UNILAG: Protesters deny stealing phones, turning violent
Protesters who besieged the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Thursday, were accused of being “violent” and “snatching people’s phones”.
The protest was staged by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the Alliance of Nigerian Students against Neoliberal Attacks (ANSA), members of the suspended UNILAG student union (ULSU) and other Nigerians sympathetic to “the struggle”.
UNILAG rusticated 11 students for criticising the school over the way it handled a student unrest in April. The management also banned ULSU.
Protesters demand both decisions be reversed. They also want Vice Chancellor Prof. Rahman Bello to resign.
A student told NewsroomNG Thursday’s demonstration was “scary” as protesters were “snatching phones”.
ANSA convener Wole Engels say the claims are untrue.
“Irrespective of what the ‘press’ says happened at UNILAG today, today’s actions show that victory can be quicker than we imagine,” he said.
UNILAG graduates who spoke with our correspondent accused protesting students of “going about this the wrong way” and “blowing their last chance of ever having a student union government”.
Femi Adeyeye, one of the rusticated student, got a message for those “anti-struggle” graduates.
“Those saying we don’t deserve the student union coming back are either not informed or are part of the rot in the system,” he told NewsroomNG.
WATCH: Protesters storm UNILAG
“I would say they should be problem solvers not part of the problem to be solved. We have done everything possible within civility to persuade UNILAG management but they are proving adamant.
“We would continue to be law-abiding students even after being rusticated,” he said.
Engels said Thursday’s protest was both successful and emotional.
“I saw a lady fighting tears when Femi (Adeyeye) was speaking,” he said.
The students say they’re ready for October 1 massive march to demand justice for colleagues who “are being victimised across Nigerian varsities.” They’re rallying at least one million youth for the Independence Day showdown.
“UNILAG is not the only campus where this reign of impunity exists,” ANSA said in a statement.
“Running to two years now, the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) student union body was banned by a university management led by Professor Tale Omole, whose tenure was rocked by unending allegations of financial improprieties.
“Over the past 5 years, OAU authorities have viciously maintained a record of suspending 13 students at different points for political reasons or for holding dissenting views.
“Olawale Owolabi is a victim of this ignominious trend, and has had his admission process terminated since 2011; the Vice-Chancellor that ordered his victimisation is the current Secretary General of Committee of Vice-Chancellors, while Olawale hold on to nothing because of his participation in a students’ protest of Feb 2011 in OAU.
“We know 25 students of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko are currently under rustication order, foisted on them by the AAUA authorities.
“It has become a common practice of authorities of tertiary institutions to suspend both union and student’ activists in order to quell incessant protests of students against increasingly grim conditions on campuses.
“ANSA finds this current tradition of quelling legitimate protest with threat of victimisation as abhorrent, and grossly ineffective as it has failed to remove the causes of students’ protests or end it.”
UNILAG management said Adeyeye was rusticated for four semesters after breaking the school’s code regarding students’ conduct on social media.
