Fellow Nigerian Students ! This is injustice of the highest order, please and
please help broadcast this message till the appropriate authority get it. We
MUST sanitize and put a big STOP to this impunity.
BY NOBLE EYISI JUN 26, 2015

Dear Sir/Madam: Therefore, I, Noble Eyisi, the impeached and suspended
Students’ Union Government President writes this letter as an appeal for justice
in my case. I was elected the Students’ Union Government President on the
11th of December 2014 and was inaugurated on the 15th of December of that
same year. After my election and the Christmas break, on the 5th of January,
our government embarked on the reduction of transport fare in the university
from N30 to N20. At first, it seemed an uphill task as the drivers went on strike
but with time and by God’s grace, they were back and conformed to the new
N20 transport scheme.

This gave us a very good recommendation and applause from the university
management, students and citizens of our state and country. To be candid, the
reduction of the transport fare to N20 was a huge sacrifice from the part of the
Students’ Union Government as I, the former president sacrificed the sum of
N20,000 per day from the Transport Trust Fund (TTF), a sum of money
collected by the SUG from drivers. This Transport Trust Fund (TTF) was illegal
and unconstitutional as it extorted money from the students (the higher the
TTF, the higher the transport fare). For the general students, it brought us love
and goodwill as we have helped them save N10 whenever they board a bus,
shuttle or keke but from my fellow executives, Students’ Representative Council
members (though not inaugurated then) and the judiciary, it brought me hatred
as they felt I took away their daily bread because they were supposed to benefit
N8,000 daily from the illegal Transport Trust Fund (TTF). I was by God’s grace
able to navigate the ship of SUG despite pressures to bring back the Transport
Trust Fund (TTF) up until second semester.

Before the resumption of second semester, I called my fellow executives for a
meeting where I pleaded with them and convinced them to buy into my idea of
reducing the price of food from N200 to N150 inside the university campus.
They all accepted and agreed to it, the food vendors were called and most of
them accepted but due to the imminent first semester examinations, we weren’t
able to begin implementation.

At the eve of second semester, I brought to the notice of the students our
decision to bring down food price from N200 to N150, which they all loved,
accepted and supported since it had been a cry in their hearts and it began
working as most food vendors complied. But this policy was greeted by a
strong university management resistance. The Vice-Chancellor called me
expressing his dissatisfaction with it and asked me to make things right. I felt
so sad but I had to obey my superior. So I rested my case, very much against
my wish but my students felt that their rights, expressions and feelings were
being trampled on. Even if it meant that the rent collected by the Commercial
Ventures of the university from the food vendors be reduced, let it be, but let the
interest of the general students be heard and protected.

Since the university management did not want the policy to see the light of the
day, I felt so sad and decided to rest my case, but at the same time, my
students still felt cheated. Despite the management’s high-handedness on them
through increment of fees, institution of new fees, intimidation by university
security agents etc, the management still wanted to extort money from them
through the food prize. With the new implementation of dues by the
management and other increments, the students began asking me questions
relating to monies which they were asked to pay which was new in the system,
increment in some fees and so on and this led me to write an 8-point letter to
the Vice Chancellor asking him questions which my fellow students have been
asking me. Please sir, find attached an exact copy of the letter I sent to the
Vice Chancellor. (Attachment 1)
It may also please you to find out that there are still other issues which I did
not point out in the letter which includes:
Increment in the General Studies (GS) fee of Year one students from N1,000 to
N4,000
Increment in the Continuous Education Programme (CEP) school fees from
N35,000 to N39, 800,
Payment of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) dues of N2,500 and yet
there is no clinic, how much more obtaining free medical treatment; amongst
many others which may still be hidden to me.

After I gave him the letter confidentially on the 4th of May, he called the
management staff of the university, entire executives of the Students’ Union
Government, the Speaker, Students’ Representative Council and the Chief Judge
of the Students’ Judicial Council to a meeting where he countered the entire
letter point by point. In the meeting which held on the 8th of May, my phone
was seized from me and I was almost slapped and intimidated by words spoken
by the management staff present in the meeting. I still felt unsatisfied with the
response he gave us and unfortunately the letter got to other fellow students.
While the whole situation grew tense, the Students’ Union Government bus
under my care was seized from me, my friends were arrested and threatened
and I too was threatened by the Personal Assistant to the Vice Chancellor.
Please find attached a copy of this letter (Attachment 2). It is also important to
note that the University management never gave me money for the maintenance
of the SUG bus, though I have written to them on countless occasions, rather
my parents had always provided me with the money with which I have
continuously repaired and maintained it.

Meanwhile, instead of addressing the issue, the Vice-Chancellor instigated my
fellow executives to sign a vote of no confidence against me where they
accused me of a 5-count charge. It is also attached here sir (Attachment 3)
and after the impeachment, I responded to the charges and sent them to the
Vice Chancellor of which I am yet to get a reply to (Attachment 4). The
response is also attached. My fellow executives also sued me to the Students’
Union Government Court on a three-count charge, based on why I brought down
the transport fare from N30 to N20, why I removed the illegal and
unconstitutional Transport Trust Fund (TTF) and why I reduced the price of
food within the university which was all student-oriented.

