Freedom of the Press, if it means anything at all, means the freedom to criticize and oppose – George Orwell
When the public’s right to know is threatened, and when rights of free speech and free speech are at risk, all of the other liberties we hold dear are endangered – Christopher Dodd
And it is the end of half-time, we are back from the break. For ardent lovers of the weekly TSND, two weeks ago, a chapter was opened on the travails of pressmen doing their job of exposing the ills in the society with the aim of correcting them; hereby restoring sanity where it has been misplaced. However last week, an accident occurred altering the sequence, thereby moving its sequel to this week. It has always been said that nothing is done by mistake and that all things happen for a reason. While I might not be a fan of that cliché, I would like to borrow its adaptability as another accidence in sequence, a consequent of the growing trend in tertiary institutions in the SouthWest especially in Unibadan. That all things happen for a reason can’t be further explained as to the delay in wrapping up cases of press censorships in Unibadan when the case of Adekunle Adebajo still hangs aloof, though now decided.
Before going into the latest story of victimization, it is expedient to wrap up the discourse of its prequel.
Following the refusal of the hall management to give her accommodation which she is entitled to as a finalist and Editor-in-Chief of Awo Hall, she resulted to begging. Not only was she not given accommodation, but also imperatively advised in her best interest not to publish on the board. This advice-cum-directive has compelled Awo hall press organization to be publishing on the website alone since then. The intent of the punishment obviously feasible, she suffered for her heroics. Going to class from central mosque (as habitat) was definitely not going to be easy. Combined with the rigours associated with projects and then the press, her dark face is always masked with weariness, stress and fatigue. When the wrong seems to be right, pleading turned out the last resolve. She pleaded severally, lobbying with senior members of the University but yet couldn’t get reprieve. The issue was eventually resolved around the first week of June following entreaties from her mother and the continuous intervention of the UCJ UI, she eventually had to be humbled and a week after, was given a room, long due.
It is pertinent to add too that the mode of securing accommodation this year was changed, the purpose for which remains unknown. The normal process for finalist according to an Awoite is usually done by opening the portal for finalists to apply, then you are notified it has been considered after which you then pay. However this time, we were made to believe that the management selected names of finalists and paste them on the notification board before sending them to iTEMS for opening of the portals.
Apropos in line with the prequel to this week’s edition, the same saga albeit under different circumstances occurred in Queen Idia hall. According to sources, the warden had issued a directive credited to the Dean of Students Affairs that students should pay for damages done to their rooms. And complying with that, Idiates were told to pay a ‘token’ of two thousand naira each (#2000). Now, it is worthy of note too that a room in Idia takes in 6-8 occupants depending on the size. It is also worthy of an additional note that these damages include a torn net in some rooms, one wall socket in others, bad door lock in some and a window pane in few. Yet, they all have to pay #2000. This implies that a room generates #12000 to #16000 for an expenditure worth the repair of either of the afore-listed (net, window pane, door lock, and socket). The Idia Press considered this outrageous and decided to write the warden. The Editor in Chief wrote the warden trying to seek reprieve and requesting for an interview in a letter submitted to her office. At the time, she was yet to get accommodation. The day she was given accommodation coincided with the same day the warden got wind of the author of the letter who had described the fine as “supposedly outrageous.” That she had just given her (Idia E in C) room subconsciously for her letter is a crime and thus it was reversed. Pleas then began to rain in from all sides. The Editor in Chief who was also in her final year had to traverse to and fro Agbowo daily when she ought to have been accommodated. After weeks of pleas, she was eventually allowed to retrieve her room.
The insanity in the situation of the both students is that they both had to beg like criminals with capital punishments would do for a lesser punishment when they had been innocent of the charges they are convicted of. They pleaded guilty against their will. They were made to suffer for what they should have rightfully gotten without stress for trying to restore sanity.
