define the path for upcoming generations, kill every form of rising imagination and even erase the paths that the future generations are defining for themselves.
Those who have been following events in the University of Lagos (UNILAG), especially on the issues between the management of the institution and the University of Lagos Students’ Union (ULSU), would understand the necessity of this write up. UNILAG has been constantly in the media since April 2016 when ULSU staged a protest concerning some welfare issues facing students on campus; unfortunately, the school management saw this protest as a crime/misdemeanour and ‘social misconduct’ (according to their words) by the students, they shut down the institution for weeks, suspended the Union, rusticated some of the leaders of the Union and other students that were involved in the protest. All these because the management want to prove to students that they have the power to do anything they can to any student who challenge them.
The UNILAG management ‘was angry’ that the Union adopted the picketing strategy of locking the school gates and the Dean of Student Affairs’ (DSA) office during the protest and to actualize their plan to punish the leaders, they fabricated all sorts of absurd allegations including “Declaring protest without Congress Approval” – what on this earth concerns the school management with the affairs of the students’ Union? The UNILAG Senate, after the suspension of the Union, started picking individuals for punishment; I happen to be one of victims of that punishment because I am the General Secretary of the Union. The allegations levelled against me were that I locked the School gates and the DSA’s office in addition to that of the Congress Approval, for some weird reasons, I was happy about those allegations because I know I didn’t commit any of those offences (I did not lock any gate or office either by myself or on behalf of the Union and I did not declare any protest, the Union did.) and there is no way the school management can defend these allegations against me because they do not have proofs.
There are some questions pending for the UNILAG management to answer, for being angry that the Union locked the school gates for hours; what exactly were they expecting from the students when no management official addressed them during a 3 days peaceful protest? What would they have done if they were in the position of the students? How else do they expect the students through the Union to compel them to do what they were asking for? How many management officials have they sacked for not coming out to address protesting students for 3 days? Or is that their idea of managing students?
The very unfortunately thing in this whole issue is that instead of the UNILAG management to address issues as ‘scholars’ that they are, they allowed emotions to take over rational and logical reasoning and that was where they completely lost it, are still losing it and will continue to lose it until they retrace their steps.
They know that I as a person will neither abuse nor insult them but will continue to tell them the truth exactly the way it should be told; whatever interpretation that they give to my write ups is not my business, as I do not expect them, knowing the usual direction of their thoughts, to like the truth being told. I say this because when I wrote a 14paged letter to the Vice Chancellor on 14th June, 2016 to point out the mistakes of the management and the Union and also suggested the way forward, I expected them to say that I was wrong (just as I would expect for this piece), I expected that they would say that the management do not have faults in this whole issue, I expected that they would prove me wrong on all the points I raised concerning the DSA; but I was dumbfounded when the only thing I hear them say about that letter was that I recorded our conversation with the Vice Chancellor during a meeting, all the cogent points in that letter are not important to them, the way forward and recommendations in the letter were completely disregarded. It was at this point that I realised that the UNILAG management have lost it.
Another instance was when we the leaders and some other students were invited to face the Senate Disciplinary Panel on the Protest; they sent invitations without including the alleged offences, I wonder if they expected me to honour that invitation – they thought it was going to be business as usual - when they ambush students, do things wrongly and still get away with it. I replied them to demand for the allegations against me and they obviously reluctantly sent it to me and other students who didn’t even ask. After that, I responded by requesting for a Proof of Evidence of the allegations against me but they couldn’t respond to that because I know they do not have any. I appeared before that Panel because I didn’t want to further frustrate and embarrass them, I knew that whether I appeared or not, they had punishment waiting for me and that was exactly what happened, I predicted correctly.
The unfortunate situation in this whole scenario is that this UNILAG Senate Panel that was headed by a Professor of Law – Prof. P.K. Fogam, sat, concluded, and ‘recommended punishment’ for students without a Proof of Evidence as enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria. Shouldn’t the Certificates of these people that we call ‘scholars’ and Professors then be questioned? What exactly are they teaching when they cannot put what they say in class into practice? What makes it worse and alarming is the fact that this is happening in a higher institution of learning, are we not doomed in this country?
Furthermore, whenever you hear or see the UNILAG management respond to this issue in the media, apart from the fact that they lie that we the concerned students are not being punished for protest, they will also say that all we want to do is to tarnish the image of the University, but I wonder who is tarnishing the image of the University between a school management who throw caution to the wind and prefer not to be logical in their thinking because they feel that they must punish student leaders, and a student who has done nothing other than a protest (which is a legal and inalienable right) and is trying to save his career and future from being ruined by those who oppress and infringe on his rights and still expect him to come and beg them. By the way, have they forgotten that I also have an image and reputation to protect? They deploy all their mercenaries (media, propaganda, lies…) against us and they expect that all will be well?
The latest song in their mouth is that they only award certificates to students who have morals and character, and I’m very curious to know how they define their ‘morals and character’ – is it this set of management officials that cannot own up to their actions that are preaching morals and character? They still need to explain exactly why they are lying that we are not being rusticated because of protest.
Former American Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton once said that “If a country (in this case, an institution) doesn't recognize minority rights and human rights, including women's rights, you will not have the kind of stability and prosperity that is possible.” This is exactly the situation in UNILAG as I write this; does the UNILAG management expect me to keep quiet while they oppress me and violate my fundamental rights and still smear my image in the media? It should even be a shame on them if I do that, because everything they have taught me over the years would have been a waste, so the management should be very proud of me.
According to Michael Gove, a British Education Secretary, “as long as there are people in education making excuses for failure, cursing future generations with a culture of low expectations, denying children access to the best that has been thought and written, because Nemo and the Mister Men are more relevant, the battle needs to be joined.” The victimized students in UNILAG will continue to join battle with the management if the management officers will not respect themselves and do the needful. What they fail to understand is that as much as they try to suppress the rights, spirits, and agitations of the students, we will continue to grow stronger.
Let me go by the words of John F. Kennedy: “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” No matter what the UNILAG management do, we shall continue to forge ahead in this struggle. They think that this punishment that is being meted out to some of us will serve as a deterrent to other students who may want to go into student Unionism, but unfortunately for them, they have only succeeded in triggering the spirit and giving more ginger to those who are already into it.
If the UNILAG management think that this punishment will do any harm to my future and that of the other students involved in this issue, then they should think again; My future is more secured than ever, it has been secured even before my sojourn in this institution.
Unfortunately for the UNILAG management, the whole world is watching, even the media is turning against them; we will also be here to make sure that this management do not shy away from the Welfare issues that we raised during the protest (which they have said nothing and done nothing about), there are still two instead of four generators in the University, our Sports Centre is still in a terrible state, Scarcity of sachet water on campus will soon resurface once the rainy season is gone, facilities in the hostels are still in bad state, and prices of commodities on campus are still ridiculously high compared to the prices outside campus. Instead of this management to address the issues that are affecting us as students, they are busy chasing shadows. Our fingers are patiently crossed.
I must conclude this piece by saying that no matter the actions of the current UNILAG management (most of whom are not even Alumni of this institution), University of Lagos remains a great institution – the University of First Choice and the Nation’s Pride. If their intention is to destroy the legacies of the past administrators of this institution and bring down this school, my prayer is that they shall NEVER be successful.
God bless University of Lagos
God bless Nigeria.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
“This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.”
— Robert Kennedy.
Emmanuel is the General Secretary of the illegally suspended ULSU and one of the victimised student leaders in UNILAG. He can be reached on 08034903660 or afolabi_emmanuel_olalekan@yahoo.com