Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-
Ife, on Saturday openly expressed their
frustration over recent unrests in federal
universities by jeering President Goodluck
Jonathan, who was a guest at the institution
Friday.
Mr. Jonathan, and some state and federal
officials, including Ekiti state governor,
Ayodele Fayose, were in the university to
attend the Yoruba Unity Summit, organised by
the Committee for Yoruba Unity, where he
was endorsed for re-election in 2015.
The meeting also had in attendance the Ooni
of Ife, Okunade Sijuade, among other
traditional rulers.
But before the meeting ended, placard-
wielding students gathered at the Amphi
theatre/Oduduwa Hall area of the institution
where the meeting was holding, chanting
solidarity songs.
The students said they were angry over the
recent tuition increase, rot in the education
sector and attack by security operatives on
protesting students of the University of Jos.
The students also halted the president’s
convoy for a few minutes, by barricading the
path of his motorcade before the president
boarded a chopper.
The students also booed Mr. Fayose, the Ekiti
State governor.
“Fayose got perhaps the biggest
embarrassment of his life today. He walked
confidently to Ife students expecting to be
applauded. I can’t yet forget the look of shock
on his face as shouts of Ole! Ole! (Thief!
Thief!) rented the air,” said Hassan Taiwo,
education right activist, who participated in
the protest.
Some of placards brandished by the students
read “Don’t sell education like you sold
electricity”, “We condemn Jos killing of
students”, ”We demand reversal of 2014 fee
hike”.
A female student said she and her colleagues
joined the protest because “the president’s
coming coincided with a moment we are
facing challenges in terms of learning
facilities in the laboratories and classes.
“In our Geography lab, we don’t have
anything except diagrams and furniture, if Ife
is like this, what happens to other schools?”
However, in a telephone interview, the
president of OAU Students’ Union, Ibikunle
Isaac, told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Jonathan
was not rejected or embarrassed by his
colleagues but that they only peacefully
registered their grievances over fee raise.
“The leadership of the Union submitted
protest letter over the fee increment to the
president and he committed himself to seeing
to the issue, while our students were gyrating
on campus,” he said.
But another student disagreed with the SUG
president.
“Of course it was a peaceful display against
President Jonathan and his people, but we
really embarrassed and booed them because
of their insensitivity to various problems
Nigeria is facing, as shown by this shameful
endorsement from the so-called Yoruba
leaders,” the student said.
“Don’t mind our Union president. It is
understandable. What he called gyration was
actually choruses of insults and how we booed
Jonathan and his people,” he added.
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