An Article written by a Twitter user who is a student of Covenant University.
https://medium.com/@AnthonyAzekwoh/kingdom-of-pharisees-and-sadducees-covenant-university-the-shame-of-nigeria-b3ae4a93a3a4

See article Below
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“I was going to die, sooner or later, whether or not I had even spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silences will not protect you…. What are the words you do not yet have? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence? We have been socialized to respect fear more than our own need for language.”- Audre Lorde


After being in Covenant for three years now, there’s this familiar shock I have whenever I see our school being praised in the media. I pause and think to myself, Is this the same Covenant I’m in? Is there a disc 2 I don’t know about?

I believe that there are issues in our community, there are problems that need conversations if solutions are too far ahead and by writing this, I am not bringing shame to my school or my country; I am bringing the shameful things to light and here, unlike the dark, they can at least be understood. I am not your God, everything I say in this essay is what I believe to be right and true, you are free to be angry, offended and even disagree, it is your right.

I think that a university, at its greatest, is a receptacle for ideas. This is a place where fresh minds come together to learn and grow and as a result, find new ways to better their community. For the student and society: a university is a place of change. A seminary is a place for theological investigation, where students are coming to learn more about the scripture and prepare themselves for a life in Christian ministry.

I believe that Covenant tries to be a university and a seminary and utterly fails at both. I don’t think that any silly ranking holds weight in this conversation when students are being abused and have their basic rights denied; who has ranking helped abeg? Was Nigeria not ranked amongst the countries with the greatest potential in the world?

See, the nature of salvation is such that no matter how much you try, you can’t force it on another. I believe that a person decides whether or not they want to be saved and that decision can be made by only them. Not by their parents, not by their guardians, not by their school for gods’ sake; them and only them. That said, to think that forcing students and lecturers to go to chapel will boost spirituality is an idea that is silly at best and dangerous at worst. The chapel stops becoming a place of holy reverence and instead becomes a kind of prison where all the doors are locked and attendance is taken with biometrics while beady eyed men and women watch out to see the students who are sleeping and not standing up while the lecturers quickly place their thumbs on the machines then turn to beat a retreat.

I believe that you insult your god when you force his/her own children to worship him/her. I believe that you insult your god by using worship of him/her to hurt and disenfranchise his/her children. I believe that you insult your god by disrespecting his/her place of worship.

I believe that young people around my age who have issues with drugs have legitimate problems and suspending or expelling them to go back to their parents is a half assed solution to a problem that can last a lifetime, and then end it. Nobody does drugs for the fun of it, I don’t believe that any human in history has ever said, “Yo, my life is bloody amazing, everything is going right for me and by the way, can you pass the cocaine?” To be addicted at so young is an issue that should be confronted with attention and care, not with a suspension letter and shame, these students can be rehabilitated. They are not hopeless cases.

The rules of Covenant are much more than they are, they hurt everyone involved, especially the students. They empower exploiters all through the school system and allow students to be abused, physically, emotionally and sexually. With these rules, extortion and bribe become second language from security guards to lecturers.

I’ve been assaulted twice now, and I can say boldly that the system does not care, they’d rather focus on whether or not we’re wearing ties and our hair is kept at an acceptable arbitrary length. But there are others who have lost much more than I have in Covenant, people who may never regain what was taken from them in this place. This is not a place of reform or spirituality, it is a kingdom of Pharisees and Sadducees where the world is upside down.

Covenant routinely disrespects its students in any way it can, placing limits where there should be none, rules where they are not needed. When students were suspending for not adhering to the dress code, their faces were shown to all of us during the chapel service so we could gawk and awe, an example was made of them but when our previous registrar was stepped down due to sexual abuse accusations, I don’t remember his picture being put up, I don’t remember there even being an announcement. When students die, they cover it up, barring the room and shifting the roommates, there are no moments of silence given, no respect to the dead. Bad things happen in Covenant, and they don’t want you to know.


But faced against this blatant abuse of fundamental human rights, people respond with, “Well, just go to another school. I mean, is Covenant the only school that is there? If you go there you have to follow the rules.” My response coincides with Owei Lakemfa’s: I believe that it is the responsibility of any man or woman blessed enough to have resources to build a university to make a conducive and safe environment for students to learn not a prison camp that conditions students for mediocrity and abuse.


