In the wake of the recent plague that has rocked Students Unionism in our tertiary institutions in recent times, I feel it's high time we rebrand students unionism in Nigeria..
So I decided to share a post I found on nairaland which, having read, I found to be relevant to this discourse.
It's pasted below...
With the recent shut down of some universities in
Nigeria due to students’ riots and protests, it is
expedient we re-examine the effects of student
unionism in schools and whether it is really worth
the while. I must confess I have read numerous
write ups and opinions on the above topic.
I am Olushinaola Taiwo and unusually, I will not
be doing this alone. I have the complement of
two intelligent friends namely Azubuike Onyeka
and Adegoke Oladoyin. I sincerely hope you have
a wonderful read.
Student Unionism In Nigeria - The Pains and
Gains Student Unionism In Nigeria - The Pains
And Gains Student Unionism In Nigeria - The
Pains And Gains Student Unionism In Nigeria The
Pains and Gains
HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?
West African Student Union (WASU) which was
pioneered by West African Students in London in
1925 was according to records the first step into
unionism by Nigerian students. The Solanke and
Bankole-Bright led WASU fought for improved
welfare for all African students in London. Their
influence in Nigeria brought about NUNS (National
union of Nigerian Students) which premiered in
the University of Ibadan. NUNS now NANS
(National Association of Nigerian students) has
its wings spread across all tertiary institutions in
Nigeria in form of SUG’S (Student Union
Governments)
THE PAINS AND THE GAINS
Nigerian students spend (4+x) – (6+x) years in
school depending on the course of study. The x
stands for extra years spent on strikes, protests,
etc. This is due to decay in the educational
system and the activities of various Student
Union Governments.
In my quest for answers to different questions
that ran through my mind, I was privileged to
have an online chat with DEMOLA OLANREWAJU.
He is a Creative writer, content manager, political
analyst and strategist. He was the public
relations officer of the then University of Ado-Ekiti
(UNAD) Student Union Government. He
intelligently expressed his views in the interview
below.
Demola Olarenwaju Student Unionism In Nigeria -
The Pains And Gains Student Unionism In Nigeria
- The Pains And Gains Demola
Demola Olarenwaju
Demola Olarenwaju (@demolaRewaju) on Twitter
What impact has students unionism had on you
and how has it helped you in your political
sojourn this far?
Unionism has helped me tremendously. It includes
People Management, Clear-headedness and in
Ideology. Addressing crowds, leading and
organizing people are things I’m used to so when
I do it today, it doesn’t bother me. In Unionism,
you couldn’t be A and B; you’re either for or
against an issue – that’s Clear-headedness,
Values guiding your decision. When I go into a
cause, I go all out because it aligns with my
fullest and truest values and principles. In
choosing PDP, my ideal was nationalism. When I
fight for PDP therefore, it is because I believe it
has traces of my ideology.
Why the need for Unionism?
Oppression manifested reduced student rights and
entitlement such as feeding, accommodation etc.
Unionism was the fight back.
Don’t you think students’ unionism is mainly as a
result of the decay in our educational system?
Students Unionism wasn’t a result of it but the
reason it was needed. The bad trends in unionism
today are a result of societal degeneration.
Unionism as far as Students Movement is
concerned was borne as a result of oppression
from government via school authorities.
What is the relationship between unionism and
cultism?
Cultism was the negative reaction to such – so
Cultism is directly anti-Unionism but these days
has become synonymous with it
What’s your advice to student leaders? My advice
to Student Unions’ is to maintain solidarity with
their students at all times without compromise
and pursue their cause with wisdom
What’s your take on the death of the UNIPORT
student who died in the struggle?
Peter Ofurum’s death is a sad commentary on the
management of UNIPORT and the Buhari
government. History will remember him, just like
Kunle Adepeju.
ONYEKA’S THOUGHTS
Azubuike Onyeka is a first class graduate of
accounting from Babcock University. She was the
best graduating student in her department in
2015. She shares her opinion below;
Judging from my experience from a Christian
based private university, where everything is
highly regulated from the clothes we wear to the
food we eat and the hostels we stay in, the
existence and impact of student unions cannot be
over emphasized.
Firstly we have to establish their purpose of
existence
They were created to be the voice of the
students, serve as a middle man between the
school authorities and the students and give
constructive criticisms as regards the rules and
regulations constantly formulated in the school
amongst many others
Moving on to the essence of this write up, as it is
popularly said, No Pain No Gain
Although sometimes especially in private
universities, the pain outweighs the gain but the
Victory is certain. Without a student union in my
school, we would have been subjected to civilized
slavery as the school authorities seldom came up
with ‘unreasonable rules’
Take for instance, the ladies are not permitted to
wear trousers and on top of that, we are being
forced to wear skirts that are three inches below
knee level, make only shoulder length hair dos,
forced to attend church services four times in a
week regardless of religious background.
All these rules even scare away potential students
who foresee not coping with these rules as failure
to adhere strictly could attract suspension and
sometimes expulsion
We should also bear in mind that we are talking
about university students who are old enough to
live their lives without the interference of external
parties
When the idea of student unions came about, they
had a rough start and were given little or no room
to fully participate in the affairs of the school.
