The Students Union leadership has
received several complaints on our decision to boycott lecture and transportation in the new week. And for record purpose, it is necessary to clarify the reasons behind the decision of the Union.
Before we were inaugurated, we had received all sorts of reports from students about the excesses of the campus shuttle drivers such as harrassment of students, assault on students and even cases of threat with juju and jazz. And on several occasions whenever we get the report and move down to the scene of events, these shuttle drivers would always put up lies and cover up for themselves. We therefore resolved as a team that we won’t introduce ourselves as Executives to these shuttle drivers perhaps such of these act would be put up against us.
On Monday 4th of November 2019, myself, Senate President and some executives were coming from town when a controversy developed as the shuttle driver stopped on the expressway. I had to maintain peace and calmness against the wish of the students in the bus until I gave the driver and extra #100. To my surprise, this driver find it difficult to give me change until the students at the gate started greeting and he realized my position in the Union whence he started apologizing for his wrongdoing claiming he didnt know.
On Tuesday, the incident repeated itself again as this shuttle driver stopped on a highway again. The passengers started raising alarm when they saw an oncoming truck. This required the passengers to come down from the bus instantly but unfortunately the bus was too bad that the door couldn’t be opened from within. So the Welfare Director had to jump down through the window of the bus to open from outside to set the other students inside free. I was called upon on the matter and I asked the welfare director to hold on to the money. We were called by the DSA as the matter had gotten to his table. We were asked to refund the money back to the University director of Transport Unit. When we got to the office of the director, he didn’t listened to us but only demanded for the money. So I asked that not until the driver of th shuttle is called upon to come and give his explanation before us, we won’t handover the money. The director started raising voice threatening us that we would b dealt with if he take the issue up officially which we asked him to do as it was obvious he is conniving with these shuttle drivers probably because he was getting return from them.
Eventually, the DSA called the Union leaders and the leadership of the shuttle drivers to a meeting at the Students Affairs office were all cases were raised. It became more glaring that these shuttle drivers are truly becoming untouchable as they were able to maintain their stand that their driver had not done anything wrong as the #50 worth more than the life of the 18 students in the bus. It became worse when they pointed out they couldn’t treat us specially because we haven’t introduced ourselves as exco to them since we have been innaugurated. This point y e Senate President bluntly rebuked that we didn’t need to be Union officers before we would be treated as human being and that the lives of every students is as precious as our own lives. We were later pacified and asked to put our demands in document.
The meeting of the parliament was slated for Friday and the issue of transportation was to be discussed. While the meeting was on going, we were called that some of our students are being harrassed by the shuttle drivers again. Myself, the Senate President and few other comrades had to rush down to their park at Lagos garage in town.
Evidently, the shuttle drivers leadership indeed defended their member. We tried all our best possible to resolve the issue amicably but they started threatening us that they will use the school authority against us and equally use charm on us.
And indeed, on our way back, their charm did work out as we encountered an accident that almost claim the life of the Senate President who lost consciousness at the school medical centre before the intervention of the doctors. We were still receiving treatment when the Dean Of Students Affairs called that he was informed that we went to the park to disrupt their activities there. I took the pain to explain all over what had transpired.
Few minutes later, I had to rush out of the bed to calm the situation of things at the school gate as I was informed that the students were building up population to retaliate. This I personally oversaw to ensure there was no chaos and not even the activities of the shuttle drivers was interrupted.
While on bed, we received another call that the Students Union Vice President has been beaten up by another shuttle driver.
In all of these, the leadership of The Students Union still put in all effort to maintaining peace and stability with the hope that adequate measures will be taken with immidiate effect.
As responsible Students Unions leaders, it becomes imperative for us to protect the interest of our students. Equally as advocate of peace and stability, we deem it necessary that we do not want to engage ourselves in garage boys like manner.
In view of these, we therefore decided to ask our students to sit back in their various hostels pending the time a lasting solution would be provided as we cannot guarantee the safety of our students who would have no choice but to board these shuttles. Equally, we cannot guy that peace would remain should any student is harrassed any moment from now. Hence, our peaceful decision and engagement.
In short, these are our demands that can resolve all of these crisis in due time;
1 That the transport fare should be reversed to #50 from #70 as the extortive #20 excess is the reason behind these conflicts.
2 All drivers must register their vehicles with the Students Union for road worthiness verification.
3 All drivers must provide driver’s licence.
God bless TASUEDSU
A LUTA CONTINUA
SONEYE ABDUL-AZEEZ LEKAN LAS
STUDENTS UNION PRESIDENT
