BREAKING: President Jonathan Bows To OAU Students' Union Threat

For many that believe that many Nigerian leaders hardly listen and yield to the cry and pleas of their people without a tone of war may be right afterall.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has finally succumb to the threat of the Students' Union of Obafemi Awolowo University to work against him if he refuses to take action on the increased school fees of the school and other bothering matters affecting tertiary institutions across the nation.

The willingnes and readiness of President Jonathan to ensure an immediate action is taken on the requests of Ife students was revealed today by the Presidency.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth & Student Matters said this via his twitter page some fews hours ago that the president has directed the Minister of Education to meet with Chairmen Governing Councils and Vice Chancellors of Universities on student welfare.

He further noted that the direction was in reference to Obafemi Awolowo University's school fees and that the direction will look into other schools.

Meet Oluremi Sonaiya; Former OAU Lecturer & Sole Female Presidential Candidate

In the forthcoming 2015 presidential election in Nigeria, only one female candidate will be contesting for the presidency, according to the list of presidential candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Prof. Comfort Oluremi Sonaiya, a former lecturer at the Department of Foreign Languages at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, is the only candidate representing the female gender among the male-dominated candidates.

Sonaiya will be contesting under the umbrella of KOWA party, alongside running mate, Saidu Bobboi.

In 2008, she was named an International Ambassador Scientist of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and until recently, Sonaiya was the National Public Relations Officer of KOWA Party.

KOWA was registered as a political party on July 16, 2009, by a group of Nigerian Civil Society, activists, professionals and technocrats.

The KOWA party claims to be different from other political parties. Its website says: “We are mostly political activists, professionals and politicians who did not find a level playing ground in the God-father-dominated Political Parties. This means that we are not your typical, conventional, rotten politicians. We are different.”



Source: roughbutdiamond.blogspot.com/2014/12/former-oau-lecturer-prof-oluremi.html

OAU Students Slam Union Officers Over Threat Against Jonathan's Re-election

The press statement issued earlier today by the Obafemi Awolowo University Students' Union has been greeted with various criticisms by students of the institution.

The SU President, Mr Ibikunle Isaac and the SU Public Relations Officer, Mr Bamidele Oludare had told journalists that students of OAU are ready to work against the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan if he fails to accede to their demands with utmost urgency. Reacting to this development, a student activist in the school, Comrade Olubanji Oluwole a.k.a Engels has described the threat from the Union officers as a deviation from scientific struggle as opposed to speculative struggle.

Comrade Engels argued that the President of the Students' Union cannot speak on behalf of the entire OAU students on such a critical issue without consulting the students first as that amounts to a deviation from the democratic tenants of Great Ife Students' Union. ''The President and PRO probably woke up one day to conjure positions on behalf of mass of students. This press statement is not only a deviation from the democratic tenet of Great Ife Students' Union, but a deviation from scientific struggle as opposed to speculative struggle.''

''If you want to negotiate money with Jonathan, do not use students' interests as canon fodder'' he(Olubanji Oluwole) advised.

With similar tone, another student of the institution, Akinbode Akinloluwa condemned the act of the Union Officers. Akinloluwa wrote ''As far as I'm concerned, the release has the heading 'OAU students threaten to oppose Jonathan's re-election' I am part of this Union either directly or indirectly, let me now ask; When did the CEC or SRC tabled this and deliberated on it before speaking on our behalf? Or who gave Ibikunle the go-ahead to speak on vital issues like this? Or was there any referendum conducted within Dec 14 that I left campus and now?''

OAU Students Threaten To Work Against Jonathan's Re-election

Students of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, have appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to fulfill the promise he made to them on reduction in the fees charged by the management of the university or be ready to lose the February 2015 presidential election.

The Student Union President, Mr. Isaac Ibikunle, and the Secretary, Mr. Oludare Bamidele, said this in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Monday.

The president had held a brief meeting with the student union leaders when he visited the OAU to attend a political meeting organised by some Yoruba leaders on the campus.
Ibikunle had told our correspondent that the President promised to act fast on the demands of the students for reduction in the fees charged by the management of the university.

He noted that some students from poor background had dropped out of school because of the exorbitant fees being charged by higher institutions.

The student stated that crime would continue to be on the increase if education, which is the only sure way to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, was priced out of the reach of poor students.

He said OAU students and the entire students all over the country would work against the president if he fails to fulfill the promise he made to them on the fees and other matters relating to the education sector.



Source: The Punch

The Labours Of Our Recent Heroes...