They were sometimes left behind in making some
decisions that would affect the entire students of
the school
But with time and persistence, their voice was
beginning to be heard. The school started
allocating a fixed percentage of students’ school
fees to the union to enable the smooth running
and proper availability of funds. The executives of
the student union were paid monthly salary for
having to combine their education with fighting
for other students
They were involved in some decision making
process, allowed to be among the panels that
oversee the suspension and expulsion of
students, Allowed to hold a week-long of social
activities, Allowed to carry out capital intensive
projects to assist the school in providing some
basic amenities, allowed to defend students that
were wrongfully accused of falling short of the
schools rules, allowed to also raise fund for the
less privileged students that could not afford the
school fees. Even when it came to the increment
of school fees, a peaceful protest was held and
despite the fact that no action was taken by the
school, it was acknowledged that their opinions
were considered.
The pain here stems from the fact that they were
closely monitored and were not given the free
hand to carry out some of their plans and also
their hands were tied when it came to raising the
standards to taut of an average student rant
wants to explore life.
The gain however of these student union will
forever be enjoyed as they spoke on behalf of the
majority, defended the innocent, provided fund to
ensure the less privileged could graduate and
finally became an Inner voice that couldn’t be
shut down
OLADOYIN’S THOUGHTS
Adegoke Oladoyin is a student of Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. In recent years, the
school has been ravaged with series of strikes
causing them to be about a session behind
schedule. With her experience, it will be
interesting to see what she thinks. She shares her
thoughts below;
I remember the last protest that held in
December, how the students refused to come out
for the protest claiming that it was not the right
approach to the problem but the student union
government went on with it anyway. “Why do the
student union government always insist on
protests”, is it to make history or is it to really
get positive answers from the school
management? Why can’t we devise other means
of bearing our minds to the school management?
Probably if we found other strategies to pass our
message across, the school management will be
more willing to listen to us and give another
reply.
After the students union government was
suspended again, the academic calendar went
uninterrupted. The students were bothered about
who will fight for them if electricity got spoilt or
water seized but surprisingly when these things
happened, the school management got the
electricity repaired without students protesting. I
guess it’s left for students to take a vote but as
for me, I definitely will go for a school without a
student union government.
Interesting thoughts from my friends and I must
say there is little more to write. Whether you are
like ONYEKA who sees more gains than the pains
or like OLADOYIN who sees otherwise, the fact is
that ‘STUDENT UNIONISM’ in Nigeria needs
“REBRANDING’.
Please your thoughts below…
So I decided to share a post I found on nairaland which, having read, I found to be relevant to this discourse.
It's pasted below...
With the recent shut down of some universities in
Nigeria due to students’ riots and protests, it is
expedient we re-examine the effects of student
unionism in schools and whether it is really worth
the while. I must confess I have read numerous
write ups and opinions on the above topic.
I am Olushinaola Taiwo and unusually, I will not
be doing this alone. I have the complement of
two intelligent friends namely Azubuike Onyeka
and Adegoke Oladoyin. I sincerely hope you have
a wonderful read.
Student Unionism In Nigeria - The Pains and
Gains Student Unionism In Nigeria - The Pains
And Gains Student Unionism In Nigeria - The
Pains And Gains Student Unionism In Nigeria The
Pains and Gains
HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?
West African Student Union (WASU) which was
pioneered by West African Students in London in
1925 was according to records the first step into
unionism by Nigerian students. The Solanke and
Bankole-Bright led WASU fought for improved
welfare for all African students in London. Their
influence in Nigeria brought about NUNS (National
union of Nigerian Students) which premiered in
the University of Ibadan. NUNS now NANS
(National Association of Nigerian students) has
its wings spread across all tertiary institutions in
Nigeria in form of SUG’S (Student Union
Governments)
THE PAINS AND THE GAINS
Nigerian students spend (4+x) – (6+x) years in
school depending on the course of study. The x
stands for extra years spent on strikes, protests,
etc. This is due to decay in the educational
system and the activities of various Student
Union Governments.
In my quest for answers to different questions
that ran through my mind, I was privileged to
have an online chat with DEMOLA OLANREWAJU.
He is a Creative writer, content manager, political
analyst and strategist. He was the public
relations officer of the then University of Ado-Ekiti
(UNAD) Student Union Government. He
intelligently expressed his views in the interview
below.
Demola Olarenwaju Student Unionism In Nigeria -
The Pains And Gains Student Unionism In Nigeria
- The Pains And Gains Demola
Demola Olarenwaju
Demola Olarenwaju (@demolaRewaju) on Twitter
What impact has students unionism had on you
and how has it helped you in your political
sojourn this far?
Unionism has helped me tremendously. It includes
People Management, Clear-headedness and in
Ideology. Addressing crowds, leading and
organizing people are things I’m used to so when
I do it today, it doesn’t bother me. In Unionism,
you couldn’t be A and B; you’re either for or
against an issue – that’s Clear-headedness,
Values guiding your decision. When I go into a
cause, I go all out because it aligns with my
fullest and truest values and principles. In
choosing PDP, my ideal was nationalism. When I
fight for PDP therefore, it is because I believe it
has traces of my ideology.
