Students’ Unionism: Hours To Expiration of 7-day Ultimatum, NANS Honors OAU Management ‘Truce’ Meeting

Barely few hours to the expiration of seven working days ultimatum issued by the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, South West Zone, to the management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; University of Lagos, Unilag ; Lagos State Polytechnic, LASPOTECH ; and Yaba College of Technology, YabaTech to reinstate the suspended students’ Union in the respective institutions, the management of OAU, invited the leadership of NANS to a ‘truce’ meeting.

NANS in a statement signed by its executives gave details of the meeting between the management and the students’ body in a release made available to Vreporters on Wednesday.

NANS said, all its members in the zone are already on red alert to mobilise heavily to OAU to demand for the unconditional reinstatement of the Students’ Union till its demand is met.

The statement partly read; “It is instructive to note that the management of Obafemi Awolowo University through the Division of Students’ Affairs replied the leadership of the Zone and the entire Nigerian students in the institution via a circular that processes to ensure the reinstatement of the Students’ Union had begun even before the ultimatum was issued. However, earlier today, the Division of Students’ Affairs of the institution called for a ‘truce’ meeting with the leadership of the association in the Zone to discuss issues as regards suspension and reinstatement of the Students’ Union. And, the meeting had in attendance the Dean, Prof. I. O. Aransi and the Vice Dean, Dr. Oluwatosin, Division of Students’ Affairs, Obafemi Awolowo University, a member of the Guidance and Counselling Unit of the University who happens to be a member of the committee that the management claimed to have been set up earlier towards facilitating reinstatement of the Students’ Union, Mr. Ilesanmi and the University’s CSO, Mr. Babatunde Oyatokun.

“The leadership of the Zone, during the meeting maintained that the Vice-Chancellor of the University should communicate the general public via a written statement that the Students’ Union of the institution has been reinstated at the latest, Friday, after the conclusion of the University’s Senate meeting where resumption of students is meant to be discussed. Both the DSA and the CSO assured the leadership of the Zone that the VC shall communicate adequately”.

Conclusively, NANS expressed its appreciation to the DSA for providing an avenue to discuss while it maintain that the letters of the meeting be adhered to in order for the students to properly participate in decision making.