*OPEN LETTER TO THE VICE-CHANCELLOR UNIVERSITY OF BENIN*

15/02/2020

I write this open letter to the Vice- chancellor, Uniben, Prof (Mrs) Salami as it is my right in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human rights, 1948 to have freedom of opinion and expression and to receive and impart information through any media.
On the morning of the SUG elections, 14th February, the Dean of students brought a sudden guideline that only students that have paid for this current session can vote, a decree that is against Section 32, sub section 1 of the SUG constitution that all election guideline shall be subject to the constitution. The logical implication of the Dean's decree is that the 100L students will be able to vote.
At Twin-LT where my faculty, Basic Medical sciences vote, the returning officer made use of a list given by Dean of students to accredit voters. We discovered that the list was cooked as names persons that had paid school fee weren't on the list and were therefore disenfranchised. Also 100Level students weren't allowed to vote. Now, I ask, what is the use of a list when you can easily ask for school fee slip as proof? When we discovered the foul play, we proceeded to try to print out our school fee slip only to discover that our kofa pages have been shut down.
It's is truth that faculty of BMS is one of the faculties that pay school fees early due to the competition in application for reserved hostels, but the cooked list put a whole department at just 20 eligible voters when a class in the department have over 100 students and BMS and Pharmacy with a combined population of over 6000 students had only about 200 voters as at 2pm. As at when all these was going on, we discovered that 100Level students and students without school fee payment were being allowed to vote in polling units that were stronghold of a particular candidate. It is not secret that the Dean of students controlled and decided the numbers of persons that could vote in this SUG election.
We also discovered that the returning officers sent to different polling units were more of staffs of faculty of Law which is where the Dean comes from, I don't need to explain the foul play here. I am not so surprised as the NDDC hostel that is supposed to be for medical students is now Law students hostel.
It's is a fact that votes were counted in some polling units with the agents locked outside. Its is illogical that one who has right to be voted for does not have the right to vote. UNN SUG elections also held this week and over 40, 000 students voted, it is a shame that University of Benin with over 45, 000 students could not produce 4000 voters.
I won't fail to mention that members Man O" war that is not a military or security organization in school heavily brutalized our students and collected their phones, when I spoke with the GOC today, he said they have rights to beat up fellow students.
Another point of note is the Dean of students sending the aspirants to DSS for clearance, I can only wonder what happened to UNIBEN security, the aspirants were stripped stark naked and male DSS officials touched the body parts of female aspirants in the name of screening. I can't deny the thoughts that the Dean of students carried out DSS screening so as to be able to defend himself after unclearing some selected aspirants without reasons.
We the students of Basic Medical sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy and every other concerned students reject election based on illegality and irregularity as it is not about winning or losing. We would therefore carry our a mass peaceful protest come Monday, 17th with members of the press to oversee the process. We would file our petitions by Monday which will contain evidences and witnesses of this sham election. We have pictures and videos of votes counted without agents, of the kofa page shut down, of the brutalized students that didn't destroy life and property, of the students that were disenfranchised of voting after paying this current session school fee and of the students that voted without school fee in some polling units.
It's is a tradition in Universityof Benin to suspend and/or rusticate students that speak up for their rights and fight against oppression, I have therefore decided to add my name and matriculation number. History will only tell of the comrades and the tyrants that have passed though this institution.
The world will watch you decision towards the voice of the students dear Mama VC.

OKUNDAYE JOHN
BMS1501928

Mad o.. the student even attach him mat no. And name .. but the impunity for that school sha..

I was a unionist in UNIBEN before 2015.

- We did DSS clearance too.

- 100 level were not allowed to vote.

- The school does not need your printout to know those who have paid school fees.

- Remove your name and mat number, you don't want the fire you are stoking. Those professors have nothing to lose.

- During my time, total voters were shy of 4,000. UNIBEN students don't like the stress, unless they make it online.

- BMS always have the lowest voters output including dentistry.

I had my run in the the VC and Dean of students too, but my cause was just so I could not be tied down.

Do not fight a losing battle.

You can PM me if you want me to advise you based on a person who have seen it all and done it all.

Prec1ous

I just saw the letter circulating online, it's not written by me

Prec1ous:
I was SUG Secretary General in UNIBEN before 2015.

- We did DSS clearance too.

- 100 level were not allowed to vote.

- The school does not need your printout to know those who have paid school fees.

- Remove your name and mat number, you don't want the fire you are stoking. Those professors have nothing to lose.

- During my time, total voters were shy of 4,000. UNIBEN students don't like the stress, unless they make it online.

- BMS always have the lowest voters output including dentistry.

I had my run in the the VC and Dean of students too, but my cause was just so I could not be tied down.

Do not fight a losing battle.

You can PM me if you want me to advise you based on a person who have seen it all and done it all.

For reference, OSHODIN vs OSHIOMOLE, I was at the fire front!

God bless bro

Regards

Prec1ous:


Na so.

Please edit your comment and delete my quote please. Thank you

Delete mine too

OPEN LETTER TO THE VICE-CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF BENIN
Okundaye John

Season greetings you ma, the entire management and the entire UNIBEN students.
I would avoid this at all cost but the gravity of the incidence captured in this open letter is one that burdens the heart and cannot be set aside.
I write this letter upon my rights, engraved in the United Nations Fundamental Human rights and the Nigerian constitution which explicates that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, which includes freedom to hold opinion and expression and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Firstly, I would love to commend the visibly good works in and outside the school premises. Administrative prowess is an element of governance that we lack as a nation and you have showed that it the midst of rubbles, there is still hope for good governance.
However, issues regarding students affairs over the years still lags behind. I would publicly bawl out the students affairs division and it's various heads in the last few years. The constant gap between the management and the students is no surprise.
My attention has been drawn to a recent, sad and heartbreaking incidence involving UNIBEN students, specifically Faculty of Agriculture. For whatever reason, a student falsely accused another of various counts of theft, the accused was gathered and beaten up, was recorded and the video became a trending one. From the information I could gather, the case got to the table of the Chief Security Officer and the Dean of Students. While the former transferred the case to the latter after getting to the root of the issue, the latter asked for official documentation from the accused for her desire for a public apology and vindication.
Madam VC ma, the speed of decision making is the essence of good governance and according to William E. Gladstone's popular legal Maxim, "Justice delayed is justice denied". I ask this question not for intent of disrespect but as one that has been a victim of false accusations, if the accused girl was to be a daughter of the CSO, Dean of Students or any senior staff, would we still be here? Let's us not forget that a viral video that has the propensity to damage a future is in circulation, students have graduated, students won't return to their former rooms/hostel after resumption.I still wonder how those involved, management and students, hold their cutleries and cups with firm hands to celebrate the festive season knowing that someone has been emotionally and psychologically injured.
Like my first open letter to you madam VC, on the rigged 2020 SUG election engineered by the then Dean of Students, I have not come to give suggestions or directives. I simply have seen something and said something. Madam VC ma, the world is watching.

Cc
Vice Chancellor, UNIBEN
Dean of Students, UNIBEN
Dean, Faculty of Agriculture
Chief Security Officer, UNIBEN
Students Union Government, UNIBEN
Council of Governors forum, UNIBEN
National Association of Edo State Students, National
Edo state Youth Parliament
National Youth Parliament
Commitee for Defense of Human Rights, Edo state