The Students’ Union Action Committee of the Obafemi
Awolowo University (OAU) has said Vice-President Yemi
Osinbajo should not bother to honour the invitation to
attend a programme at the Department of Fine and
Applied Arts, scheduled for Saturday.

A statement issued by Gbenga Von, Pro tem Chairman of
the Students’ Union Action Committee on Friday, noted that the invitation
by the department was “condemnable” as Osinbajo is a
“prime figure behind the underfunding of education”.

According to Von, the presence of an “anti-student”
figure like Osinbajo in an academic arena is a “rape of
our collective intelligence in a university where students
activities are currently battered by the nationwide
industrial action of ASUU”.

The statement read: “The attention of the student
populace has been drawn to the invitation of Professor
Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice-President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria to a public programme by the
Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Obafemi Awolowo
University, at Oduduwa Hall of the university on
Saturday, 17th November by 12pm.

“Firstly, it is condemnable that the Department of Fine
and Applied Arts of the university itself is a victim of
the negligence of government on education by the virtue
of the fact that the department, just like the faculty
of Law, FNC, Nursing, Dentistry etc., lost accreditation
to National University Commission (NUC) in the last
conducted accreditation exercise in the university. To
invite such a prime figure behind the underfunding of
education to be honoured among students is a mockery
of students and education itself.

“Apart from the fact that Nigeria is at a period of
economic and political bondage as a result of the anti-
masses policies of the Federal Government on the people
as piloted by the Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi
Osinbajo-led Presidency, it is also alarming the ridiculous
manner in which education has been drastically
neglected leading to incessant hike in fees across
several institutions that has made it difficult for
average children to access qualitative education, and
the struggle against these by students has led to
grievous victimization of students and repressions on
students’ unionism even on Obafemi Awolowo University.

“It is therefore surprising how Professor Yemi Osinbajo
would be able to speak about ‘Freedom On Leash’ as the
theme of the programme, when the Federal Government
is at the height of the leash on mass of people. At this
period where the Academic staff union of universities
(ASUU) has been on strike across universities including
OAU over the rotten state of university education, it is
still a shock to us that the only solution provided by the
government is for tertiary students to begin to pay
N700,000 as tuition fee per session.

“We, therefore, see the presence of such anti-student
figure of the government in an academic arena to be a
guest speaker, as a rape of our collective intelligence
in a university where students’ academic activities are
currently battered by the nationwide industrial action
of ASUU.”

Citing the conditions on which the vice-president would
be welcome in the institution, the organisation said
Osinbajo should firstly: “Initiate the adequate funding of
education by committing at least 26% of the country’s
budget as against the paltry 7% to the education
sector; immediately yield to the demands of ASUU on
university education and earned workers allowance; and
immediately effect the lift of the workers wage beyond
N30,000minimum wage to alleviate the striking poverty
level in the country”.

E ti ya werey

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