Day of warHow LASU students dared Fashola, varsitymanagement over tuition fee hike…Vow to press on until government shelvesthe 725% increment

Recently, students of Lagos State University
(LASU), Ojo, erupted like an active volcano.
The students rose in protest against the new
fees regime introduced by the Lagos State
Government. However, at the World
Teachers’ Day celebration on October 5 in
Lagos, the Lagos State Commissioner for
Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, told
newsmen that the state government would
engage the Students Union in a dialogue over
the approved fee hike.
Now, the big question is: Was that done
before the bubble burst on Thursday, October
20, when the students of LASU took to the
streets, barricading the Mile/Badagry
Expressway, Iba Road and Old Ojo Road to
protest the increment put in the region of
over 725 per cent?
The new tuition regime as recommended by
the visitation panel and approved by the state
government is as follows: College of Medicine,
N348,750; Faculties of Arts and Education,
N193,750; Faculty of Social and
Management Sciences, N223,750; Law
programmes, N248, 750; Faculty of
Communication/ Transport, N238,750;
Faculty of Science, N258,750 Faculty of
Engineering, N298,750.
Following the rejection of the increment by
students, the university authorities summoned
the union executives led by Akeem Durojaiye
to a meeting with the Acting Vice Chancellor,
Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, and other
principal officers of LASU. The students
official position to the fee hike was made
known at a briefing held at the Lagos State
University College of Medicine, were they told
the state government and the institution
management in strong words of their stand
and from there, it was obvious that the battle
line had been drawn.
Now another question is: Did the state
government and LASU management
underrate the students after the exchange of
words over the fee hike? If they did, the
protest of Thursday, October 20, certainly
could not have caught LASU authorities
unawares because by Wednesday evening, a
day before the protest, the students had
resolved to boycott the General Studies
examination scheduled for the next day for
100 and 300 level students and embark on a
peaceful protest against the fee increment.
By 8.00am on Thursday, the students led by
their union leader, Durojaiye, had mobilised
for the “daddy of all protests” despite the
General Studies (GNS) exam slated for same
day. But in a statement, the university
authorities had warned to deal with any
student found disturbing the peace of the
institution, vowing to hand over such student
(s) to the police. Expectedly, the statement
did not move the students, who promptly shut
down the university and took over the Mile/
Badagry Expressway and adjoining roads.
The arrival of policemen from Ojo Police
post, including the area commander, did not
stop the students from carrying out their
protest against the fee hike as the security
men, it was gathered, stood at a distance,
watching the angry students barricade the
Badagry Expressway with seized trailers,
buses, and disused tyres, thus preventing
traffic flow on the three major roads as well
as locking the main entrance gate to the
university.
The students also disrupted the ongoing
General Studies (GNS) examination, which
involved 100 and 300 level students, switched
off generating sets being used by some
faculties, ordered banks operating on the
campus to close for business and sent
construction workers working on some
projects on campus packing. The acting VC,
Professor Olatunji-Bello, Registrar, Mr. L.O.
Animashaun and the Bursar stayed away
from the campus based on security advice.
The statement from the university
management only fuelled the protest as the
students union president, Durojaiye,
instructed the students to charge towards the
administrative block. After their efforts to
get into the building proved futile, they then
put off the generating set and instructed the
construction workers to cease work. They
dared the management to sanction any
student or hand over any of them to the
police.
The protest, which caught commuters
unawares, disrupted traffic flow and
commercial activities for over nine hours,
leading to gridlock, stretching from LASU
gate to under bridge bus-stop for those
heading to Oshodi, Mile 2, Costain, while
traffic flow from the Badagry end stretched
from Alaba Rago up to Ijanikin area. Many
commuters trekked for long distances.
The angry students’ chanted anti-Fashola,
Bola Tinubu and Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN) songs with some, carrying placards,
describing the tuition fees increment as
outrageous. They then questioned the
rationale behind paying N18, 000 to state
workers whose wards attend LASU and how
they would get the money to pay the new fees.
The protesting students ordered motorists and
commercial motorcyclists (okada) to reverse,
chanting “Ole to Fashola, Ole to LASU
management”, Others carried large placards
with the inscription “No change, no fee
increment, no local government elections.”
Some of the students used the opportunity to
play football on the expressway, ludo game,
Whot and nursery rhymes while others
danced to music, using their mobile phones.
Like a scene from the war front, the students
watched out for any Lagos State Government
vehicle. They seized one belonging to a local
government in the state. However, no vehicle
