Opinion: Exposing the lies peddled by the UNIUYO Senate

by David Israel

JAMB

For the avoidance of doubt, the University of Uyo does not post students’ result online. Somebody lied.

I woke up today to a press release from the Senate of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom state addressing the June 12 students’ riot and I am shocked, angry and disappointed. I am disappointed because I expected better from the school management. I will quote from their statement, and offer my views on it.

1. Senate expressed satisfaction with the steps taken by the University administration in arriving at the payment of the one hundred naira (N100.00) transport fare from the Town Campus to the Main Campus.

How can they justify this? The Student Union president, whose statement is seconded by the Chief Security Officer of the school, says his union did not agree to the price hike and that they were not party to any memoranda of understanding with the school management with regards to the price hike, meaning that the N100 was imposed. How then can the senate of my school expression satisfaction with such non-consultation of a consultation process?

 

2. As a responsible apex body of the University on academic matters, Senate has been overwhelmingly impressed and satisfied with the Vice-Chancellor’s motherly disposition and compassion for the students of the University, notably displayed through policies geared towards reducing the number of students whose status as students was on the verge of elapsing.  Besides, in her zeal to effect early release of students results and facilitate easy access to them as well as reduce drastically the perennial problem of delays in issuing transcripts, the Vice-Chancellor has put in place online posting of all students results. She is also known for making her office accessible to students with complaints to reach her easily.

This is not misinformation, this is a lie. I am a 400 level student of the University of Uyo and I can confirm that my result is not ‘posted online’. As a matter of fact, two months after I wrote my last semester examinations, I still cannot calculate my CGPA because all my results have not been pasted on the notice board. What process has the Vice-Chancellor improved? Are members of the senate of my school resident on earth? For the avoidance of doubt, the University of Uyo does not post students’ result online. Somebody lied.

 

3. Senate called on the Governing Council of the University and other stakeholders of the University at all levels of government to press for the release to the University of take-off or special grant to ease the institution perennial pecuniary pressures which often result in tension and stress for both the managers and other members of the University community.

This is a fallacy. An ad misericordiam. Is it the so called take-off grant that prevented the Vice-Chancellor from undertaking an inclusive consultation process before she imposed a charge of N100 on a previously free bus shuttle service? As every student of my school knows, school fees has increased over the last few years and students have not rioted. Is it the take-off grant that the university used to manage reactions to the issue of the school fee increase? How much money do you need to manage a change process properly?

The Senate, in its wisdom, carefully avoids calling for justice for the Kingsley Udoette, who was murdered by the guns of the Nigerian Police Force. Their statement also carefully avoids the issue of the 44 students, who have been illegally arrested, charged with murder and arson, and held in horrible conditions for over two weeks now. How can they call for justice when their hands are not clean? Who authorized the police to use live ammunition on peaceful students?

Their amnesia is shocking. They chose to forget that the same students on whom they unleashed the wrath of the Nigerian Police Force upon, are the same students that went on a peaceful protest to condemn the kidnapping of the Vice-Chancellor’s husband in 2011. Why did they not shoot at us then?

I call on the Senate and indeed the university management to address the incriminating allegations levelled against them by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the university. In the statement made HERE, the CSO did not mince words fully laying the blame at the feet of the Vice-Chancellor and the university management. One would have supposed that as honorable people, the management of my school would be interested in clearing its image against the strong allegations of fraud and sabotage that have been made against them, but no, they are more interested in lying about ‘posting of students result online’.

To the end, I call on all students, alumni and well wishers of the university and indeed anybody with a conscience, to push for the unconditional release of our students who are being held illegally by the Nigerian Police Force on trumped up charges of murder and arson. Anybody who calls Nigeria home, understands how the police picks up suspects after a crime and since we do not believe in this obviously flawed process, we will call for an unconditional release of our students.

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David E. Israel studies Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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