Why the need for Unionism?
Oppression manifested reduced student rights and
entitlement such as feeding, accommodation etc.
Unionism was the fight back.
Don’t you think students’ unionism is mainly as a
result of the decay in our educational system?
Students Unionism wasn’t a result of it but the
reason it was needed. The bad trends in unionism
today are a result of societal degeneration.
Unionism as far as Students Movement is
concerned was borne as a result of oppression
from government via school authorities.
What is the relationship between unionism and
cultism?
Cultism was the negative reaction to such – so
Cultism is directly anti-Unionism but these days
has become synonymous with it
What’s your advice to student leaders? My advice
to Student Unions’ is to maintain solidarity with
their students at all times without compromise
and pursue their cause with wisdom
What’s your take on the death of the UNIPORT
student who died in the struggle?
Peter Ofurum’s death is a sad commentary on the
management of UNIPORT and the Buhari
government. History will remember him, just like
Kunle Adepeju.
ONYEKA’S THOUGHTS
Azubuike Onyeka is a first class graduate of
accounting from Babcock University. She was the
best graduating student in her department in
2015. She shares her opinion below;
Judging from my experience from a Christian
based private university, where everything is
highly regulated from the clothes we wear to the
food we eat and the hostels we stay in, the
existence and impact of student unions cannot be
over emphasized.
Firstly we have to establish their purpose of
existence
They were created to be the voice of the
students, serve as a middle man between the
school authorities and the students and give
constructive criticisms as regards the rules and
regulations constantly formulated in the school
amongst many others
Moving on to the essence of this write up, as it is
popularly said, No Pain No Gain
Although sometimes especially in private
universities, the pain outweighs the gain but the
Victory is certain. Without a student union in my
school, we would have been subjected to civilized
slavery as the school authorities seldom came up
with ‘unreasonable rules’
Take for instance, the ladies are not permitted to
wear trousers and on top of that, we are being
forced to wear skirts that are three inches below
knee level, make only shoulder length hair dos,
forced to attend church services four times in a
week regardless of religious background.
All these rules even scare away potential students
who foresee not coping with these rules as failure
to adhere strictly could attract suspension and
sometimes expulsion
We should also bear in mind that we are talking
about university students who are old enough to
live their lives without the interference of external
parties
When the idea of student unions came about, they
had a rough start and were given little or no room
to fully participate in the affairs of the school.
They were sometimes left behind in making some
decisions that would affect the entire students of
the school
But with time and persistence, their voice was
beginning to be heard. The school started
allocating a fixed percentage of students’ school
fees to the union to enable the smooth running
and proper availability of funds. The executives of
the student union were paid monthly salary for
having to combine their education with fighting
for other students
They were involved in some decision making
process, allowed to be among the panels that
oversee the suspension and expulsion of
students, Allowed to hold a week-long of social
activities, Allowed to carry out capital intensive
projects to assist the school in providing some
basic amenities, allowed to defend students that
were wrongfully accused of falling short of the
schools rules, allowed to also raise fund for the
less privileged students that could not afford the
school fees. Even when it came to the increment
of school fees, a peaceful protest was held and
despite the fact that no action was taken by the
school, it was acknowledged that their opinions
were considered.
The pain here stems from the fact that they were
closely monitored and were not given the free
hand to carry out some of their plans and also
their hands were tied when it came to raising the
standards to taut of an average student rant
wants to explore life.
The gain however of these student union will
forever be enjoyed as they spoke on behalf of the
majority, defended the innocent, provided fund to
ensure the less privileged could graduate and
finally became an Inner voice that couldn’t be
shut down
OLADOYIN’S THOUGHTS
Adegoke Oladoyin is a student of Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. In recent years, the
school has been ravaged with series of strikes
causing them to be about a session behind
schedule. With her experience, it will be
interesting to see what she thinks. She shares her
thoughts below;
I remember the last protest that held in
December, how the students refused to come out
for the protest claiming that it was not the right
approach to the problem but the student union
government went on with it anyway. “Why do the
student union government always insist on
protests”, is it to make history or is it to really
get positive answers from the school
management? Why can’t we devise other means
of bearing our minds to the school management?
Probably if we found other strategies to pass our
message across, the school management will be
more willing to listen to us and give another
reply.
After the students union government was
suspended again, the academic calendar went
uninterrupted. The students were bothered about
who will fight for them if electricity got spoilt or
water seized but surprisingly when these things
happened, the school management got the
electricity repaired without students protesting. I
guess it’s left for students to take a vote but as
for me, I definitely will go for a school without a
student union government.
Interesting thoughts from my friends and I must
say there is little more to write. Whether you are
like ONYEKA who sees more gains than the pains
or like OLADOYIN who sees otherwise, the fact is
that ‘STUDENT UNIONISM’ in Nigeria needs
“REBRANDING’.
Please your thoughts below…
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