[b][/b]*STUDENTS' UNION*
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY
P.O Box 1063, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
Greatifesrc@gmail.com

*THE PARLIAMENT*
_Rebuilding the old waste_

25th July, 2017.

*AN OPEN LETTER TO THE UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT*

_*A leader must remind his followers often of what is valuable to the community and to him personally*_ Dr. Myles Munroe

We are writing this open letter as mandated by the resolution of the Great Ife Parliamentary sitting held on July 23rd, 2017 at Mozambique Hall. On this note, permit us to remind you that a month ago you inaugurated a new Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogungbenro Ogunmodede into Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife as a result of his victory in a hotly contested and highly structured appointment. As soon as the new Vice Chancellor was ushered in, we were full of optimism and jubilation on the assumption that rapid welfare, academic, security and social advantages would accrue from this newly administration.

But, what have we observed before the arrival of this administration? Nearly all services have not been functional as things have rapidly advanced from bad to worse. Let us delve into details so as to refresh your mind on what our demands are.

*ON HALLS OF RESIDENCE*

There is no gainsaying the fact that our halls of residence have slipped into the register of slum and ghetto-like environment where humans are jam-packed in rooms like a loaded jalopy car. We now live in hostels where bedbugs terrorize our skin and gulp down our blood like vampire; similarly, scorpions and snakes have become domestic-like animal creeping and surviving in our halls of residence.

In short, our toilets and bathrooms have become a sickness breeding center, where disease of different sought are easily contracted among students. There is no skeptical about it that some students prefer to do shot put, use banks’ toilet or go to library rather than using their hostel toilets.


How do we explain the building itself? The buildings have become the shadow of itself; hardly would you see a room that does not leak when it rains. In a clear cut argument, the building is a reflection of the poor maintenance culture of the management and unconcerned attitude towards the welfare of the students.

*ON POWER SUPPLY*

Prior to this administration, it cannot be overemphasized that power supply on OAU campus has danced to the tune of failure, hence we cannot boast of 24hours power supply not to talk of a long time span. In fact, it appears funny that rain determines the on and off of our power supply. It is either we are fed with the ill report of maintenance or distortion in cables at every interval.

*ON HEALTH CENTRE*

It cannot be overemphasized that our health center is now in a shamble state and seriously faced with several challenges such as shortage of members of staff, shortage of drugs and lack of good relationship among students and some sitting nurses and doctors.

Health is wealth they say; why has our health center become a ghost of what it was, in fact, students are no longer willing to patronize it any longer. Hence, what is the benefit of the health bill in the breakdown of our school fee?

It has now become glaring the more that the school is only interested in making money through every means by requesting that students who have not registered for health service would be charged the sum of five thousand naira after we have been billed in our school fees. Meanwhile, it is not the fault of students to this system because the protocol to this registration in itself problematic.

*OUR DEMANDS*

Permit us to quickly bring to your reminder the essence of our union. Great Ife Students’ Union is strictly a pressure group with the main interest of making the University Management wake up to their duties and better the general welfare conditions of students. We exist as an autonomous entity with clear objectives, aspirations, and goals which are all centered on creating a better system where students are put into a reasonable consideration in the policies, actions and decisions of the University Management.

*GENERAL WELFARE CONDITION OF STUDENTS ON CAMPUS*

The union hereby demands a holistic overhauling of the general welfare condition of students on campus. Over times, our members have been subjected to protracted deplorable, animalistic and pitiable living and learning conditions. The state of our halls of residence is nothing to write home about. Despite the unjustifiable astronomical increment in school fees regime introduced by the former Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole, it is very sad and unfortunate that nothing serious has been done to improve the general welfare condition of students. This has further made it clear to the student populace that the University Management is more interested in enriching the pockets of the rich at the expense of the poor and also formulate policies that are capable of wounding the dauntless spirit of the masses to access modern education.

Therefore, we demand that this administration make it a point of duty to revamp and make better the general welfare condition of students on campus.