In Nigeria, 2014 was very hectic. Boko Haram became very emboldened and for once, it felt as if the north was being governed by Boko Haram and the remaining by Goodluck Jonathan but hey! Its always hectic for Nigeria, so why the fuss? It was a year exactly on November 12 2014 when Professor Festus Iyayi died on his way to attend a national Executive Council meeting of Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) in Kano. The ASUU branch in my school (Obafemi Awolowo University) celebrated the anniversary with a colloquium. I do not know whether the event was a national ASUU event but the poster that was out on campus to announce the event got me thinking about several things: The man Iyayi, what he fought for in his life, his legacy, the current state of education in Nigeria…

I waited patiently for my fellow students on this day, for the other stakeholders in the education sector too, to remember Iyayi and to honour him for his role in the attempt to liberate the University system but behold! I got none. Even on social media, we were too busy discussing sundry issues like Kim Kardashian posting her nude, or is it semi-nude pictures online to ‘break the internet.’ We are always too busy to think deeply. (Apologies to those who are guilty of this)That day sealed the claim that Nigerians have a very short memory. No student organization/union did anything to appreciate such a man. Anyway, you cannot blame we young ones totally, it is just how Nigeria is, Iyayi just wasn’t ‘Nigerian smart enough.’ He was too patriotic in a country that consumes her own. Such a talent! Hardworking, honest, intelligent… A literary and social critic with award winning novels. People like him don’t stay in this country; they leave for another place where they will be appreciated for all their many talents and abilities. Iyayi refused to join the brain drain, despite losing his job at a point.

Many questions remain unanswered concerning Iyayi’s death. What truly killed him? What caused the accident? (we all know it was the reckless driving of Kogi State Governor,  Idris Wada’s convoy that caused the accident) But the many conspiracy theorists claiming that it was a murder, are they correct? The picture of Iyayi’s corpse that circulated on the internet is not something I can publish here, it’s too gory but it is on Sahara Reporters. His death was ruled as an accident, which seems true but the circumstances surrounding the accident are questionable, the silence that followed his murder is also questionable. Iyayi’s death has joined an already long and growing list of unsolved cases in Nigeria:  Alfred Rewane, Kudirat Abiola, Olaitan Oyerinde, Dipo Dina and M. K. O. Abiola’s death, the abduction of the Chibok girls… The list continues.

Another issue with Iyayi’s death is the state of what he stood and fought for in his lifetime. Many of his former colleagues have trampled on his grave repeatedly by hiking tuition fees in their respective Universities. University Students joined their lecturers in demanding for a revitalization of the system, the battle seemed won after six months of struggling and just a few months after the battle, fees were hiked to as high as over 300% in some schools. The claim is that the intervention fund is yet to be released despite the fact that it was deposited in the central bank before the strike was called off. There are many technicalities involved in accessing the funds and these has been the excuses of University managements but whose fault is that? Students? Parents? The finger points back to the university management. I dare say that ASUU only won the battle and not the war. The struggle continues until the money is accessed by all the universities. If the government can trample on Iyayi’s grave by adding his death to a growing list of unsolved cases then why can’t we students do the same? If Iyayi’s comrades who are ASUU members can do it then why can’t we do it too? The ASUU case is for another day.

          Another hero (For me, calling her ‘heroine’ will diminish the importance of what she did in such a patriarchal society) is late Dr. Stella Adadevoh who has been claimed by Western countries even more than us. She reaffirms the notion that nobility runs in the blood because she’s from the lineage of noble men; Herbert Macaulay and Samuel Ajayi Crowther. She singlehandedly saved Nigeria from the dreaded Ebola virus. (yes! Singlehandedly) Imagine if she had referred Patient Zero, Patrick Sawyer to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, with the contacts and the risks. What if she had allowed him leave for Calabar, Imagine the transport from Obalende to MMI Airport, the contact with people in the plane, people in Calabar, and if he had made it to the conference. Nigeria might have become history, we won’t be thinking of corruption or elections. We owe the whole #SaiBuhari and #GEJTransformation noise to this woman.


The importance of what that woman did can never be overstated and there is no posthumous honour that can be equal to what she did. Although, there has been several calls for her honour and I’m sure she will still get more recognition in death but she’s someone we should never forget. CNN named her alongside Lupita N’yongo, Angelina Jolie, Chimamanda Adichie on a global list of most inspiring women of 2014. She deserves it and even more. Unlike Festus Iyayi, the Western Press has claimed her, even the mainstream Western countries recognized her role in saving the world. A Western Journalist called her ‘British trained’ Nigerian doctor because of her postgraduate training at the University of London. Her MBBS degree at the University of Lagos was shoved aside and the celebrated aspect is her British training. To racial bigots, she’s too noble to be black, and even Nigerian.  On a YNaija.com poll for person of the year 2014, she scored 40% of total votes. (As at 26 December 2014) She deserves the Nigerian of the year award and she deserves a memorial that will last as long as the present generation of Nigerians lives. For me, Stella Adadevoh is my Person of the year.

   Ameyo Stella Shade Adadevoh and Festus Ikhuoria Iyayi, you will never be forgotten. Like Britons said of their dead soldiers, I say:

They shall Not Grow Old, As we that are left grow old, 
Age Shall not weary them, Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, And in the morning,
We will remember them. 