Then the people retort with, “But CU students are making waves all round, what they are doing is working.”

I have two responses to this. I believe strongly that any person that was able to make it through Covenant did so despite Covenant and not because of it. This is a place that retards growth and knowledge and can never be the birthplace of anything great. The second is this: even if Covenant was producing Nobel Laureates every year, how would that make what it did to students right? What exactly would that change?

When we were younger, our mother told us that nothing in this world was free, I’ll advance this: everything has a price. Speaking as I have will have a price, the same way that being silent would have. There will never be a safe time to speak, there will always be something to lose and as the time goes on, what you can lose only gets larger. Education, I feel is one of the only guaranteed ways to get us out of where we are now. But I don’t see how any place can even dare to boast that it breeds a new generation of leaders when all it does is revitalise the spirit of old ones in young students.

A friend once told me that Covenant was an ideal that was allowed to live and I agree. The idea of Covenant should have been left well alone in a dark room and should never have been brought into inception.


Regardless, schools — if they can be called that — like Covenant, Babcock, Landmark, Madonna and their ilk serve a very important purpose: they are clear lessons telling us exactly what happens when religious organisations are free to run amok and do whatever they want. Maybe in the future, when the conversation somehow arrives at the topic of making a new university with a religious backbone, our descendants will frown and shake their heads, pointing in disgust at the past that narrowly escaped them, and maybe they’ll remember what we are now learning: silence comes first, and then, hell.

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I hope this article makes it to the Frontpage.
This shouldn't be surpressed.

I hope you have graduated...lest you get victimized .. Nigerians hate truth...

Where did this one see bribe again.

1) When students die, they cover it up, barring the room and shifting the roommates, there are no moments of silence given, no respect to the dead. Bad things happen in Covenant, and they don’t want you to know.


Foolish talk. Is it Covenant that killed the student that it would need to do cover up? The living faith church doctrine does not allow for bad news to be spread. It is a strange way to operate but it is what it is. Even when the past VC died I don't think it was ever announced.


2) "Nobody does drugs for the fun of it, I don’t believe that any human in history has ever said, “Yo, my life is bloody amazing, everything is going right for me and by the way, can you pass the cocaine?”


Another foolish talk from a naive boy. Covenant is not a drug rehabilitation center. How you put a drug addict with other normal students, do you know the risk that poses to the community. I knew of a boy who under the influence of drugs was chasing a worker with cutlass. Immediately the University had to expel him.
So they should let him be so he can go rape someone and you would still come and tell us the school is negligent...


3) But faced against this blatant abuse of fundamental human rights, people respond with, “Well, just go to another school. I mean, is Covenant the only school that is there?

If what you mean by human right abuse refer to CU's standing laws and regulation, yes by all means. Covenant is not the only school in Nigeria. Covenant subscribes to an ultra conservative definition of a University. Though they are not many, there are quite a few - Oral Robert University, USA; Liberty University, USA; King Abdullah University, Saudi; Fahd University, Saudi.
If you willingly enrol in any of the aforementioned universities, please realise you are not going to a conventional university and would not have a conventional experience. To come and complain when you get there amounts to madness. There are like 28,000 secular private and public universities in the world.

Only God understands What we are going through in these so called Private Religious Universities

HigherEd:
Where did this one see bribe again.

1) When students die, they cover it up, barring the room and shifting the roommates, there are no moments of silence given, no respect to the dead. Bad things happen in Covenant, and they don’t want you to know.


Foolish talk. Is it Covenant that killed the student that it would need to do cover up? The living faith church doctrine does not allow for bad news to be spread. It is a strange way to operate but it is what it is. Even when the past VC died I don't think it was ever announced.


2) "Nobody does drugs for the fun of it, I don’t believe that any human in history has ever said, “Yo, my life is bloody amazing, everything is going right for me and by the way, can you pass the cocaine?”


