OLABISI ONABANJO UNIVERSITY, STUDENTS’ UNION GOVERNMENT PRESS BRIEFING ON 4TH OF JUNE, 2014. PRESS RELEASE The Press men, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen seated here this morning, I officially welcome you all to this vital Press briefing of our Students Union Government. It is highly momentous and infelicitous that we call this press briefing, not only to inform the general Public of positive developments, but rather, to call the attention of the Media and the Public to a monumental negative development, about to be unleashed, which is not in the best interest of the State, the People, and of course, Students of the Premier State University in Ogun State. GOVERNOR AMOSUN’S MISGUIDED INSTRUCTION Gentlemen of the Press, we see no ground why the State Government is desperate in her actions, that will expropriate noble Children of this Great State Tertiary Institution, and by extension, many innocent Nigerians. To us, if Education, as claimed by developed Nations of the World as the unavoidable prerequisite for development, then it should not be toyed with in Ogun State. It is no more a News, that the visitor of our Institution, and Governor of the State, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun, in a way of deliberately avoiding Educational responsibility of his Government, has instructed all State owned Tertiary Institutions, including our Premier University, OOU, to source for revenue in paying salaries of its Workers, obviously engaged by the State Government, and not Students. Evidently, such intention could best be described as barbaric, misguided and a direct path to de-educate children of the common man. No doubt, Mission to Rebuild progressively, the illiteracy level in Ogun State is about to commence as this is also a way of stripping education from the Proletariats children, who are currently paying the exorbitant and unexplained tuition fees. Gentlemen of the press, as you are aware that the least school fees in Olabisi Onabanjo University, as approved by the State Government are above 100,000 Naira. While Faculty of Law and Medical Students pay 205,000 and 250,000 respectively, other Faculties pay nothing less than 140,000. These among others are many obnoxious and hypertensive-oriented fees currently paid. As if this is not enough, Suffice it to say that the implication of the misguided instruction of the Governor, is increment in School fees, as the first means of revenue generation. The logical question is, How much will the school fees be? Gentlemen of the Press, with reference to the Governments claim during the Stakeholders Forum in Abeokuta, on May 31st, that it has committed 21.6billion as subvention to its Tertiary Institutions in the last three years, paying an average of 600million Naira monthly. We may not dispute this as we lack information on it. However, going by the enormity of lack of Infrastructures and Personnel in most Tertiary Institutions in the State, OOU inclusive, the Governor cannot point to one Project he has done or in progress. The ongoing and threats of Strike from Lecturers in some Tertiary Institutions in the State, due to lack of payment of Salaries and other visible variables negate the Governments 21.6billion Naira input in Tertiary Education. Attentive listeners/readers, it is immoral, illogical and a slap on our senses, for the Government during the same Stakeholders Forum to have said that this administration under Senator Ibikunle Amosun had drastically reduced fees payable in nine State-owned Tertiary Institutions, thereby making higher Education affordable to all. The above-mentioned school fees currently paid in OOU falsify this, except if N135,000 to N250,000 of OOU, N88,750 of TASUED, N75,000 of ABRAHAM ADESANYA POLY, and N99,000 of OGSCOTECH ILESE to mention but a few, as Tuition Fee, is indeed affordable and payable by the people of the State, without excluding the Civil Servants on the Governments Payroll. Gentlemen of the press, let it be stressed emphatically, that we see no bases why the Government will want to hand off completely from funding Tertiary Education, by shifting the total expenditures vis-a-vis Salary payments on the Universitys administrators, as the only possibility of them to paying this Salary hangs on increment in Tuition fees. We unequivocally, want to make it crystal clear to both the State Government and the University Management, that any attempt by the University Administrators to add a kobo to current exorbitant fees may result to a Grand Societal Unrest in the State. Actions against such wont be limited to Campus, but spread to the nook and cranny of the State. We cannot open our eyes and fold our arms, as we watch Government deprive us of Education, even when our collective Parents taxes are used to provide First Class Education to their children in the best Universities in the world. NON-PAYMENT OF LECTURERS SALARY Gentlemen of the Press, as you all know that the Federal Government facilitated ASUU nationwide