Furthermore, we demand immediate renovation of the existing halls of residence and construction of new hostels to decongest the population of students living off campus owing to insufficient accommodation on campus. It is highly regrettable that students living off campus have always been the targets of armed robbers, rapists, burglars and other unscrupulous elements in the society. These unpleasant and detestable experiences have left us with no solution other than to demand the University Management to embark on intensive building projects that will accommodate more students on campus which is expected to commence as soon as possible.

*A WELL EQUIPPED UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTRE*

We demand a better and adequately equipped Health Centre that will cater for the health care needs of the generality of Great Ife students. Also, we enjoin the Management to immediately look into the reports of inefficiency and ineptitude of some members of staff of the university health centre which has directly or indirectly claimed lives of students.

We make bold to assert at this juncture that the power of the union cannot be undermined and we will not hesitate to take a  severe action against any health worker in the university health centre whose failure to discharge his/her duty as expected leads to any loss of life or a more complicated health condition of a patient.

On the same vein, we frown at the earlier release of the Dean Students’ Affair which expressed that *“all stalite students who have not yet registered at the health center of the university to please ensure that they urgently register within two weeks to the date of this release, that is, not later than Friday 4th of August, 2017. Any student who refuses to register at the health center within the stipulated period will be attended to as bill patient”.* It should be noted that students have earlier been billed in their school fees; hence putting students on another amoral corner of payment because they have not registered is another means of exploitation.

However, we understand this system may be engineered in order to ensure that students register for the health services but still students should not be billed rather be given an indefinitely extension to register.

We demand that health centre should also employ more hands, provide adequate drugs at the pharmaceutical center and constitute a supervisory body to monitor the progress of the health services.

*ELECTRICITY AND WATER SUPPLY ON CAMPUS*

The union vehemently condemns and deplores the current epileptic state of power and water supply on campus. Students are tired of excuses from the University management. It is very ridiculous that we always experience power outage on campus whenever it rains. The cliché “the fault is from Ajebandele” has remained the major excuse from the university management to cover up for their inefficiency. 

We, therefore, demand the University Management to swiftly address the issue of instability of power and water supply in our various halls of residence and academic area. 

We charge University Management to dutifully discharge their duties to ensure that students enjoy the best of welfare condition.

We charge the University Management to make provision for alternative in replacement of the abiku-like power supply because the importance of electric power cannot be overstressed.

We charge the University Management to ensure the supply of colourless, odourless and tasteless water to our halls of residence because good water is backup for healthy life.


*RENOVATION OF HALLS OF RESIDENCE*

We demand that the University management should renovate our halls of residence and amend all porous and leaking places in each hall. Similarly, change the archaic channels in our toilets and bathrooms.

Also, the fumigation that had been done by the University Management in times past had been strongly condemned by students due to the ineffectiveness of the exercise. At every point in time, the exercise has proven to be a sheer waste of money and time. The Union hereby demands the University Management to do another round of fumigation in halls of residence and lecture theatre that would be duly monitored by the Students’ Union.  Contrary to the “watergation” of the past, we want sufficient amount of relevant chemicals to be used so that the main objective of the exercise will be achieved at the end of the day.

We demand that every bushy place be cleared to ensure conducive environment because sound health is a product of clean environment.

We condemn the dilapidated structures and poor facilities that have feature in Obafemi Awolowo University which have actuated many of our buildings in a state of collapse, no furniture and unavailability of materials that are inevitable for proper teaching and learning.

Finally, we are convinced that the problem facing this administration is colossal, but certainly not insurmountable.

Your prompt response to this letter will restore in no distant date the proposed peaceful protest planned by Great Ife students.

SIGNED:

*Leadership of Students Representative Council*

*Central Executive Council*

*Halls Executive Council*

*All Parliamentarians*

Cc:

Chancellor

Vice Chancellor

Pro- Chancellor

Deputy Vice- Chancellor (Academic)

Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration)

Registrar

University Liberian

Ag. Bursar

Chairman Dean of Deans

Chairman Security Committee

Chief Security Officer.