Another foolish talk from a naive boy. Covenant is not a drug rehabilitation center. How you put a drug addict with other normal students, do you know the risk that poses to the community. I knew of a boy who under the influence of drugs was chasing a worker with cutlass. Immediately the University had to expel him.
So they should let him be so he can go rape someone and you would still come and tell us the school is negligent...

now you have completely missed road my guy

My ideas still stand sha ALL UNIS IN NIGERIA ARE TRASHHHHHHH just that the big 3 are the nicest of the trash

It's a black man something.

HigherEd:
Where did this one see bribe again.

1) When students die, they cover it up, barring the room and shifting the roommates, there are no moments of silence given, no respect to the dead. Bad things happen in Covenant, and they don’t want you to know.


Foolish talk. Is it Covenant that killed the student that it would need to do cover up? The living faith church doctrine does not allow for bad news to be spread. It is a strange way to operate but it is what it is. Even when the past VC died I don't think it was ever announced.


2) "Nobody does drugs for the fun of it, I don’t believe that any human in history has ever said, “Yo, my life is bloody amazing, everything is going right for me and by the way, can you pass the cocaine?”


Another foolish talk from a naive boy. Covenant is not a drug rehabilitation center. How you put a drug addict with other normal students, do you know the risk that poses to the community. I knew of a boy who under the influence of drugs was chasing a worker with cutlass. Immediately the University had to expel him.
So they should let him be so he can go rape someone and you would still come and tell us the school is negligent...


3) But faced against this blatant abuse of fundamental human rights, people respond with, “Well, just go to another school. I mean, is Covenant the only school that is there?

If what you mean by human right abuse refer to CU's standing laws and regulation, yes by all means. Covenant is not the only school in Nigeria. Covenant subscribes to an ultra conservative definition of a University. Though they are not many, there are quite a few - Oral Robert University, USA; Liberty University, USA; King Abdullah University, Saudi; Fahd University, Saudi.
If you willingly enrol in any of the aforementioned universities, please realise you are not going to a conventional university and would not have a conventional experience. To come and complain when you get there amounts to madness. There are like 28,000 secular private and public universities in the world.

The dude wants freedom to misbehave. I think I blame his parent for not allowing him to make choice of university

See ba, it is not by force to go to Covenant University na. Abi other schools no dey? Since you know how strict the school is with her students and lecturers, then why do you still go ahead and apply? Infact if you geh money to go Covenant, you fi go abroad sef. So leave Covenant University alone mbok. They are making excellent strides and we love them like that.

smartsk:
See ba, it is not by force to go to Covenant University na. Abi other schools no dey? Since you know how strict the school is with her students and lecturers, then why do you still go ahead and apply? Infact if you geh money to go Covenant, you fi go abroad sef. So leave Covenant University alone mbok. They are making excellent strides and we love them like that.

Though you have a right to your opinion but this isn't a smart response to everything the OP typed. It's like saying everyone that can afford to leave Nigeria should leave because of SARS, fulani herdsmen and other menace.

People like you will be the first to comment on threads where students are flogged or manhandled by their teachers but in this case, religion won't let you think clearly.

thelastmediator:


Though you have a right to your opinion but this isn't a smart response to everything the OP typed. It's like saying everyone that can afford to leave Nigeria should leave because of SARS, fulani herdsmen and other menace.

People like you will be the first to comment on threads where students are flogged or manhandled by their teachers but in this case, religion won't let you think clearly.

This thing is very simple Oga. There are THOUSANDS of schools to make a CHOICE

P. S. and what has religion got to do with this? ehn?

smartsk:



This thing is very simple Oga. There are THOUSANDS of schools to make a CHOICE

P. S. and what has religion got to do with this? ehn?

This can only happen in a corruptly Religious country like Nigeria

What can you say about this
https://www.nairaland.com/5417858/ego-not#82248098

smartsk:



This thing is very simple Oga. There are THOUSANDS of schools to make a CHOICE

P. S. and what has religion got to do with this? ehn?

Are you saying then that the school had the right to maltreat their students because those students could have chosen to go to other schools?

Are you saying that enrolling in covenant university means that they are agreeing to be abused in such a manner?

Are you saying that Covenant has the right to do anything to their students because the students enrolled in that school?

That boy said it all.
All these useless zombies supporting the school should please go and enroll.
Covenant University treats their students like robots.