      I have made up my mind, that I will keep these ones forever, even though I can’t live forever. That I will keep them away openly, open enough for future generations to see, and to ask who they were. I will be a bridge, between today and tomorrow, I will tell of their commitment, their loyalty and their patriotism, their virtues I will sing so that they might live forever. Above all, I will tell of how they were/are Nigerians. Sleep on, patriots.


Ibiyemi Ayodele Eagles

He blogs HERE

OAU Student Wins Etisalat Merit Award

Ayomide Thompson Ajayi, a 200 level student of the Faculty of Technology, OAU, came second in the recently held Etisalat Merit Awards Scheme.

Ayomide gave a 5-minute presentation on The Creation Of A Platform (Website) For Waste Recycle Management

Five institutions were present at the event – namely: University of Lagos, University of Benin, Adekunle Ajasin University, Ladoke Akintola University and Obafemi Awolowo university.
The ceremony took place on Wednesday, 17th December, 2014 at Oriental Hotel, 3 Lekki Road, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Nigerian Youth Inclusion In Governance; Catalyst For Genuine National Development

By Prince David Adetula

The 2015 General Elections in Nigeria is almost here and one incontestable fact is that we will be having new set of leaders and extension of the administration of some of the present leaders at various levels of government. The obvious continued sidelining of Nigerian youths from being at the helms of affair may largely continue if we do not take actions as concerned youths. Much more beyond street protests and social network activism, I strongly believe a Nigerian youth has more to offer in government leadership if given the opportunity.

How about Youth? I define Youth as that transcendental period of life from being a child to an adult. For the sake of this topic, I crave your indulgence to consider agile and competent Nigerians within the age bracket of 18-35 years old as youths. Without sole consideration of the current political structures in many Local, State and Federal governments, the youths over the years have not risen to obvious height where their impact can be strongly felt in leadership.

Demographically, the population of Nigerian youths constitute the active majority which is the needed number in any standard setting to decide what goes on in the nation. Since some schools of thought will say Politics is a game of number which I quite agree with to a very large extent, how then is it that the political representation Nigerian youths at echelon positions is near nothing?

Some factors have been responsible for this ranging from poor credible youth representation, illiteracy and ignorance to unfavourable government policies. The blame for this cannot only be accredited to external forces as youths themselves do not help matter. It is quite disheartening to know that the youths many at times find it very excruciating to have a clear-cut definition of what they represent and who they are, let alone them gaining the deserved recognition in the socio-economic and political world.
Practically, you will see a 53 years old man regarded as Youth Leader in a political party, then, you begin to ask yourself questions, does this mean that we do not have capable and credible young minds that can lead their colleagues? Or how does this add up?

Many of the old cabals and leaders hide under the leaking umbrella that has an inscription: ''the nowadays youths in Nigeria will be worse than the old men and women who are in power today and they will even perform more badly if given the slightest chance.'' Yes, they may be right to an extent after all, there are several indications to their claim but I will want to agree with the words of Dr. (Ms) Evelyn Ndali Oputu OON during the 40th Convocation Lecture delivery at Obafemi Awolowo University that Nigerians youths are not entirely what they are popularly said to be. Our youths are only greedy and selfish because of the non-suitable and non-working environment they find themselves. Give them the right conditions and see the beauty of a Nigerian Youth! I have observed discussions and intellectual contributions of our youths on social platforms concerning crucial national issues and I cannot but say, we still have more than enough capable youths who can turn things around and help us fulfill the promise in our land.

Our heroes and heroines have repeatedly proved this in time past that tenacious and sagacious leadership translating to good governance and productive drive is not proportional to age. If the likes of Yakubu Gowon and Shehu Shagari could lead this same nation well as the Head of State and President respectively during their youthful days, I strongly want to conclude we can still do it and even in a very better way!


RECOMMENDATIONS
1) Aggressive sensitization of Nigerian youths to take their rightful place in today's governance. The era of “Leaders of Tomorrow” should be over, we are needed in today’s government to make things happen.
2) There is an urgent need for a clear representation of the youths at various spheres. Unity amongst youths at various levels is inevitable to achieve this. The group umbrella of Nigerian youths can eventually metamorphose into a full-fledged political party in no time.
3) Campaign for Youth inclusion in governance. The few youths privileged to be somewhere influential in the system need to help this project. We need to state in one voice a substantial percentage of Youth involvement in governance.
4) There is a need for the youths to demonstrate high level of competence and credibility even as things stand. We can create viable and workable model of governance experimented via leadership roles in our various capacities outside the targeted spot.
5) The youths need to work and support political figures that have youth friendly programmes and those that work/ready to work with Nigerian youths.


Remember, if you are not part of the solution, you are certainly part of the problem. Things need to change!


Photo Credit: Cruise Nigeria