or school property was destroyed throughout
the protest session. Some of the students took
time to educate passers-by on the reason for
the demonstration.
Some passers-by, who paid attention to the
students’ explanation on the fee increment,
decried the amount involved and wondered
how parents, earning less than N80, 000 per
month, who have fresh students in the school
can cope with the new fee increment. On
account of the students’ explanation, many
of the passers-bye tactically gave their support
to the protest and for first time, they did not
condemn the action of the LASU students.
Durojaiye, told Daily Sun amidst chants of
solidarity songs by his colleagues, that the
protest would continue until the Lagos State
Government rescinded its decision on the fee
increment. He noted that some parents were
civil servants, who earned N18, 000 as
minimum wage, which “the state government
cannot even afford to pay the workers, how
can they increase the fees by 725 per cent?”
they queried.
The students’ union president said the protest
was to send a signal to Governor Fashola and
the university management that they were
prepared to resist the fee increment, pointing
out that the state government had not invited
his union for any discussion on the issue. He
expressed the union’s disappointment with the
ACN for supporting the commercialisation of
education in the state.
In a swift reaction, the National Association
of Nigerian Students (NANS) explained that
following the refusal of government to reverse
the proposed anti-masses tuition fees, the
students staged the first phase of the seven-
phase campaign against LASU school fees
increment just to express their
disappointment with the action of the
Governor Fashola-led administration.
The Vice President, External Affairs of
NANS, Adeyemi Azeez, in a statement gave
the Governor Fashola administration 72
hours ultimatum to reverse the 725 per cent
increment in tuition fees, warning that if the
government failed, the students would proceed
to the second phase of the protest, which
would be a national one, “as the leadership of
NANS will be at the war front of the
struggle.”
Both Durojaiye and Azeez denied that LASU
students’ union officials met with Fashola
same day at ACN campaign rally at Mile 2
nor were aware of any proposed meeting with
the former governor, Senator Bola Tinubu,
over the issue. He equally expressed
disappointment with the party, which
promised free education at all levels during its
campaigns.
The protest against fee hike also got the
support of Education Rights Campaign
(ERC), which described the increment as
another attempt by the state government to
commercialise education out of the reach of
children of the poor and the working masses.
“It is saddening that this is coming from a
major opposition party, the ACN, which lays
claim to late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s
philosophy of free education.”
The group, in a statement signed by its
National Co-ordinator, Hassan Taiwo, noted
that presently, LASU had overcrowded
classrooms, inadequate lecture halls, water-
logged environment (as a result of poor
drainage system), ill-equipped libraries and
laboratories, inadequate teaching and non-
teaching staff, lack of transportation
facilities, poor sporting facilities, poor ICT
services, among others.
According to ERC, the proposed fee
increment was not new. It added that it had
always been the case with every second term of
ACN governors, who ruled the state. It noted:
“In 2004, the immediate past governor,
Tinubu hiked the school fees from N250 to
N25, 000. This new increment is coming on
the heels of the re-election of Governor
Fashola.”
It expressed concern over the excuse given by
the state government that it couldn’t fund
free and qualitative education at all levels,
describing the action as insincere and
unacceptable. It pointed out that Lagos State
generated the highest internally generated
revenue in the country, yet the government
complains it cannot fund university
education.
“We call on the students’ union of LASU to
resist this increment with mass actions and
lecture boycott. Only a mass-based action can
force the state government to rescind its
decision. We also appeal to staff unions to
equally condemn the fee increment and give
support to students’ resistance.”
On Thursday, October 27, the students
stormed the governor’s office and State
House of Assembly to protest the fee hike and
also honour the invitation of the lawmakers,
who waded into impasse between the students,
university management and the state
government.
At the State secretariat Alausa, due to security
report about their coming, the two gates were
locked and were manned by armed policemen.
At the floor of the assembly, Durojaiye
reiterated the students opposition to the
increment in fees while the Acting VC, Prof.
Olatunji-Bello, read her presentation in which
she explained that she informed the students
about the fee hike based on the government
directive.
After the special hearing, the students laid
ambush for the VC, who sensed they would be
waiting for her outside, thus stayed inside
until they left the compound.
Tension is mounting on campus over the fee
hike as the students are battle-ready to
confront Governor Fashola and the
university management over the hike but the
outcome of the assembly mediation on the
impasse may determine the next phase of
their action.

