UI students set for protest as exam starts
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According to information gathered, the students resolved at a congress held last Saturday that except the management accedes to their demands, there will not be any examination, adding, “no ID card, no exam”.
At the congress meeting, the students issued two days ultimatum to the school authorities to constitute a students’ welfare board, constitute a fact-finding committee to look into issue of hot plates in halls.
They also vowed to disrupt a state government programme scheduled to hold at the institution’s International Conference Centre, ICC as well as blocking all entrances leading to the school and Sango-Ojoo-Oyo Expressway.
In a swift reaction, the management of the premier institution has sued for peace and appealed to the students not to disrupt the institution’s calendar.
A statement signed by the school management read in part:
“The expanded Management of the University of Ibadan comprising the Principal Officers, Provost and Deans, internal members of Council, Wardens of Halls of Residence and other leaders of the University met with the leadership of the Students Union on May 28, 2017, between 4.00pm and 7.00pm.
“The meeting is sequel to the resolutions passed at the Students’ Union Congress that was held on May 27, 2017. Although the congress did not follow the laid down procedure for calling a congress, the University Management still called the meeting in the interest of peace and the wellbeing of our students. The resolutions passed at the congress, in the main, are to disrupt the forthcoming examinations if students are not provided with identity cards, that the University should constitute the Students’ Welfare Board, and that the Management should allow the use of unauthorised cooking appliances in the halls of residence.
“The Management wishes to inform students that efforts are currently being made to ensure that identity cards are produced and distributed starting from the middle of June. The Management has also issued a circular informing Deans of Faculties that students’ registration forms and any other valid University instrument be considered as sufficient for admittance into examination halls in the forthcoming first semester examinations. The President of the Students’ Union was copied this memo. We wish to state that no student of the University will be denied entry into the examination hall owing to non-possession of student’s identity card.
“The University Management is not unmindful of the hardship that the delay in the issuance of identity cards has caused our students, but we appeal for their understanding. The good thing about the new identity cards to be produced is that we will only be revalidating them every session as opposed to the previous arrangement requiring students to apply for new identity cards every session. Hence, we will not experience the kind of delay being experienced now next session and subsequently.
“The University Management will also, very soon, convene a meeting of the Students’ Welfare Board which is a statutory committee of Senate, to discuss other students’ welfare issues, so that a lasting solution can be proffered.
“The problem of the use of unauthorised cooking appliances in the halls is not new. Indeed, at a meeting between the University Management and the students sometime in 2014, it was agreed that cooking appliances, especially hotplates, be abolished in the halls of residence because of the huge cost of electricity to the University. Besides, the non-use of these cooking appliances is part of the agreement signed by each student before residency in the halls.
“In the light of all these, Management wishes to appeal to students to embrace continuous dialogue and avoid any activity that will further disrupt the academic calendar. This is our passionate appeal, and we hope students will exercise extreme caution in respect of the Students’ Congress resolutions. The threat of invading Federal roads on democracy day will not solve any problem, but will only aggravate them. The Law enforcement agents are already aware of the threat, and we appeal against any confrontation with the Police that the invasion of public roads may occasion. However, the University Management will take every necessary action to forestall the breakdown of law and order on campus.
“Given the calendar we are running at present, the 2016/2017 session will not end until mid-December, 2017. This is already well behind the ideal schedule and all stakeholders should, as much as possible, avoid any action that might result in any further extension of the academic calendar. We wish our students success in the forthcoming examinations, trusting that reason will prevail”.
Meanwhile, it was alleged that the state commissioner of Police, CP Oyo State, Mr. Abiodun Adekunle Odude has promised to deal with the students if they carry out their planned demonstration outside the university campus.
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