(… Perhaps the Student Union has forgotten its role: for studentship sake do not despise the management, nevertheless, do not contribute to the repression…)

A consolatory belief, in Nigeria, that most Nigerians believe is that the country is so blessed. Aside this “blessings” in Africa and Nigeria by extension, of which these “blessings” refer to minerals and natural deposits, what other things can Africans and Nigerians boast of Africa and Nigeria? One of the biggest “blessings” in Nigeria, for example now, will be crude oil, right? It is interestingly funny how this crude oil has become the subject and topics of essays and essay competitions, and debates, and talk shows, on if this crude oil (the supposed blessing) is a blessing indeed or a curse. Perhaps, the reality of the matter is just that, Nigeria possess everything any country needs to become a world power, and if not interested in becoming a world power, become a formidable economic behemoth. If one is to exaggerate correctly, Nigeria possesses all existing natural resources and mineral resources that exist on earth, that is to say of a truth, the country is rich in natural deposits. However, the country is bedevilled by mysterious-looking problems. Because, how does one explain the extent of mindlessness the Nigerian government exhibits on a daily basis. For example, the federal government can release educational loans to the tune of billions but finds it difficult to do what is necessary to improve the education sector of the country, and rather finds it more convenient to spend billions of naira on pilgrimage subsidies. That simply points out to the fact that the money is there, and the potential to make more or generate these funds for the academic sector abounds still. But they only find it proper to give out these funds as loans to students. It is in blessed Nigerian country that the government would rather distribute palliatives to ghosts rather than improve the economy, and come out to boast that have they not shared or distributed palliatives and relief materials to Nigerians? Student grants still remain an alienistic idea in the country, or a myth at best.

Now, coming down narrower to the University of Ibadan, the student populace, the students’ wellbeing and how palatable life has been for them so far, and the state of the Student Union. During the last Congress held at the University of Ibadan, students came out to discuss matters of great concern to them as students, of which the seriousness of the matter focused on, is to the extent of consequential effect on the continual studentship of an average University of Ibadan student. The matter of school fees is yet to be resolved. Since the second semester of the last session, when the school fees for the newly admitted 100-level students were admitted, the student populace was taken aback by the astronomical increment in fees for the 100-level students. Ever since then, the University of Ibadan Student Union Executive Council has swung into action of negotiation with the school management. However, negotiations with the management till the end of that semester were futile. The increment in fees for the 100-level students only meant one implication, every other fee in the university will rise expectedly. If students of the University of Ibadan can recall the incident around fees issues last session, it will be confirmed that there was an increase in fees. To make matters worse, there were unjust and seemingly uncountable extra charges students incurred because of just being a student of the University of Ibadan, which the lab/studio/(museum) fee imposed on students was mostly fought against. It was funny how students of the Faculty of Arts were mandated to pay a studio fee. To get things straight and place things in proper perspective, the introduction of these lab/studio fee payments in itself might not be a bad initiative, however, there has to be something to show for these fees the school management arbitrarily imposes on the student populace, from time to time.

 Still, on the matter, one thing that should be clear is this, the University of Ibadan is a government-owned institution, to put it as it is, it is a public institution, and for the case of the University of Ibadan itself, it is a publicly and collectively owned institution. To foreground this, although not common knowledge, or better still, not something readily known is that, as a matter of truth, the University of Ibadan cannot boast of the purchase of the land it sits on. Most of this land the University now lays claim to for its main campus was relinquished to the development of the public for a greater cause, for the betterment of mankind, on goodwill. Hence, by extension, the management of the school ought to always take into consideration this goodwill, and is supposed to align its goal and aim to that of the landlords of the land it sits on, who have relinquished hold on these lands for the good use in developing the general public. But at this point, can it still be said that the school management is not beginning to close its teeth on the fingers that have fed it, and still feeding it? Being a public institution, it means the child of the common man, can have access to quality education. 

In fact, the issue and matter of quality education has been debated for a while. Some believe that quality education is costly, there is a popular saying, whose authorship is debated either to be that of Derek Bok or Ann Lander (the pseudo name for Eppi Lederer), the former being a former President of Harvard University which is, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”. There is no argument or debate, or even logic that will ever justify the commercialisation of education in the country called Nigeria, let alone of privatisation. That the public sectors are being commercialised is not a good omen in itself, not to mention trying to advance a privatisation move of the education sector in the country. Especially for a country like Nigeria, it will never be right for the child of the common man who can barely afford all necessities, not to be able to get educated freely up to the degree level. The first attempt on free education scheme in Nigeria was beyond just theoretical assertions or wishes and desires of just one man, it was a scheme that touched the sky of success, and this was when Nigeria was dependent on cocoa as a national natural resource.

