₦airaland Forum

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

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