AS WE CELEBRATE THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE #FREEMOTE SAGA

 By ProfThePoet™

Ojo Aderemi wrote: “A Union leader that does not understand the concept of resistance is nothing but a potential criminal”.

If you were not in the FREE MOTE struggle of last year (2016), you may not fully understand what is really happening on our campus today. For the sake of the freshers amongst us, I will do a brief recap.

Monday, 18th April 2016 still remains a mystery to most Uites as the University of Ibadan management, under the authority of Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka, asked everyone to vacate the halls of residence before 4pm for protesting on the inapt suspension of Tunji Epeti Michael (MOTE). Jokingly, we spent good 7 weeks at home for acting accordingly.

It was a wasted and unfortunate struggle, because we lost the battle at the end. Well, we lost not because we were not ready to fight, but because we were divided. A very good percentage of students were tired and bored of staying at home. Some could not bear the house chores and we had records of those that came back to school with bigger stomachs: not from food but pregnancy.

Unfortunately for us, we had to resume to school based on the massive quest for resumption that year. There was a popular statement then, that “no one can fight the school management and win”. Since we lost the battle, I believed that may be true. However, today in UI, almost one year after the FREE MOTE saga that led to the 7 weeks strike, we are back to where we were.

Greatest Uites, this time around we are advocating for a  just cause. We are advocating with great unity, support and cooperation among every students. I have seen the light and the bright future of our struggle. We will win the battle this time around and there’s  no going back!

Maybe you don’t know but Our requests from the management this time is for us all and for generations yet unborn. We have no reason to relent. If we do not fight for our rights, who will? If we do not cry out now, who will? If we do not stop all atrocities in our dear school, who will? Remember we are doing this not for ourselves alone, but for next generations of students coming to the great University of Ibadan.

Today, Uites celebrate a year anniversary of the FREE MOTE struggle with purposeful demands:

1. Immediate release of the Students’ Union Building and all properties of the Students’ Union that has been wrongfully seized.

2. Immediate return of all Undergraduate Students to Halls of Residence.

3.Proper and transparent account of the fees paid for the issuance of ID cards from 2015/2016 academic session till date.

4. Students must have the rights to use hotplates in the kitchenettes as provided for by the laws of the University.

5. Distribution of ID Cards before first semester examinations for the 2016/2017 academic session begins.

6.Immediate call for a Welfare Board meeting, to address the sundry welfare issues on campus.

7. Reinstatement of all wrongfully and unjustly expelled or rusticated students by the University’s Central Student Disciplinary Committee.

8. An immediate audit of the University’s Bursary department, UI Ventures, UI Microfinance bank, Office of the Vice Chancellor, Office of the Deputy-Vice Chancellor (Administration), Office of the Deputy-Vice Chancellor (Academics), Office of the Dean of Students, Hall Management Committee of all halls of residence.

9. The University’s Central Library should be open for use 24 hours everyday as stipulated in the Student Information Handbook.

Finally, let’s be guided. We are in this struggle not because we want it so, but this obviously seems to be the ONLY way out to eliminate our pains. UI is the first and the best, but Uites are treated as the last and the worst. Raise your voice today and you will be heard!

We will not give up…

God Bless University Of Ibadan.

God Bless Oyo State.

God Bless Nigeria.

 

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