It’s return of active student unionism on campuses
March 25, 2014 by Sodiq Oyeleke
OAU gate
| credits: Nairaland
| credits: Nairaland
Active student unionism is gradually returning to the nation’s tertiary institutions, SODIQ OYELEKE writes
Following the return of normal academic
activities to the nation’s public universities after the long Academic
Staff Union of Universities strike, other social activities are also
taking off in full swing in many of them.
Besides the completion of the 2012/2013
academic session and the admission of fresh students for the 2013/2014
session, student politics is also on the upswing in many of the schools.
Just name them: from the Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Ladoke Akintola University of
Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti,
Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State to the Lagos State
University, Ojo, it has been a season of student union activism and
elections.
Particularly at the OAU, student unionism
banned in the institution in 2011 has come alive again. Authorities of
the university have not only lifted the ban, they have also constituted
an electoral commission to supervise the planned students’ election.
The then acceptance fee regime of N20,000
for fresh students and the subsequent protest paralysed academic
activities in the school for three months and resulted in the banning of
the student body.
The acting Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr. Lateefah Durosimi, who spoke to our correspondent, confirmed the lifting of the ban.
According to Durosimi, the electoral
commission led by Alabi Abeeb has the responsibility to fashion out
modalities for the conduct of election.
Abeeb, who also lauded the authorities for lifting the ban, urged his colleagues to gear up for the exercise.
Abeeb said, “Fellow Great Ife students, I
am pleased to inform you that the management has lifted the ban on our
union. We will be holding our election soon. If you have interest to
contest for any post, now you can start you preparations.”
Similarly, the Chairman, National
Association of Nigerian Students, Osun State chapter, Awowole Samuel,
hailed the decision to resuscitate active student unionism in the
university, saying it is long overdue.
A part-four law student of OAU, Ibikunle
Isaac, also commended the authorities for lifting the ban and urged
students to vote wisely during the elections.
He said, “The three-year proscription was
unjust and undemocratic. Now that student unionism is back on campus,
it is victory for the students and democracy.
“It is strongly advised that conscious
and experienced unionists should be enthroned into the union leadership
for the sake of progressive and productive unionism.”
But just as OAU students celebrate the
return of unionism to their school, their counterparts at the Ladoke
Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, have already elected new
officials to lead them in the next one year.
The elections, which came after a series
of postponement, held simultaneously at the university’s six faculties
in Ogbomoso and at its College of Health Sciences in Osogbo. The conduct
of the polls was via the Optical Character Reader, which counted the
votes.
Areo Ajibola of the Department of
Agricultural Economics emerged as the newly elected Student Union
Government President. He garnered 2,321 votes, defeating his opponents,
Oke Oluwaseun, who got 1,605 votes. The other candidates, Idogbe Adewale
scored 181 votes; Lawal Kehinde, 77 votes, and Egunyomi Olusola, 42
votes.
Oyewole Nike emerged as the
Vice-President 1; Bello Fatima, VP 11; Adewole Hafiz, General Secretary;
Olofinhaka Raphael, Assistant General Secretary; Elegbeleye Sylvester,
Financial Secretary, and Ajibola Zakariyyah, Public Relations Officer,
among others.
For OOU, it is also a timely SUG
elections season. With Ifade Gbenga emerging as the President and
Abimbola Ogunbiyi as the Vice-President 1, the students are looking
forward to having a fresh verve in student activism in the university.
Students of the school also elected
Olayori Ebenezer, (General Secretary); Awobotu Charles, (Welfare
Director); Bamgbopa Olawale, (PRO); Feranmi Ayoola, (Assist General
Secretary).
At the University of Port-Harcourt,
Rivers State, a 200-level Computer Science student, Felix Kingsley
emerged as the SUG President for the 2013/2014 academic session.
Kingsley defeated five other candidates.
Like OAU, students of the Ekiti State
University also elected new leadership after a three-year ban of
activism in the institution. They elected Ibitola Victor as the
President, while Kadri Olawale, emerged as the General Secretary.
Meanwhile, a Student Representative
Council has been inaugurated at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism,
Ogba, Lagos. This is coming about 33 years after the founding of the
institute.
http://www.punchng.com/education/its-return-of-active-student-unionism-on-campuses/
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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