Themmy's can confirm to you that the management of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife has suspended all student union activities until further notice.
About two days ago, the OAU management had announced the closure of every academic activities on campus and ordered the students to leave the campus. A semester that resumed barely three to four weeks ago . Rumours have it that, the management took the action in the anticipation that Union leaders will mobilize the entire student body to disrupt the coronation and convocation ceremonies scheduled to hold much later to press home their demands for a better learning environment.
About two days ago, the OAU management had announced the closure of every academic activities on campus and ordered the students to leave the campus. A semester that resumed barely three to four weeks ago . Rumours have it that, the management took the action in the anticipation that Union leaders will mobilize the entire student body to disrupt the coronation and convocation ceremonies scheduled to hold much later to press home their demands for a better learning environment.
In a swift reaction, the student union body replied with a letter to the management of the school, the draft of the letter reads..
FROM THE UNION
DRAFT OF A LETTER TO THE AUTHORITIES ON CLOSURE
Information of a probable closure of the university reached the leadership of the students' union on Tuesday, 1st December 2015. The leadership as well as members of the congress of Great ife students union are worried and surprised by this closure because we believe nothing has warranted the closure of the University under whatever guise.
Information reaching us also indicates that the closure of the university is going to be predicted on the speculation of the authorities that the union intends to disrupt convocation and coronation ceremonies. This is no more than sheer speculation and figment of imagination of whoever concocted the rumour. Please recall that the congress of our union only resolved to embark on a day lecture boycott which has been effected and to subsequently engage the authorities in discussion on horrendous state of living and learning conditions.
It is the believe of the leadership that the authorities should not put students lives at risk because of a rumour that has no basis in reality.The University should recall that a similar closure of the University in July 15 led to the death of more than two of our colleagues who were victims of fatal auto crashes.We have no doubt that closure of the University under whatever guise may be accompanied by fatal consequences.
Although as a union, we will always engage and take up the authorities on matters relating the interest and democratic rights of our members and intact, seize constitutional, moral and democratic means to achieve these aims but we are not miscreants or hoodlums who will resort to unwarranted actions.
We wish to state in clear terms that our Union has never intended or resolved to carry out any of such activities as disruption of convocation and coronation ceremonies. We do intend to make this clarification for record and historical purposes and we also intend to make copies of this letter available to our congress.
Thank you.
Omotayo Akande Oluwaseun Oketooto
President Secretary-General
This was a response to the closure of the school, little did the Union leaders knew that it was just the tip of the ice-berg until the school management dropped the bomb she'll.
Themmy's had a chat with a departmental representative to the Student Representative Council, SRC and he gave his account of the agitation of the student union government on behalf of the general student body.
The student union government has however issued a bulletin on the announcement of the indefinite suspension of all union activities, read their submission here.
This was a response to the closure of the school, little did the Union leaders knew that it was just the tip of the ice-berg until the school management dropped the bomb she'll.
Themmy's had a chat with a departmental representative to the Student Representative Council, SRC and he gave his account of the agitation of the student union government on behalf of the general student body.
Themmy's : Hello sir, can you please give us a detailed reason for the students agitation that led to the closure of the school.
SRC member : Let me first correct the impression that our agitation led to the closure of the school, I believe as a student body we have a right to complain if we believe our collective interest as regards being educated under conducive environment is threatened. I believe it's not an understatement to say that Nigerian students learn under the unbearable conditions generally, so if this accepted conditions begins to get worse than we already have, then common sense expects us to cry out.
Themmy's : So what exactly is the genesis of this struggle or agitation as it were.
SRC member : We resumed 2nd semester (rain semester) on the 8th of November. Ever since resumption the condition of light and water supply has been very poor Water gets supplied early in the morning around 5am, stops around 8am - 8:30pm. In the evening water gets supplied for 4hrs,starting from 7-11pm, Students would either wait on a very long queue to get water and miss early morning classes or go early to classes without having their bath
The water supplied is in no good state for cooking.. It's coloured and very dirty. Light has similar routine also, the condition of the hostels are very poor too - most of the floors in each block has minimum of 10 rooms, with each room having 6 legal occupants to share bathroom and toilets with, 4 toilets and bathroom on each floor, but the toilets are never in good condition.
The management always claim it is as a result of over population of students on campus, that it is because the numbers of squatters in each room is more than the number of legal occupants in the room yet they keep admitting more than hostels can contain.
The last set of students the school gave admission was 6406 which was against the normal policy which was to admit 5000 new students each session. Bedspaces will be allocated to new students and final year students alone. If 5000 were normally given admission and yet resources weren't enough to cater for their welfare condition, how will admitting additional 1406 students help the situation.
Most of the toilets are damaged, the ones not damaged are messed up due to poor supply of water. The hostel walls are cracking, no maintenance has been done for a very long time.
All this and more... The Student Union and generality of OAU students are not happy with this more so, after the management increased the school fees last session and the welfare condition keeps deteriorating.
We the students had seen the coming convocation and coronation ceremony of the new Ooni of Ife has opportunity to express our grievances knowing that the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari and Queen Elizabeth of England will be special guests at the ceremony. Exposing the OAU management to world on how they've reduced the welfare condition of the students to nothing more than what even could kill animals.
To show commitment to our words, there was a lecture boycott on Monday, 30th of December 2015, where movement was restricted.. It was a peaceful protest.
The following day there was meant to be no protest because if the protest should continue and last for 72hours, it will result to shutting down of the school but to the surprise of the students, the management went to the media, posting to the media that the school is going on a mid semester break indefinitely and has given the students till 12noon on Tuesday, 1st of December 2015, to vacate the school premises.
We saw this on Vanguard late on Monday night, 30th of November and the students decided to hold a Congress the following morning on whether to go home or not. The decision was not to go home, because there was no ground for the management to shut down the school or give us a compulsory mid semester break when we just resumed 1st of November, 2015
On hearing this, the management threatened to send in the Mobile Police to forcefully send students away from hostels, yet we refused to go and then finally shutting down water from OAU dam and also electricity supply to the halls of residence.
The student union government has however issued a bulletin on the announcement of the indefinite suspension of all union activities, read their submission here.
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