Toba Adedeji
The Students Union Government, SUG, of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, has called for the reinstatement of six suspended Executives.
Addressing a press conference at the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Correspondents’ Chapel, the Union President, Ibukun Oyekan, said the suspended students did not commit any criminal offences as claimed by the school management.
He said we demand the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of some recently suspended students adding that all the vandalization claims of the school management were all cooked up lies.
In Ibukun’s address, he said, “The leadership of Obafemi Awolowo University Students’ Union and the entire students of the University hereby use this medium to vehemently condemn the illegal and unjustifiable suspension of four undergraduate and two postgraduate students respectively of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife by the University Management.
“We use this medium to debunk lies and subterfuges that have been made against our members. It must be clearly asserted at this point in time that students only embarked on a peaceful protest and what followed was their indefinite suspension from the University.
“On the foregoing, the Union hereby demand the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of both undergraduate and postgraduate students that were suspended by the Management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
“We demand an end to era of victimization of students activists on campus on account of expression of their grievances and dissatisfaction over the current state of Obafemi Awolowo University campus
“We demand the University Management call the leadership of Postgraduate Hall as well as Great Ife Students’ Union to a roundtable discussion which must lead to quick, immediate and unconditional reinstatement of students on suspension among other issues.
“We demand the University Management to be more committed to facilitating a holistic improvement in the general welfare conditions of students on campus by ensuring stable supply of water and electricity on campus, standardisation of our laboratories and equipment of the University library with updated books, as well as renovation of existing halls of residence and construction of new ones to decongest the population of students living off campus which is characterized by a very poor security network”.