Jeans are banned so the girls won't "seduce" the guys and the guys won't sag.. So without jeans, no one will be seduced and no other cloth can't be sagged.. Can u see the lack of thinking in this?

Phone is banned because around 2012 or so, as Oyedepo visited the school and was preaching, someone's phone started ringing.. From there, he outrightly banned phones.. Believe it or not, it happened.

Recently, church services are now tied to attendance for exams.. If it is not up to 75%, you will carry-over.. There is 5:30am to 6:30am service 3 times a week; there is 8am to 10am service on Thursdays and there is Sunday service..

I too have read this guy's blog about 2 months ago and I totally agree with EVERY thing he said

What is paining me is some of the guys supporting this prison have never seen the entrance of the institution; they only live on 'hear-say'..
There are a few of the zombies above me

HigherEd:
Where did this one see bribe again.

1) When students die, they cover it up, barring the room and shifting the roommates, there are no moments of silence given, no respect to the dead. Bad things happen in Covenant, and they don’t want you to know.


Foolish talk. Is it Covenant that killed the student that it would need to do cover up? The living faith church doctrine does not allow for bad news to be spread. It is a strange way to operate but it is what it is. Even when the past VC died I don't think it was ever announced.

You made some valid points in your other comments but I don't agree with this one.

If expelled students can be shamed and used as public examples to other students.

Then why also surpress the death of other students who might have died as a result of their methods and the kind of rules that they put there.

Or they don't honor the dead by offering one minute of silence during their church services but are more interested in attendance?

They are passing the message that covenant doesn't care if you die on their premises.

It appears like a case of concealing the bad and projecting only the Good.

Why does the doctrine that surpresses the death of children in their care not condemn public shaking and ridicule?

I have a friend in covenant who is always complaining about the rules there. Especially forcing them to do things against their will.
Well, what can I say... Too many deluded people everywhere. Most people worship men so much that you wonder what happened to their reasoning and what sort of Education they acquired.
The light is coming.

IronPant:
That boy said it all
All these useless zombies supporting the school should please go and enrol
Covenant University treats their students like robots

I too have read this guy's blog about 2 months ago and I totally agree with EVERY thing he said

What is paining me is some of the guys supporting this prison have never seen the entrance of the institution; they only live on 'hear-say'..
There are a few of the useless zombies above me

It is very obvious.

Those who have never attended the school but are supporting it only have two points.

1. The fact that you signed up for the school means you signed up for however they treat you.

2. There are other schools you could have gone to but you didn't.

DaySpringer:


It is very obvious.

Those who have never attended the school but are supporting it only have two points.

1. The fact that you signed up for the school means you signed up for however they treat you.

2. There are other schools you could have gone to but you didn't.

Exactly

DaySpringer:


Are you saying then that the school had the right to maltreat their students because those students could have chosen to go to other schools?

Are you saying that enrolling in covenant university means that they are agreeing to be abused in such a manner?

Are you saying that Covenant has the right to do anything to their students because the students enrolled in that school?

Covenant has no right to do anything their want to their students, oga... The points the op raised are not really abused... They are just strictness to achieve their set objective; hence, the op has the right chosen any university but Covenant... Should those be truly human right abuses as posited by the op, then, the University can be sued in our law court for violation of human right... That can't however, happen here. why? They are so far acting within the limit of their rights

HigherEd:
Where did this one see bribe again.

1) When students die, they cover it up, barring the room and shifting the roommates, there are no moments of silence given, no respect to the dead. Bad things happen in Covenant, and they don’t want you to know.


Foolish talk. Is it Covenant that killed the student that it would need to do cover up? The living faith church doctrine does not allow for bad news to be spread. It is a strange way to operate but it is what it is. Even when the past VC died I don't think it was ever announced.

Thank God you mentioned it is strange.

It is infact a questionable character. It allows for evil to strive. Even when they sack Pastors heading departments/projects for embezzling funds, it is shush shush. There should be naming and shaming.

Too many crimes are carried out under the banner of “divine instructions”. When you probe further, did Oyedepo express say this? where you there? You would see that there is something seriously wrong within the flock. There are now so many goats hiding among the sheep.