Aminu backs fuel subsidy removal

ABUJA—Former Minister of Petroleum
Resources, Senator Jibril Aminu, weekend,
threw his weight behind President
Goodluck Jonathan’s move to remove the
contentious fuel subsidy.
He said only Nigeria’s neighbours enjoyed
the over N1 trillion being spent annually
by the government in executing the policy.
Prof. Aminu, also a former Minister of
Education, said the country could not
sustain the huge expenditure for too long
as very few Nigerians enjoyed the subsidy
while the masses of neighbouring countries
fed fat on the policy.
He said: “I am not going to mince words,
honestly speaking, the subsidy is too
much. Subsidy is just being used to convey
these petroleum products to our
neighbouring countries.
“How much is it costing the country?
When I was the Petroleum Minister, it
used to cost about N100 million to convey
the subsidy, not even the subsidy itself,
but to deliver it.
”When you look at it, it is not something
that we can sustain and I believe that
NNPC has a responsibility to bring the
figures out now and let Nigerians know
what we are losing by way of this subsidy,”
he said.
The former minister noted that
government position over the years had
been misunderstood because of the method
used in conveying it to the public.
Advising the federal government to create
means of cushioning the effect of the
fuel subsidy removal, Prof. Aminu urged
officials of the Nigeria National
Petroleum Corporation to educate the
public on the actual amount federal
government spent annually on fuel
subsidy.
“The British have a saying that it is not
what you do but how you do it . It is not
what you say but how you say it. I am
convinced that with the way things are
going now in this country, we cannot
continue with this oil subsidy indefinitely.
“It is impossible considering the amount
we are spending. Look at the figures. We
all must have done some science while in
school,” he said.
He noted that the money spent on fuel
subsidy this could have been used to develop
the educational system, roads, agriculture
etc now going to one sector only, stressing
that if the energy was used 100 percent
for the benefit of Nigerians, that would
have been okay.
He advocated a gradual removal of the
subsidy, and noted that for Nigerians to
accept government’s position, which will
benefit the country in the long run, the
government could develop a policy to
gradually remove the subsidy
Prof. Aminu, however, emphasised the
need for government to raise the
sensitivity and awareness of the people to
the problem, noting that “ the people also
must see that we are living by what we
preach.
“Before I am misunderstood as a man who
does not have sympathy for the common
man, I believe that in the Abacha days,
they found some answers to this problem
by withdrawing the subsidy, taking the
money saved and using it on things;
developmental activities which people could
see.
“That was the difference that Petroleum
Trust Fund, PTF, made. They were
making roads, building hospitals, buying
drugs; things that states and local
governments should do were being done by
the PTF. So in my opinion, there are ways
we can remove the subsidy and not make
people feel bad about it.
“Another thing with PTF was that it was
in a military era and there was no need to
consult states but now, there need to be
some agreement among the states, local
and the federal governments. If the idea
is just to increase the pump price, then
risk some kind of resistance from the
people.”

Row over judgment as 2 lay claim to Sarkinstool

A Kano High Court presided over by Justice
Mohammed Sidi Matu has declined an
application for a stay of execution in respect
of its own judgment setting aside the removal
of Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi as the
Sarkin Dawaki Maituta and the district head
of Gabasawa by the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado
Bayero.
In its ruling in Kano Justice Mohammed
Sidimatu held that, there is nothing more to
add or to remove from the judgement he
delivered on July 14, 2011, more so as the
judgement is a declarative judegment.
He reminded the applicants that he has
already become functus officio (Meaning
that he has reached the final point of the
case) while insisting that the proper place for
the ventilation of any grievance(s) arising
out of his July 14, 2011 judgment is the Court
of Appeal.
It could be recalled that the Emir of Kano and
the Emirate Council, through their counsels,
had sought for an order of a stay of
execution of the said judgment pending the
hearing and determination of their appeal,
which is currently before the Court of Appeal
in Kaduna.
At the heart of the hearing is the
determination of whether the current
occupant of the throne of the Sarkin
Dawakin Maituta and the district head of
Gabasawa , Alhaji Bello Abubakar should
vacate the position in the light of the July14
judgement which declared that the removal of
his predecessor was unconstitutional. During
the hearing, counsel to the Emir of Kano,
Ibrahim Waru had drawn the attention of
the court to the effect that the title of the
Sarkin Dawakin Maituta, currently occupied
by the second defendant’s applicant, Alhaji
Bello Abubakar is not a perishable item which
would be damaged before the hearing and
determination of the subsisting case at the
Court of Appeal.
Stating that Alhaji Bello Abubakar has been
living in peace with his people in his domain
since 2004 when he was appointed to the
position, he stressed that the immediate
execution of the judgement of July 14, 2011,
without giving the Emir of Kano and the
Emirate Council an opportunity to exercise
their constitutional right of appeal would
create a situation where there would be two
kings in the same palace.
He feared that such a situation might result
in the breakdown of law and order, not only
in Gabasawa district in the whole of the state.
In his submission, the counsel representing
the Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi , Kabiru
Olawoye reminded the court that since it had
set aside the removal of his client from office,
the continued stay in office of his successor
amounted to continuing an act of illegality.

