By Henry Oduah
Special Correspondent, Lagos
Nigeria’s oldest university, the University of Ibadan (UI), joined the list of federal institutions shut down after students’ unrest, even though the protest was peaceful.
UI Vice Chancellor, Professor Idowu Olayinka, directed students to vacate their halls of residence after they demonstrated against poor power and water supply in their hostels.
OSUSTECH, AAU
Lives were lost in agitations at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) and Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH), Okitipupa.
Another school owned by Ondo State, Adekunle Ajasin University (AAU), Akungba-Akoko, has also been closed.
There, students protested as one of them was hit by a motorcycle taxi. Indigenes of the town joined the fracas; it escalated, and led to the closure.
OSUSTECH students protested the death of a student as a result of poor infrastructure.
A student, Ife Olasanmi, told TheNiche that “we took our friend who had an emergency situation to the university hospital and unfortunately their facilities were inadequate.
“They referred us to the general hospital. But there was no fuel in the ambulance to take us there. That was how our friend died in the process.”
UNIPORT, OAU
Within a week, two federal tertiary institutions – the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and UNIPORT – were closed down because of students’ protests over unstable electricity and water supply.
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) also suffered the same fate as students protested over poor welfare and treatment.
A grouse over increased tuition fee was added in the case of UNIPORT.
UNIPORT Deputy Registrar (Information), Williams Wodi, confirmed in a text message to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “Senate has shut down the University of Port Harcourt with immediate effect.
“All students are hereby directed to vacate their hostel accommodation … while the students’ union and all its affiliates’ bodies are suspended with immediate effect.”
Protests got violent and Wodi’s office was allegedly destroyed alongside the faculty of science building.
The students also demanded the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari whom they described as insensitive to the hardship of Nigerians over lingering fuel crisis, power outage, and continuous rise in food prices.
TheNiche learnt that the police raided the institution and arrested several students. The Faculty President of the Management Science Students, Peter Ofurum, was reportedly shot dead by the police.
Occupy Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), demanded the suspension of UNIPORT Vice Chancellor, Professor Ndowa Laale.
UNILAG
UNILAG students blocked strategic locations on campus, including the entrance of the Senate Building and Assembly Hall, where the Vice Chancellor, Professor Rahman Bello, was attending a function.
Things got messy and the Senate swiftly suspended academic activities, saying it “considered the situation on campus occasioned by the ongoing agitation of the student body over poor electricity and water supply in the community, and the difficulty faced by a large number of students living off campus to attend classes as a result of the fuel crisis.
“Senate noted that the problem of poor municipal services is a national issue that governments at both state and federal levels are addressing.
“However, in order to forestall a further breakdown of law and order on campus, Senate resolved to take the following decisions until the situation normalises.
“All academic activities on campus are hereby suspended with immediate effect. The university is therefore closed with immediate effect.”
The school authority dissolved the students’ union and asked every student to sign an undertaking and submit parents’ indemnity forms before they would be allowed to return to school.
Three days after UNILAG was closed, UNIPORT announced its closure as students vented disapproval of the increase in tuition fee.
An economics student at UNILAG, Paul Sewah, who lives outside campus, confirmed that “normal activities have [now] resumed on campus. Although lectures have ended because as from Monday (tomorrow, May 9) exam begins.”
He added that transport fare from his residence to campus has returned to normal. “I used to pay N500 or more to and fro school because of the fuel scarcity, now I pay N300 which is the normal amount.”
UNN
However, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), another federal institution, has been enjoying serenity though power and water supply is average.
Patricia Odia, a student of English and literary studies, confirmed that electricity and water supply on campus remains normal.
“Our major challenge here in school is the increase in the transport cost of campus shuttles.
“We used to pay N60 to any part of the university, now it’s N70. We don’t have a choice but to pay as the problem is nationwide,” she said.
Adamu to step in
The upsurge in the suspension of scholarly activities raises concern and requires intervention. Most universities affected are owned by the federal government.
Before the appointment of Adamu Adamu as education minister in November last year, the ministry had convened to address the crisis in public universities; now is the time for another urgent intervention.