Now there is crude oil, the revenue-generating ability has risen astronomically. Any intelligent explanation of why free education can not be possible in Nigeria or feasible, are well-founded lies and hideous propaganda. The fact that a person thinks no matter the cost of education, he/she can strive to achieve that for their ward or children, hence, if the common man can not send his children to school, is not much of a concern, questions the reality of, whether there will ever be a country called Nigeria, because at best, Nigeria remains a sound Ideology. If the management of the university is beginning to play to this, the Student Union ought to stand in the gap, to remind the school’s management about the University of Ibadan’s obligation to make quality education as affordable as to give a chance to the child of the commonest of man in the country. It is pointless to compare Nigeria to other countries in terms of how their educational system has been functional almost completely independent of their government.

Now, from the previous administration of the UI’SU, the school management got away with the introduction of lab/studio fees. Student of English do not have a studio or a lab, and have never been to one, at least the 2020/2021 set is yet to see any, and neither did their seniors ever mention it to them. At least understandable for those in the sciences and technology, even when the reality of some of these things in some departments there are solid myths. What explanation is given to Law, Economics, Social-Sciences, Classic, Education with arts courses, Philosophy students, and students in other departments where these things are sound myths? Yet students paid this fee, while there is a Student Union at the University of Ibadan. There are a myriad of issues to be addressed in students’ Hall of Residence, the complaints and murmurs only keep piling up as the experience becomes more excruciating. There have been serious allegations against the conduct of cafeterias on campus, in terms of hygiene and how students are being responded to, remember the break out of cholera at the beginning of the semester? Yet there is a Student Union in the University of Ibadan. The best thing the Student Union can do is to sit on students’ funds like partridges sitting on eggs of other birds, drafting how best students’ dues can be uselessly wasted. A member of the Executive Council once requested the approval of ₦1M budget for airtime here in this school (you can catch up on the report here). Useless parties and jamborees that gulp funds in their millions cumulatively, would rather be organised than for these funds to be channelled to the contribution of the making life easier for students on campus. The toilets and lighting at the Student Union Building is a full story for another day.

Still on the matter, on July 17, 2024, a protest broke out as students felt pushed to the wall concerning living conditions on campus, which particularly was the attempt to ration electricity supply on campus. The momentum gathered was adequately used to press home to the management of other areas of concern, the school fees being the most paramount of all. The protest started hours before the Student Union Executive Council decided to hypocritically accentuate the protest literally apparently utterly out of no options. It can be argued that the basis on which the Executive Council accentuated the protest was because they feared the consequent reactions of students towards their cherished decorated membership of the Executive Council of the University of Ibadan’s Student Union. If that had not been the case, one could place a highly staked bet that they would remain passive, maintain their normal evasiveness, and win the bet. However, the protest had its upsides and revealed other downsides, exposing a lot of problems within the Student Union.

So, in a school where there is a Student Union body overseen by an Executive Council, students came out to protest with their faces covered, a faceless protest, in a school where lecturers orientate students how they are global citizens, and categorically emphasise the fact that, their competitors are not OAU (Obafemi Awolowo Uniersity) students, or UNILAG (University of Lagos) students or even CU (Convenant University, Otta) students, it can not be said that these lecturers are only bamboozling students. If they triumph here at the degree level, they get scholarships to other countries for higher advanced learning (MSc and the likes), yet the home they left only goes from retrogression to retrogression, what validity is in whatever these lecturers’ orientation might be? More than half of the students at the University of Ibadan do not know that the Student Union has a binding constitution. More than half of the students in the University of Ibadan do not know and by further implications lack the understanding of what the Student Union is. More than half of the students at the University of Ibadan, do not realise that the routine and ritualistic annual UI’SU elections is actually meant to install Executive members who will serve as representatives for them, and also preside over the funds generated from their fees. More than half of the students of the University of Ibadan, do not know and by further implications lack the understanding of what a Congress is. If not, what would have given the President of the University of Ibadan’s Student Union, Bolaji Aweda, the sense of impunity to evade a Congress, and further attempt to dodge the hold of a Congress?

A lot has been said in this piece, and there is still a lot more to be said that can not be contained in this one piece. From Akeju’s administration to Mascot’s administration, to Host’s administration, and now Oloye’s administration, the Student Union and its members have only known a better yesterday, of which that better yesterday is adequately typified with maladministrations, heightened exhibitions of ineptitude and near utter uselessness. This ought not to be so, in as much as it is not expected that the students representative spites the school authority, it is important for them to realise that they should not appear like an antagonist to the expression students plight.