While the whole situation was growing tense, I thought the Vice-Chancellor
would have managed the situation well despite media reports, rather he
mandated that I be removed quickly from office. Please sir, newspaper reports
from this issue are also attached here (Attachment 5). The only condition he
gave me to remain in office was to recant all I said in the letter by calling a
press conference which I will address. I was suspended from being the
Students’ Union Government President of the university on the 18 May, on a
Monday, which was not the normal day the Students’ Representative Council
was to sit. The suspension was unconstitutional and also on the 22 May, I was
impeached. This was made possible by the Students’ Representative Council
members who had strongly been influenced and bought over by the Vice
Chancellor through their Heads of Departments, hence, they ensured I was
impeached and more because they were threatened that disobedience would
result to problems in their different courses. It will also please you, sir to note
that the suspension as the Students’ Union Government President was done by
the veto power of the Speaker as majority of the quorum of the House seated
on that day were against it.

After my impeachment, students were really sad and feeling that their rights had
been trampled on, peacefully protested. On the 3rd of June, a peaceful protest
was conducted of which I was also part of. After the protest, I kept on
attending lectures regularly and on Monday, 8 June, a court order was served to
the Vice President and Speaker by the Anambra State High Court against my
suspension as SUG President and impeachment. On the 11th of June, on
entering the university, I was arrested in the university by a personal security
aide to the Vice Chancellor. I was intimidated and from the Administration Block
of the university, I was dragged into the security van of the university and taken
to the State Security Service Headquarters of Anambra State located at
Amawbia. There and then, the Director showed me my suspension letter and I
was asked to pack my things immediately and leave the university and also
that I should not be seen in the university until further notice. I was also asked
to sign an undertaking to this which I did. I kept on asking for a copy of my
suspension letter but no one gave it to me. Accompanied by security agents of
the university, I packed my things and left.

It will also please you to note sir, that on the morning of 11th, a circular had
already been shared to all the security agents in the university that I should not
be seen in the university as I had been suspended. It was given to them by the
Chief Security Officer of the University. All this happened even with an order of
the Anambra State High Court which I had with me. Please find attached the
statements of the court order (Attachment 6) and the Chief Security Officer’s
circular (Attachment 7).

All through my stay as the Students’ Union Government President from
December up until May, it had been a selfless service. The only amount of
money I had ever received from our SUG account which should be autonomous
was N70,000 which served as my take-off grant. It came weeks after we had
written a letter to that effect and ever since then I have never received any of
my entitlements as the SUG President. Even a transport route in the university
which the SUG ought to be in charge of as an Internally Generated Revenue
(IGR) for the welfare of the students was high jacked by a personal security
aide to the Vice Chancellor, Mr. Anayo Anizoba and when I brought up the
issue, the wife of the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Gladys Ahaneku called me and asked
me to take 40% of the money and leave the remaining 60% to the security aide
which I disagreed to.

Finally, in a country where people’s rights are being trampled upon, I still
believe that justice must be upheld. I’m a very young, patriotic Nigerian citizen
of this great country who decided to serve my country in the capacity of
Students’ Union Government Presidency of my university, and all through my
service in office, I have fought selflessly for the rights and privileges of my
students. I don’t deserve to be kicked out of the university considering the fact
that I have not been involved in any illegal practices or misconduct. All I have
done was for the best interest of the students and for the good of my country. I
sincerely and desperately appeal to you as a father to look with pity upon me
and consider my case as I have no one else to run to. Thank you very much sir
for your time, understanding and resolution to intervene on my behalf. God bless
you.

Comrade Noble Eyisi
Department of Political Science
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

Lalasticlala, ishilove, seun

Pls move dis to Fp..rite now transport fare is gradually goin back to #30
Noble Eyisi d whole Unizik student appreciate d Work u Hv don within a short period of time........

pls help mods

Sad. It's unfortunate. I wonder why VCs in Nigerian Universities are always victimising students who are speaking against the status quo? A good number of them are cowards and only want to lord over zombies rather than students.

What is the importance of being educates if students are not permitted to ask questions. It's ironical when you are illuminating people's mind and still you want them to intelligently challenge you. This reminded me of our struggles in Ife.

Meanwhile, I think Union leaders should learn to smartly pick their struggles. These days, not every fight is worth fighting. I want to believe there will be many students who won't even consider organising peaceful protest for the reinstatement of their suspended President.

There was a case in Ife: the Central Executive Council of the Union initiated a struggle together but along the line, some excos betrayed the struggle. Folks got suspended and some graduated as expected.


This should hit the FP.

This epistle too long na..make i read anyways...
Modified : As the poster directly above me said,we should learn to smartly pick up our struggle. This serves as a lesson to all aspiring leaders out there,myself inclusive . I kinda blame the SU President tho,you wanna enforce this kind of enormous struggle without long legs and powerful people backing you. The days of being a Lone ranger are over man,you gotta have an Army,not those ur fellow shitty C.E.C members. I mean influential people like some lecturers in your department,Politicians etc..
May God help you.

Lalasticlala , Fynestboi