By: Emmanuel Utibe
On the 10th of June when school resumed, we as students of the University of Ibadan were reminded that our struggles were not just against the spiritual principalities in high places but also against forces in this world out to jeopardize our common interest as students of this university. From the unwarranted exploitation of freshers by transporters and vendors alike to the outrageous increase in school fees by the school management under the guise of reduced funding from the government and worsening economic conditions, the struggle has never been more pressing.
It is of note that it is a rule observed in nature that the weak i.e. those lower down the various power hierarchy, either cowers and live alone in fear or they bound together in groups to give themselves a better fighting chance for survival. Right after the Industrial Revolution with the shaking of the social jungle, the latter became the course of action for those seemly lower down in society’s power hierarchy and unionism was birth. Right from the 18th century till now, unions have and continue to play a crucial role in safeguarding the interests of their members.
So, in this article, being as students of the University of Ibadan members of the union ourselves, we would be looking at the struggle before us as students and those things we are expected to do collectively for ourselves as the union and what we are hoping the union does for us.
The struggle
The issue of school fee increment has been one which has lingered over the head of the UI’SU since the latter part of Mascot’s tenure about two years ago. At that time, the management started advancing her various arguments to give justification for why an increase in school fees is warranted. The talks of inflation, ever-worsening economic conditions, and the reduced funding provided by the government towards public educational institutions were some of the reasons put forth by the management for why an increment is warranted. Despite the good job of negotiations and different drives for a compromise and amicable settlement on the issue by the students’ union, the management’s approach towards the students’ plea on the issue has continually been one of an unrelenting superior to a voiceless slave who either manages what he gets or leaves.
Even last year in the face of being powerless in the light of the government’s injunction halting any further increase in the fees of tertiary institutions, the university went ahead with a pseudo increase by introducing fees with names of studio levy and laboratory fees, increasing technology fee and introducing a utility fee. Despite the array of meetings, the UI’SU leaders arranged with the management at various levels, and even a town hall meeting between the VC and students, it all ended up more as a talkdown rather than a real conversation.
And now the management has gone ahead to implemented an astronomical increase in school fees as the hindrance is no more there and we have a situation now whereby students who were struggling to pay N30,000+ for bundled fees are now being required to pay over N100,000+ for bundled fees at the very least. All this is expected within 7 weeks with a further fine of N20,000 for not paying within the deadline. Indeed, the situation is a mouthful.
Our fight as a union.
In light of the above, the first thing to be said is that indeed we sympathise with university management as regards some of the valid issues she has raised. In truth, over the years the Nigerian government has been progressively lackadaisical towards those social services which it is constitutionally obligated to provide for her citizens. The general attitude of government towards things like education, healthcare, and workers welfare amongst others has truly been abysmal and like ASUU and the NLC have reiterated continually, it behoves us all as citizens to lend our voices to call the government to caution.
Additionally, it is a sad issue that the National Union of Nigerian Students(NANS), has been reduced to a gathering for political jamboree only active in political sycophancy and electoral mobilisation where you would have people who are no longer students strive to hold tight on the leadership position all because of political benefits. It is sad because ideally, the struggle before us extends beyond just being a University of Ibadan issue to even being one for national actions as the attitude of the government towards education affects all Nigerian students as noted by different persons at the recent UI’SU stakeholders meeting on school fees issue. At this time, it would have been NANS organizing to let the government know why it should stop shying away from its responsibility towards education but since the money that should go into education is siphoned into wasteful political spendings which still trickle down to the pockets of those in NANS, their voices have been bought. It is shameful that NANS would encourage a walk to applaud the government that would not finance education properly for setting up loans.
While we do agree with the management on lack of proper funding from the government, we strongly disagree with the move to make innocent students pay for the misgivings of the government. Just like the unions to which they also belong — ASUU, SSANU & NASU — said to the government when it wanted to use the justification of the hardened economic times to jeopardise the welfare of their members, we as a union are compelled by all good reasons to say the same to the school management.
An increment no matter how little is in no way justifiable, and as it stands, the salary of an average staff in the university would not even suffice to cover fees if they had two or more children in this school. We are reminded that when this University was to move from the temporary location at Eleyele to its current site today, the land was not bought at a cost from the common people but rather it was given to the university and now the same university, that has the sweats of the common people for its foundation and even the people who as common people were able to pass through this same university, is wanting to shut the doors of education to the children of common people under the guise of “Education is expensive”. So much for helping enshrine the right to learn as the university anthem says.
It becomes an issue of what psychologists would call “Fundamental attribution bias”, if the same people who go to all lengths in their respective unions to protect their member’s interests, then turn around to say that students are not justified in demanding the same from them. The same people who are the management today were the students of yesterday and they take pride in how they asserted their power even during the military regimes to protect their collective interest as students and it is only fair that students are not now suppressed by them over valid concerns and courts of unfair hearing under the cloak of a student disciplinary council used to instill fear as an instrument of subjection.
Final words
In light of the above, it is paramount that the current student union leadership, from the 8 elected to the Kunle Adepeju Building to all students’ leaders in their various capacities, to now be continually proactive in the issue of the school fees increase. This is a time as a union that we all must hold a united front. At this time, away from self-interest and personal sentiments, we must make sure that all our efforts are geared strongly towards what is in the best interest of the union and us all as members of the union. The union leadership must be ready to intelligently and bravely employ all measures available to the union in this current situation of things and must not shy away from doing what has to be done.
Finally, to us all as students and members of the union, we must always remember that we are the union and the union is us. The struggle is not just left to the leadership of the union, in all the little ways in which we can be of help, we all must be ready to make the efforts for our collective victory. Currently, the union’s position on the school fees issue remains that we all, freshers and staylites alike should RESTRAIN from paying the current school fees displayed on our portal while the union leadership keeps up in their effort to get the management to heed good reason and review the current school fees increment. And if the time comes for further action, we must remember that the true strength and power of the union lies in us collectively as members of the union standing together and we must trust and stand behind the good judgment of those we have elected as leaders.
