22nd August, 2014
Akintola Lukman
Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun state, have blamed their Students’ Union leaders for embarking on a needless and ineffective protest which led to the close down of the school.
This is coming following the school management’s directive that all academic activities should resume on 24 August at the institution’s main campus in Ife .
The students described the prolonged shut down of academic activities on the campus as a waste of time as the protest by the SUG to persuade the school management to revert the school fees to the old fees failed.
Eniola Kehinde, a 300-level student of International Relations Department, who expressed joy over the resumption, stated that although the SUG tried to influence the university management’s decision, their approach to the situation was outrageous.
“Sincerely, I am happy that we will resume on Sunday. I must state clearly that our union leaders tried their best for the payment to be reduced but their actions were too outrageous which made them lose the support of many students.
“Ironically, almost all the students have paid their school fees before now,which made everything they did look like a waste of time,” she said.
She, therefore, urged OAU management to efficiently utilize the funds in rehabilitating the school hostels and lecture theatres among other facilities provided for a conducive learning environment.
“The management has refused to hear our plea. If that is the case, they should kindly spend the fund appropriately by rehabilitating the hostels, lecture rooms, provide clean water and uninterrupted power supply. All of these will make life easy for the students,” Kehinde urged.
Speaking also on the failed attempt by the SUG to revert the school fees to the old amount was young Anuoluwapo from the Accounting department.
He stated that, “if the students had not supported the cause of the union leaders, they would have described them as traitors.
“But of what use is the support that we gave them which did not yield positive result? I am personally disappointed but there is a little we can do about it”.
Speaking on the protest was Amoo Baliqis, a 200-level student of Public Administration, who implored the school management to stop threatening the students with shutting down school as they could adopt other means to settle issues amicably.
“I will urge the school management to always adopt other means of settling issues than closing down the school. Protesting against what we perceived to be unfair is not wrong, but all they have to do is to settle issues amicably,” she said.