strike of more than 7 Months, really truncated the academic calendar of all Universities in Nigeria. Commonsensically, any strike embarked upon by OOU-ASUU will prolong our already elongated time on campus. Logically, Todays Students will become Tomorrow’s Workers. Ideologically, injustice to any Union, is injustice to all Unions. It is on these premises that we strongly demand that the State Government should wake up to its responsibilities, by paying the Salaries of the Lecturers with immediate alacrity. If the Lecturers work without any agitation from the Government, then we see no justification for any agitation from Lecturers before they receive their rewards of Labour from the Government. We look forward to a situation, where it will be a law, that every Government workers must be paid their Salaries before Governor, Speaker and Commissioners, receive theirs. Gentlemen of the press, let it be underlined that gone are the days, that once strike commence, Students go home. Now, any strike embarked upon by the Lecturers due to Government deliberate refusal to pay their Salaries, going home will not be an option again! We all as Students in our thousands, will resume at Oke-Mosan with the Governor until the strike ends. We cant continue to allow our future to be toyed with no matter what, as no price is too cost in fighting for ones Right and Belief. Education is our right! Gentlemen of the press, no doubt the ongoing expansion and construction of roads and bridges in the State by the Government is a welcome development, which is part of what is needed as a pre-requisite for Economic development. However, it should be noted that building bridges at the expense of quality investments in Education and provision of affordable Education to all, is committing societal suicide as Education role in Society outweighs mere building of Bridges and Roads. OUR ABDUCTED JUNIORS Its been almost 60 days now, that our Juniors in the Northern part of the Country were abducted by the hewned draconian group, popularly known as Boko Haram in Chibok. This clearly shows that security despite having the biggest chunk of the 2014 budget, is still highly feeble and porous. We strongly believe that any society, where social justice is alien, where poverty has physical form, inequality in National income distribution, unprecedented level of Unemployment, couple with greedy Politicians who utilise the heterogeneous Nature of the Nation and its pluralism in Religion for political accomplishment, certainly, insurgents like Boko Haram is inevitable in such society. We see no justification that since April 15, that our girls have been abducted, no person or persons has been sacked or resigned for this. We see no iota of reasons why our innocent Girls will continue to suffer in that thick forest, day and night. Whilest, those saddled with the statutory responsibilities to secure them failed woefully, are still keeping their Jobs. Therefore, we unequivocally call for the resignation and if they do not, call on the President to sack the Minister of Defence, National Minister For Defense, General Aliyu Gusau, the National Security Adviser to president Jonathan, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, the Inspector General of Police Mr. Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar for their inefficiencies. No doubt the current status quo of our insecurity shows that they are not capable in their various offices with Boko Haram bomb explosion becoming a daily norm. Their sack may not bring back our girls, but certainly make the new occupants to be more serious in bringing back our girls and securing the nation more when they know the consequence of being incompetence. Gentlemen of the press, we see the need to appreciate the Nigeria Soldiers. Despite poor Welfarism from the Government, yet they are still fighting gallantly in defence of the nation. We salute you all! Let it be known that, the issue of the Girls should not be politicized, as either “BringBackOurGirls” or “ReleaseOurGirls” are inconsequential to every right thinking Nigerian. What we want to see soonest is the return of our Students, and our Juniors to the society where they belong and not in the forest with the human Beasts. Our Students’ Union relies on the unshakable support of the Media in confronting Agents who are bent on denying us the right to affordable higher Education. Agents who are deliberately sabotaging our future through causing strike among Lecturers and agents that trivialize our security and Economy freedom. We equally invite labour Activists, our Parents in the market, Civil society Organizations and other progressive segments of the public to join us against this unholy development attempt on our Education in Ogun State. Thank you all for being here. Aluta Continue! Victoria Ascerta! Signed: Ifade Olusegun President 07036426393
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 11:18:26 +0000
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