AN OPEN LETTER TO PROFESSOR ABEL IDOWU OLAYINKA; VICE CHANCELLOR UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
It is with utmost sense of humble submission and astute criticism that I submit my observations to you as regards the state of your leadership in relation with the students’ folk especially rising from your tragicomedy media chat.
The Rustication:
You said that the rusticated student has right to protest under the constitution of Nigeria and that He didn’t deny participating in the peaceful protest.
However you contradicted the assertion by saying that the panel gave him 2 semesters but the governing council reduced it to 1 with the opportunity for him to appeal. I want to ask sir, what should he appeal for?
He should appeal for being unjustly sanctioned for exercising his right as a Nigerian? A lot of protests has been staged since your assumption of office; especially the NASU strike where they disrupted a major academic event and a whole academic week program but till now we are still yet to hear that a member of NASU has been suspended from work. Sir, let’s call a spade a spade; injustice is a deliberate attempt at reducing the livelihood of humanity.
The rustication has no basis irrespective of whatever regulations of the University, Nigerian constitution supersedes.
The Closure of School:
It is highly unfortunate that following the reaction of the frustrated students of the University of Ibadan; we have to suffer for it this way.
I still don’t know what joy the school derives in putting an indefinite end to academic activities without deliberating on actions that will end the break soon. Indeed, I am not surprised.
You said Students are the ones on break because all other entities are functioning; that they render no service to the University hence they are not on strike. In fact you said academic activities are still on because lecturers are thinking.
Sir, I beg to ask from my own point of observation if at all our school name still remains ‘University’ of Ibadan. If so; it means the thousands of students of this school are the essence of the need for other entities to function. University is a citadel of learning and learning is a social contract between two entities; a teacher and a student.
Therefore studentship is a great service to the university community and the bedrock on which all other services are rested. If we are on break and you claim other entities are functioning; I wonder what purpose they are fulfilling if it’s not geared towards our studentship. For the thinking lecturers, I think Federal Government may need to review the essence of their salaries if it is for research or for lecturing.
If it is for lecturing and we have not been on sessional break, their salaries need to be put on hold. If it is on research, we may not need you to be V.C anymore as well as all other principal officers; in fact the name of the institution may be changed to a research institute and our lecturers cum researchers being paid on research salary scale.
Comparison with Professor Adewole:
Out of all you said in the media chat, this caught my attention most as it marks the height of your desperation to lash angrily back at us and show your I don’t care attitude. What you have forgotten sir;
Adewole will not refuse to talk to us while our agitation was on. Alaran Mayowa’s case was a typical example; the then V.C came to address us at JAJA in the heat of our agitation.
Adewole would not declare that we go home in just duration of less than an hour with the threat to do ‘whatever’ to any student found on campus. When I heard the ‘order of baton’; I could not but help laughing in my mother tongue while trying to wake out of bed that afternoon.
Adewole would not allow any of his cabinet to make himself a weapon of media confusion in a quest to save the face of his management. What the University P.R.O has done during the whole process was a reflection of the misfortune that has befallen the intellectual dignity of this renowned institution.
Coming on facebook to insult students and downloading his post on an ordinary white and black print to represent an order from the school management; which anyone could have done in SUB, is an academic eye saw.
In fact, sitting within the comforts of his armchair to regard Zikites and Katangites as ‘some elements’ is a derogatory act not befitting his official status; what was that aimed at? Now going all out to feed the media with all sort of untrue stories about the whole saga which the whole world already knew about is a bad omen!
Adewole will not say; ‘What is my business’. This is the school where you are a current Number one General Sir. Everything here is your business; whether it is internally or externally influenced. UISU is your business, NANS is your business, and all of us are your business.
Our actions or inactions have a direct or indirect influence on your administration (like the one you are experiencing now).
P.T.A and ARREST:
It is a total derailment from diplomatic approach in bringing lasting solutions to precarious issues like this. You are not a political scientist indeed but administrative skills are not a matter of professional field for the office you are currently holding.
You have failed to push for the announcement of the resolution of the governing council ever since and the next thing to do is to call for a kangaroo P.T.A meeting.
You wanted our parents to come and be deceived into agreeing with your conditions based on the fact that their children’s time is wasting while shielding the fact that we are better off if we eschew the process that screw us and produce us as academic invalid and dumb brute.
Now, you heard we want to meet on our end; the next thing is to arrest us. Victimization is an attempt to kill our spirits but we will not die. Arresting our brothers is nothing compared to our undying quest.
How many more students will you arrest before bringing their parents to come and hold a meeting with you? We may not win this sir, but we can’t be vanquished. In this fight, nobody owns the conquest except us; it is only a matter of time and end result which can be sooner or later.
You can avail yourself of posterity and make things right soon.
Wish you a blissful tenure Mr. Vice Chancellor sir. God bless us.
Forwarded as received from a concerned Uite
Tags:
Articles