Accident claims 5 in Kano

A tragic accident has occurred in Kano State
wiping out five occupants of a Mercedes
Benz, who are probably members of the same
family.
The ill-fated vehicle, it was gathered, was
driving to Kano from the Zaria end of the
highway before it skipped off the track at
Tamburawa Bridge , some 21 Kilometer to the
state capital.
The actual cause of the tragedy was not clear
as at press time, but witnesses told the Daily
Sun that the car unexpectedly ran into a deep
pothole at the edge of the bridge as a result of
which the driver lost control.
Sympathizers, including some of local divers,
immediately mobilized a rescue operation team
but their efforts were insufficient to save the
lives of the victims.
It took the arrival of the officers of the Fire
Service to bring out the mangled body of the
deceased including that of the wife that was
cut into two and an infant, whose head was
severed.
Sector Commander of the Federal Road
Safety Corps in Kano State, Alhaji Hassan
Kogari while confirming the incident blamed
the state of the road for the accident.
Alhaji Kogari regretted that the very dead
spot, situated at the entrance of the bridge
has led to similar tragic crashes that had
killed no fewer than 34 lives in the past six
months. He appealed to the Federal
Government and the relevant authorities, to
as a matter of urgency, commence the repairs
of that particular portion of the high way in
order to avert further loss of lives.

Nigeria not ripe for State Police – Osayande

ABUJA – Chairman, Police Service
Commission, Mr. Parry Osayande, has
said Nigeria is not yet politically developed
to allow the decentralization of the
Nigeria Police.
Osayande, in a briefing to Senator Dahiru
Kuta-led Committee on Federal Character
and Inter-Governmental Affairs, also
said past military regimes were responsible
for the dearth of professionalism in the
Police.
He said interferences in the
administration of the police coupled with
poor funding, understaffing and collapse
of police infrastructure during military
regimes had left the Police in a very bad
shape.
He said: “Ideally, we should have state
police, even local government police. But
right now we are not politically mature.
The police, as it today, constitute the tie
that binds Nigeria together. You can
imagine a situation, an itinerant criminal
commits an offence in Lagos and he ran
away to Benin and the government in
Benin is not in the same party with the
government in Lagos, they can even shield
them.
“But once we mature politically, you can
decentralise the police. Right now, we are
not politically mature for that.That is
why we must continue; like we have one
currency, one military then we should
have one police.”
He accused the military of infiltrating
the Nigeria Police with unqualified
personnel through fraudulent
recruitments and promotions, but said the
commission was already on salvage
mission to restore professionalism in the
Police.
The Committee, which was on oversight
tour of the Commission to ensure
adherence to federal character principles
in the recruitment and promotion of
Police personnel directed that details of
recruitment and promotion exercises be
submitted to the Senate by today.
He said: “We want details of the last
recruitment by Monday, how many people
have been recruited and promoted
reflecting the states they come from? We
need to know because we have received
petitions that some states are lording it
over others in terms of recruitment and
promotions.”

Why we picked Keshi - NFF

In spite of the spirited and repeated denials by
the chairman of Technical Committee of the
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF),
Barrister Christopher Green, that the
federation has not picked a new coach for the
Super Eagles, members of the executive board
have zeroed in on Stephen Keshi as the
favoured candidate for the job.
Disclosing this to Daily Sunsports, a member
of the board, who does not want his name in
print, said that what informed the board’s
decision was the fact that since the Hawks of
Togo’s former handler contested the position
with sacked Siasia, it has decided against
inviting fresh applications from other
coaches.
He further noted that though the board will
ratify Keshi on Wednesday as Eagles head
coach, there were strong indications that it
would be on acting bases, revealing that the
board was looking into the option of hiring a
foreign coach for the Eagles.
“Well, Keshi is the likely person to replace
Siasia. His choice was based on the simple
fact that he attended the interview with
Siasia. We want to avoid inviting fresh
applications from other coaches. We just
want somebody to start working on acting
capacity until we finally resolve on the
possibility of hiring a foreign coach. For now,
we have settled for Keshi,” our source noted.
Asked why the board sacrificed Siasia despite
divided opinions of Nigerians to his favour,
the board member noted that his greatest
undoing was his arrogance to the technical
committee members and most especially the
clause in his contract.
Admitting that the board was harsh in
inserting such draconian clause in Siasia's
contract, he, however, blamed Siasia for not
appealing for the removal of the clause,
stressing that the desperation for the job
could beclouded his meticulous and detailed
scrutiny of the contract document.“The
reports and recommendations of the
technical committee were very unfavourable.
They said that Siasia was very arrogant. He
talks down on all members of the committee
and that was why they were unanimous in
recommending his sack.
“He specifically gave example of an incident
when the technical committee wanted him to
remove injured Chibuzor Okonkwo since he
has not being playing for Heartland FC, but
he refused. During the match against Guinea,
it was obvious Siasia was biased and
sentimental in his selections. He fielded his
boys,” he noted.
On conditions that would have saved Siasia
from sack, the board member said: “I can tell
you the general feelings of most members was
that if Siasia had resigned immediately after
the match, he would have been retained, but
his over confidence was his greatest undoing.”