With the current national display of incongruity, incompetency and selfishness by the leadership of students’ union in the country, the only motion everyone should stand on is that the race of students’ unionism in Nigeria today is full of self interest rather than true patriotism.
The history of students’ unionism in Nigeria can be traced to the ‘West African Student’s Union’ which was founded in London on August 7, 1925 by a group of twenty one law students led by Ladipo Solanke and Herbert Bright. The main aims of WASU was to fight for the independence of West African countries and to put an end to racial discrimination which as at then was climbing it’s peak. In 1956, The ‘National Union of Nigerian Students’ was founded following some structural changes in WASU. NUNS inherited the same idealism from WASU and the students’ union matched on as a platform of change and informed activism.
The union leaders then were purely idealist, fire brands and an undiluted patriot. They suffered all forms of maltreatment – yet remain adamant insisting they are fighting against the forces of feudalism and tyranny – under the administration of a man who has zero tolerance to students’ unionism, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. NUNS was banned in 1978 under his administration but Alhahi Shehu Shagari regime lifted the ban in 1980, leading to the birth of National Association of Nigerian Students’ (NANS).
The situation has taken a dramatic turn around as one would wonder if the same union that spearheaded the 1978 ‘Ali Must Go’ campaign pressurizing the Federal Military Government of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo to cancel the increment of school fee and which Reuben Abati described in his article as thus […… In addition, carrots were dangled before students’ union leaders. But these measures hardly changed the resolve of Nigerian students as agents of change. The students’ struggle has had its own share of heroes and martyrs (Segun Okeowo, Kunle Adepeju, Akintunde Ojo, Chima Ubani, Chris Abashi, Emma Ereazu, Chris Mammah, Labaran Maku, Banji Adegboro, Ben Oguntuase, Lanre Arogundade, Omoyele Sowore, Olusegun Maiyegun….) who tasted battles and stood for principles in the many theatres of war (anti-SAP and removal of oil subsidy between 1989 and 1991, June 12 protests, antimilitary campaigns, etc) where and when Nigerian students stood beside labour and other pro-democracy groups to insist that Nigeria can be governed differently for the benefits of its citizens] is still the same union that had fallen from its pinnacle of intellectual doggedness to become mere appendage of political parties that keeps on selling Nigerian students’ birthright for their selfish interest.
The recently suspended Academic Staff Union of Universities nationwide strike actions reached it 95days on the day the strike was suspended. What was the impact of Students’ Unionist towards the immediate suspension of the strike when it was declared on November 4, 2018? Nothing! Aside the usual ranting on social media. Speaking with The Nation in December 2018, NANS president – Bamidele Danielson Akpan – had threatened that the union would disrupt the general elections if students were not back on campus within 14days. During the meetings the union leaders had with Federal Government in January 2019 – days after the warning had been issued out – NANS president was seen on the video saying that “if his constituency was well utilized, he would mobilize 20million votes”. Alas! The unionist betrayed students for 150million naira and a brand new car as reported. If we are familiar with history, we would know that the acts of betrayal is common in students’ unionism. In 2005, NANS under the leadership of Kenneth Orkuma Hembe endorsed the then President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo for a third term in office. He and his colleague decorated him with an award: “Defender of Democracy”, an award contrary to what NUNS face in Obasanjo’s hand.
The award came after the president made a personal donation of 5million naira. The acts of betrayal is an insults to the memory of those who died in helping to build the association. They must be turning in their graves!
I hereby insist that NANS and student unionism in Nigeria remains a contemporary contradictions. I hereby re-echo the words of Onifade Bello in his book – Student Unionism in Nigeria: Challenges and Strategies – when he wrote, “sadly, when I keep cogitating about the present generation in comparison with the past, what keeps resonating in my mind; shall the labour of our heroes past be in vain?”
REFERENCES
1. How Nigerian Students Murdered Democracy by Reuben Abati (https://www.nairaland.com/3800/how-nigerian-students-murdered-democracy)
2. NANS Leaders Under Fire Over Election Stand (http://thenationonlineng.net/nans-leaders-fire-election-stand/)
3. The Death Of Students Unionism In Nigerian Universities (http://gistmeust.blogspot.com/2016/07/editorial-death-of-student-unionism-in.html?m=1)
4. NANS: Whither Unionism in Nigeria? (https://www.tribuneonlineng.com/152689/)
5. Uninionism Out Of Place By Abba Yusuf ( http://www.gamji.com/article5000/NEWS5213.htm )
By: Oguntunji Abidemi Emman
COLLEGE – Humanities
DEPARTMENT – English and Literary Studies
MATRIC NO – 20170302019
