ON THE INDEFINITE CLOSURE OF UNIVERSITY OF JOS AND THE EVENTS THAT LED TO SAME.
WAS THE STRUGGLE WORTH THIS MUCH TROUBLE?
Many students believe the decision of students represented by the Student Union Government, led by Com. Abel Nnok Ndu to boycott exams and go on PEACEFUL protests seeking for reduction in school charges was miscalculated and totally wrong in purpose and timing. For very obvious reasons, the final year students especially, are the most pained by this action and no doubt, the most hit. BUT WAS IT WORTH IT?
First, on the premise that the purpose of the boycott and protest was not justified, I beg you to if you are a UNIJOS student, look at your last school fees receipt and go through it again. Beginning with the notorious University Development Levy of N10,000.00; is there any justification for such charges considering several months of our lives that were wasted by the strike by our lecturers which produced very lofty grants to universities including University of Jos? Prof. Tyoden who introduced that levy claimed it was because of lack of funds from the Federal Government who own the school. The current administration also adopted the same excuse when it came onboard. You and I know however know that neither Tyoden nor the present VC has utilized any of those funds. Yes, some developments are going in the school’s permanent site but a closer look at the wooden posts besides those buildings will show you that they are TETFUND projects. Even if they are not, I think it is no longer plausible that you charge students fees to develop the schools that admittedly, the Federal Government is now taking good care of. Let us not forget that last year during the ASUU strike, the body of Vice Chancellors had in a meeting calling on ASUU to call off their action, said the Federal Government has done its best in the funding of the Universities. I then ask why bother poor students further with the development levy?
Other unjustifiable charges that you and I pay include Security Levy: I thought it was the duty of my government to protect me and I must not pay for it. How has the security in the university improved since the payment of this so called ‘Security Levy’? There is also the Computer Based Tests fee of a whooping N2, 000.00. I only used those things in my 200 level when they were introduced for our GSTs. Two years after, I am still paying for computer-based tests when I do not have any business with their death trap computers. Funny enough, even postgraduate students are also charged for computer-based tests. This charge is aside the ICT levy of N4, 000.00. We also pay SUG and departmental dues to the school, who do not remit it to the unions and as a result, the SUG and the different faculty and departmental unions make us pay again. There is also the issue of acceptance fee of an elephantine N25, 000.00- two times higher than the school fess of other federal universities in Nigeria.
So again, I ask, should students protest to demand the reduction/removal of this absurd charges?
I strongly believe we were justified to have protested. I believe if I get half of the services this charges we pay for are meant for, I may not be complaining as I am now. However, we do not. We still receive lectures in dilapidated lecture halls. There is no water in the hostels. Our toilets are cholera harvest fields. The roads in P-SITE is a dead trap even for students trekking. Our cafeterias barely have up to 20 seats that can take light weigh fellows like myself. The lists goes on.
I join the SUG in saying NO to further charges that only end up in people’s pockets and not the growth of the only 2nd Republic University still toddling when its mates and far juniors are running.
The second question is whether the protest should have come now, putting into view the scheduled exams and the need to catch up with other schools who are already on break. It is the view of students who were and still are opposed to the protest that we should have waited until after the exams or resumption of the new session. After all, ‘we can always protest for a reduction in school fees. It need not be now.’
I stand by the SUG and other students to say it had to be now. Students wanted a negotiation, which the school was not willing to have. Rather we had a VC who gladly said he would not negotiate with ‘rascals’. In such a situation, it is good that one knows his bargaining chip and use it well. Our only bargaining chip was the exams. The VC wants us to write the exam so bad that he will not want it compromised. The SUG rightly used this chip. Should they have agreed with the promise of continued negotiations after the exams? I think not. The school management will have ignored them as they always did and after which time, every student will accuse our able Abel of being another ‘Hitler’ who has sold out to management.
Also, waiting till next session will have been a wasted effort as before resumption, the school will ask students to start paying their fees, and knowing UNIJOS students, we’ll pay immediately, hence closing every door to a possible reduction or reversal. The school will again throw to our face the ‘gestful’ excuse that they cannot reduce the fees because all the students have paid the fees. Not to forget the fact that the acceptance fees, as high as that of the Nigerian law School, which is sought to be reduced, will have been paid by the new students if nothing is done before the end of our exams.
I strongly believe therefore that it was either now or never.
If you know me, you will know that I am a ‘book-guy’, always wanting to write my exams and be done with school as soon as possible. However, I proudly stand to say that this protest and boycott of exams was justified and timeous.
Of course, like every struggle, it came with its consequences, painful as they are. Sadly, the struggle was sabotaged and compromised by some very minute section of students who decided to the detriment of the struggle, to be unruly and met the reaction of trigger-happy soldiers who had hitherto appeared to be there for the protection of the student. This provided the management the opportunity it wanted to shut down the school. If not for anything, at least students are now scattered and can no longer gather to tell the world the injustice going on. The school can also go ahead to collect the exorbitant acceptance fees from new students as they wish.
My apologies and sympathy to all who were injured because of today’s protest. Also, apologies to final year students who just got extra week(s) to their stay in UNIJOS.
Nevertheless, I strongly believe the fight was worth it, and given another opportunity, I will support this struggle again until it is won.
ALUTA CONTINUA... VICTORIA ASCERTA