The Derailment Of Student Unionism In Nigeria

By

U. Tanimu Umar

tanimuu@yahoo.com

Student unionism in Nigeria was known to be a force to be reckoned with. In the sweet old days students, through their unions, were known to stand firm in criticizing the injustices of out leaders thereby effecting major changes. There were instances when the authorities clashed with students when diplomatic precautions failed to work; the 1978 ABU students riots quickly comes to mind. During the uprising many student’s lives were lost while agitating for the ouster of the then education minister, colonel Ahmadu Ali who incidentally now head’s the so-called ruling party, PDP. The “Ali Must Go”,  riots like many in those days, was a landmarks achievement by student unionism in Nigeria: it has opened up the eyes of our leaders to the fact that students knew their rights and can fight oppression no mater the intimidation.

The situation has in recent years taken a dramatic and very melancholous turn around. Nowadays student unionism is but a lame duck, and to worsen the situation the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) has been transformed into a sycophantic cabal. NANS, and virtually the entire Student Union Government (SUGs) of our institutions of higher learning, have turned themselves, amazing, into beggars and praise singers of the unpopular Nigerian government. No event vividly illustrates this fact than the recent pronunciation by the national president of NANS, Kenneth Orkuma Hembe that the Nigerian students have endorsed President Olusegun Obasanjo for a third them in office (Daily Trust December 8, 2005).

I doubt if Mr. Hembe was really speaking the minds of the generality Nigerian student, and NANS are certainly unqualified, constitutionally or otherwise, to effect the amendment of the Nigerian constitution in order to give room for Mr. Obasanjo to vie for another term in office. But the mere pronouncement was ludicrous, to say least.

If you are wondering what possessed the NANS president into making that devilish declaration you should know that it was not some kind of hubris, he made the pronouncement the same day President Obasanjo pledged a N5Million personal donation for the proposed national secretariat of the students’ association. The two events were not coincidental, and one can be bold to conclude that for N5Million the President has bought the conscience and intelligence of Nigerian students, or in this case of their parent association. I observed that in most recent times student union leaders have ridiculously resorted to dashing out unmerited awards and acclaims to those in government and their cohorts for the primary aim of deriving monetary gains. By so doing, student unions have absurdly relegated themselves and have totally lost their bearings .

The irony of NANS’ “endorsement” of Obasanjo’s alleged third term dream was that it was made when the educational system in Nigeria is at its lowest ebb ever, when students should join the progressives in calling for the President to give way so that a viable person will be given the chance to resuscitate our educational system and the entire national infrastructure. Agreed, the number of universities, especially due to the advent of states and private universities, like Bells and ABTI, have increased. But how many low-income parents can afford of pay the exorbitant fees charged by the authorities of the private and government owned universities. Under the gov ernment of Olusegun Obasanjo the condition of our public schools have deteriorated so much so that very few secondary school leavers can adequately read and write. Our leaders don’t care because they have he means to send their children to the best private schools within and outside the country. From the state and national assembly members to the governors and those in he presidency hardly can you find one of their children attending public schools. Whenever I remember how in such schools students receives lessons in over-crowded classrooms while sitting on bare floor-less grounds with the classrooms windowless and roofs leaking I shuddered at how unconcerned and self-centered our leaders can be. The teachers in such schools cannot offer their best, having been depressed psychologically due to the delayed payment or lack of payment of their paltry salaries.

Yet, NANS are advocating that such trend should continue. They are advocating that the Obasanjo-led government “deserves” to continue beyond 2007. The reason given in the NANS President’s speech was as baseless as the entire proclamation; according to him the student union body have not seen anyone else worthy enough to rule the country. Hear him: “Let those who talk third term or no third term quiet down until Nigerian students see another elite as competent as President Obasanjo”, he then went on to declare: “we will not let him go”. The statement was a complete mess and I was aggrieved when I fully realised it was made by the president of Nigerian students union, a body known to strongly oppose self-perpetuation to power. I can recollect that NANS was one of the strongest of opposing voices in the 1990s when late Sani Abacha was attempting to copy the likes o f Mabutu Sese Sekoh and Omar Bongo in becoming a life President. Those voices have given way to greediness which has became apparent with the “endorsement” of Obasanjo’s mind term bid the same day the President churned out N5 million to the students union.

While we lament the fall from grace of Nigerian student unionism, it is pertinent to say that President Obasanjo should have no business staying at Aso Rock for a day beyond 29th May 2007. I would like to believe that he can be able to maneuver his way by greasing the palms of the legislature, Ghana-Must-go style, in order to cajole them to approve the amendment of the Constitution, but Nigerians are going to strongly resist that. The Nigerian students shou ld shed away the mischievous toga of greediness and join all well-meaning Nigerians to unequivocally thwart any devilish plan for Obasanjo to have another shot at the Presidency. Nigeria is seriously in need of a radical change; we need a vibrant and purposeful leader, who will look into the plight of the masses, who will upturn the squalor and deprivation our country has fallen into, who will completely overhaul the nation’s diminished infrastructure, who will resuscitate our economy, who will prioritise and revamp agriculture, who will implement budgets, who will make life affordable to Nigerians by reducing fuel prices, who will abolish corruption and desist from buying the conscience of student unions.

 

U. Tanimu Umar

Bolari Quarters, Gombe,

Gombe State.