"stability, freedom, dignity... If I were to choose two from the three, I would remove stability" -own quote.
I have a conviction steming from history; that if an idea is not halted by popular demand, it will grow and empower the evil ones.
1971-
University of Ibadan (February 1), Kunle Adepeju was shot in the head by a trigger happy Police officer without giving warning signals before shooting. He died on the spot. He didn't commit any crime other than exercising his constitutional/democratic right to protest. He was trying to help another student who had been shot in the leg when the bullet hit his head. He died with all the resources wasted. Just like that. After this incidence a Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice Kazeem was constituted by General Yakubu Gowon (the then military Head of State). Part of the recommendation of the Commission was that life ammunition should not be used again to quel student protests. The Government in its comments rejected this and held that the use of fire-arms was fully justified in the circumstances even though it led to the death of Kunle Adepeju. Professor Lambo was asked to resign and that was all that happened. And it became clear the kind of world in which we live -among wicked people (who dominate the high places of this world).
However, it only started with Kunle Adepeju, it didn't end with him.
1978-
University of Lagos (Tuesday, April 18), Ojo Akintunde was shot in the leg and died on his way to the hospital. This led to worse confrontation between students and law enforcement agents in ABU, Zaria which resulted in the death of four people. The senseless killing of 5 students led to much hues and cries and the Military Government led by General Olusegun Obasanjo set up the Mohammed Commission of Inquiry to investigate the causes of the death. From investigation into the incidence facts revealed that three people were shot in the leg. But in absolving the Police the Government insisted that only one shot was fired. The question that begs for an answer since then is whether or not bullets are saucers that fly around that only one bullet will hit three people in the leg. Even though the Commission did it's job, the report never saw the light of the day. The Government only commented on it and that's all. Though the report repeated the Justice Kazeem Commission of Inquiry of 1971, the Government rejected it again. Another oppurtunity to infuse sanity into the Nigerian Police Force was missed. Two incidences, two Commissions of Inquiry but that was not the end.
1981-
Two people were killed -a student and a non student. For months students had protested against the bad condition of the University's cafeteria and the next thing was to call the Anti Riot Police who shot a student but the students, reportedly, retaliated and also killed a Police officer who was part of the band of hoodlums in Police uniforms.
1986-
ABU Zaria (Thursday, May 22), students had protested against the "unjust" punishment of the SU President, Mathias Yohanna and the PRO had been punished by expulsion and rustication respectively by the naturally born sadist Prof Ango Abdullahi who was the VC through the Senate. The VC invited Anti Riot Police officers to quell the peaceful protest. Several students were either killed or wounded. As the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) ABU branch later wrote:
"What happened on the Main Campus was not a confrontation between rioting students and the police, but an attack on a peaceful and largely unsuspecting students by a brutal police force with students running away to escape being shot, tear-gassed or beaten mercilessly."
The VC would later comment on NTA Network News on Sunday, 5 May 1986, while smiling, he said "only four died... All is calm now." A provocative statement from a member of the global academia. History revealed to us that Ango Abdullahi is one of the most remarkably irresponsible persons in the world. It was like students were ants to him. The Military Government under General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, after a series of hostile reactions from other students around Nigeria and call for a high powered Commission of Inquiry, constituted the Abisoye Panel. The panel was headed by Retired Major-General Emmanuel Abisoye as chairman. Nothing happened. The first, the second and the third. Only that the VC was asked to resign.
1987-2016
(April 25, 1987) Knowing that the Military Government was fond of deceiving the people, University of Ibadan students trouped out in a peaceful demonstration and forced the Government to recind from its attempt to implement the report of Akanbi Panel. The report had recommended that students activists should be expelled..
In 2016 alone more than 10 students have been killed by State induced means. Port Harcourt, Polytechnic Ibadan and now The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. For years, students of FUNAAB have been suffering from lack of halls of residence to accommodate students. Before the Students' Union of the school was proscribed, there were pleas that the Federal Government should intervene in the situation but we all know is that the Government doesn't understand the language of pleas. The SU President then led the students out on a peaceful rally to call the attention of the Federal Government to the situation of the school. In lieu of the proper response to the situation of the University, partisan politics set in and the Students' Union was proscribed for a long period. Recently, the lives of students have been endangered by incessant armed robbery. Not living on campus had exposed the lives of about 80 percent of the students to danger. The VC has been reportedly negligent of his duties. Students, now finding themselves between the devil and the sea, responded angrily. Men of the Nigerian Police Force attacked the reportedly harmless students with life ammunition killing one. As reported, the VC has been nabbed by the EFCC Police Unit.
THE ISSUES (in no particular order).
>For about 46 years the recommendation of the Justice Kazeem Commission of Inquiry has been consistently confirming that the use of fire-arms during student protests should stop. Nothing has justified, justifies and will ever justify the killing of students exercising their rights as human beings by protesting -howbeit poorly planned it is. It is just too gruesome and unacceptable. I do read about much more violent student protests in advanced capitalist countries including Great Britain. This is the manifestation of a legacy of tyranny left us by military rule.
>The case of the use of fire-arms during the quelling of protests should be dealt with without repentance. We fought to have democracy and we must enjoy it to the fullest. We now vote to have leaders and as such the government does not have the right to impose "what it thinks" on us. Policies must be derived from the people.
>The Federal Government (through the National Assembly) must enact the 46 year-old recommendation that fire-arms should not be used to disperse protests.
>The moribund National Association of Nigerian Students must be compelled to make a public statement denouncing the barbaric act.
>Component units of the National Association of Nigerian Students such as the University of Ibadan Students' Union should call for a Senate meeting and make a report that will contain the mandate to implement the report of the Justice Kazeem Commission of Inquiry -in a more modern way if found to be too old.
>Students' Union Presidents around Nigeria must see this as the utmost of their duties to students under their leadership -protection of their constitutional/democratic rights.
>The VC of the University in question must be charged to court and imprisoned for his financial crimes -if any is found.
>The Education Trust Fund (ETF) must build new halls of residence in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions or the Ministry of Education should convert them to National Open Universities operating distant learning programs if the job will be too heavy in terms of finance.
>The Governor of Ogun State should pay a courtesy visit to the family of the bereaved and proportional compensation must be paid to them.
>The wounded student should be given the adequate treatment for free and must be compensated.
>The Nigerian Police Force must apologize for the misdeed.
>26 per cent of the Nigerian annual budget must, according to UNESCO recommendation, be spent on the revival of education in Nigeria.
>We better take this issue seriously as if our lives depend on it... It does anyway. Why? When bullets fly around, it doesn't look for the innocent.
By Ojo Aderemi,
Member, University of Ibadan Students' Union
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