Contrary to the announcement by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka on Tuesday, that the Students Union of the institution has been proscribed indefinitely, the Students Union President of the university, Comrade Aderemi Ojo has said that the union remains intact.
Com. Ojo (M)and other Union Officers
Ojo made this declaration while addressing a joint press conference organized by the union’s executive council and the Students Representative Council of the institution on Thursday in Ibadan.
Ojo who was flanked by Secretary of the union, Comrade Uchechukwu Augustine and Speaker of the SRC Comrade Ibrahim Asiwaju said it was wrong for the Vice Chancellor to make such statement without Senate approval which he said was against the university regulations.
He said that the union was not a cube of sugar which can be dissolved anyhow. Ojo said it was unfortunate that the university is waging an already lost battle against his government which has just spent 24 days in office.
“We are yet to receive any letter to that effect, our union is not a cube of sugar which can just be dissolved any how. You know all over the world, you deal with documents, we are yet to receive any document to that effect.
Ojo in his five-page address said contrary to insuniation that he verbally embarrassed the VC, the only time he spoke during his inauguration was when he was called to read his speech, and that he did not even mention anything like VC.
“My administration, the patriotic intelligencia was swore into office on May 8. 2017, just 24 days ago. At the said swearing in ceremony, our plans and visions for the union were intelligently highlighted in my inaugural speech, full text of which were well circulated and can be easily retrieved from several news platforms that published it.
“Gentlemen of the press, contrary to the widely circulated but falsely concocted story of the much respected VC that I insulted him at the inauguration, the only time I spoke at the said event was to deliver my speech and no part either directly mentioned the VC or implied insulted him, his personality of his office.
“It is, therefore, both laughable and ridiculous to hear that the sole reason supposedly offered by the management for the purported suspension of the union after 24 days in office was that the President supposedly insulted the Honourable Vice Chancellor.
Ojo while speaking against unlawful victimization of students by the institution, its agents and the police both on and off campus informed that it was wrong for the institution to have claimed that the union directed students to act contrary to the institution’s regulations.
“It has also been suggested, quite wrongly by the university that the union directed students to act contrary to university regulations. However, it is right to affirm that we have only followed the laws made by the university itself and nothing else.
“For instance, the direction of the SU for all students in the hostels to use hot plates in the Kitchenettes which the management generously built was made on the foundation of the laws for the same is provided for in Chapter 6 of the Students Information Handbook written and circulated by the university itself and also the ethics governing the halls of residence on campus.
“The union was only advising students to the law abiding and thus help the management keep the law it has magmaniously drafted.
He informed that the union took several steps to prevail on the management to heed to the appeals of the union but to no avail, saying the Monday’s protest was peaceful and earlier approved by the congress of the union.
“The generality of students of UI are law abiding, peaceful but conscious… A students union congress was summoned on 27th May 2017…at the congress, it was resolved among others that the students’ identity card which is a standing levy in the fees of every student must be received before examinations commence.
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