The concluding subplot here is the already known case of Adekunle Adefisayo Adebajo whom the management took over two years to pronounce guilty and convict for writing an article published on Guardian Newspaper: UI: THE IRONY OF FASHIONABLE ROOFTOPS AND AWFUL INTERIORS. The said article was written on 20, April 2016 resting its oars on Martin Luther King Jr. maxim that “Our lives begin to end the day we keep silent about things that matter.” What followed was a query requesting him to explain in 48hours why disciplinary actions should not be taken against him which he did replying with an epistolary explanation. The rest, they say is history. But it is not the same with the management of University of Ibadan who accused him of gross misconduct, being rude and bringing the name of the school to disrepute months later to which he responded. And according to him, he regretted his actions and humbly apologized following which the University ‘closed’ the case unknown to many, temporarily. Eventually, his result was not released and on May 24, 2018 was made to face the disciplinary committee where he was served the rustication verdict.
Now, some salient issues need be raised. Why did a verdict on perceived assault or insult as the case may be take too long to be released? This same University that wants us to abide by every morals we have ever learnt, who must have learned just as we did that “Justice delayed is justice denied”, which finds fault in everything Nigeria represents via its teaching took over 2years to decide a case as simple and straightforward as this. Except only of course, the delay was intended and purposed. The relevance and significance of events lies heavily in the time and those around the period. Definitely, the management would be aware of the rock support for the accused and thus wait for the best time; (a) without a Students’ Union and (b) when he is done with his papers, even if reinstated will still miss Law School and made to appear unworthy of the password to the Nigeria Law School – “fit and proper.” As of now, fans and friends across campuses have begun the media war while Mr. Kunle himself revealed in his article that he would appeal to the Council – headed by the Pro-Chancellor, the option proposed to him.
It is also worthy of note that a Kunle Adebajo’s victory is the freedom for not only him and the press, but also the entirety of students. It will bring about second thoughts when a futuristic case of this magnitude appears. But a failure only transmits into the ‘we can do as we wish,’ and sooner, more and more journalists would be handpicked, then students. To state more categorically, a failure with the ongoing case will set a marker – the case for the last sequel to the May 29 2017 showdown and damning verdicts will start flying in the air for both Honourable members and Executives of the SRC and the SU. Just as a road without bumps unleashes the craziness in drivers, a one-way winning affair would assert the defeat of the rule of law by phrases like ‘character and learning’, ‘fit and proper’.
For Prof Ademola Dasylva, his opinion reechoed by a colleague is what will be the attitude of graduates towards the University of Ibadan when they don’t get the best here. And not only did they not get the best, but were made to leave with negative sentiments high up in the air. Obviously, their memories of Unibadan can’t be that of positivity but of bitterness, grief, revanche or that of apathetical attitude towards the growth and development of the school which is obvious in the Alumni strength of an institution nearing 70years.
Methinks one of the worst thing that can happen to a society is the stifling of voices, the absence of the freedom of speech. But in reality, when there is no freedom of speech, there is no freedom at all because speech is a fundamental part of human existence. Lack of freedom of expression is extremely to the demise of freedom of thoughts too as many things done are resultants of the thoughts. And where there is no freedom of thoughts, there is no liberty at all. This is what Scott Howard Phillips was saying when he said “You can’t pick and choose which types of freedom you want to defend. You must defend all of it or be against all of it.” According to Jean Jacques Rousseau, “Man is born free but everywhere in chains.” If this is true of Africa and Nigeria in every word of it, should the same be said that the University of Ibadan has become a fascist institution? Driving towards 70 and older as a codified unit than Nigeria itself, the University of Ibadan is expected to be the perfect guide illuminating the path of Nigeria, but as is evident realistically against the ideals, the University system can’t be said to be any different from the Nigeria situation. Suggesting solutions to this great citadel is to wrongly assume and agree it does not know the right from the wrong, after all we were taught what we know by them. We can only conclude that the management should change its approach against student. These approaches were used in Western Europe only during the reign of absolute monarchy, it is not to be heard in the era of democracy.
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