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MY MEMOIR ON STUDENT WELFARE.

Colleagues, alumni (remote or near us by age and location), parents, ever intelligent & patriotic Uites, greatest Nigerian students, concerned Nigerians home and abroad, members of the global academia, sympathisers from different civilizations, conscientious observers across physical and social borders, ladies and gentlemen.

Reflecting on my words at the manifesto night, I can remember having said that “our Union will be known for effective collaboration and communication, critical thinking and creativity” but most importantly I stressed the need for the Union to be known for dedication to the improvement of welfare and respect for the dignity of our members. I did say those words with utmost conviction and belief.

I am convinced that a 21st-century Students Union must blend with the progress of this period. I remember that I keenly followed developments at the national level. I knew we could use the Students’ Union to effect changes that will reflect in national history.

ON NATIONAL ISSUES

I addressed a few of these issues in my inaugural address;

•I talked about the shameful underfunding of education in the country.

•I talked about the need for a referendum among the Igbos.

•I also talked about the readiness of the Union to support the education of Chibok girls through scholarships.

•I talked about the anti-graft war of president Mohammadu Buhari and our willingness to be part of a sincere struggle against corruption.

•We were preparing for engagements as regards all of these things including an International Anti Corruption Conference when our generational crisis manifested.

ON CREATIVITY

•Members of the Fact Count team (who represented the University at Boston for the Hult Prize Competition did an attendance prediction of the last Congress. It was an excellent exercise.

•We have contracted the Students Research Network (STURN) to conduct research on UI students’ poverty index and the work has reached a stage of completion. The majority of those at the Congress signed the questionnaires. •We were preparing to float a Hackathon on Students Welfare Management. Despite all, and with absolute trust that we will have everything restored to us soon, I do enjoin our computer science students, all other individuals who can code well, and critical and creative thinkers from all disciplines interested in participating in the Hackathon to send in their students’ details to ojderemi@gmail.com

ON HOT PLATES USAGE

In preparing for the Student Welfare Board meeting, we are collecting data and getting ready to analyse the same to have an idea of what the poverty index of students is in the University. Our basic argument on the use of electrical appliances like hotplates in the kitchenette has been around economic hardship and that of the University management is on the same point. I am glad to call our attention to the Solar Power station at Ajibode that was inaugurated by the Honourable Minister of Education in October last year.

The populace was reliably informed that it will be completed in 6 months. And that when completed, the University community will not only be self-sufficient, we will market electricity. It is over 6 months and I am surprised that the concerned quarters did not inform us why are we yet debating high electricity bills as an excuse to secretly expunge the provision of the law which generously provided for the use of hotplates in the kitchenettes. When we argue further that with or without Solar Power stations, the use of hotplate is legal, they are pushing for the review of the Students Union constitution. Excuse me, you are smart enough to know that the Student Information Handbook and Ethnic Governing Hall of Residence may have been secretly reviewed without following the Universities Act (2003) provision on this matter.

ON MUTUAL TRUST

From what happened between the 27th and 29th, I discovered that the relationship between students and University authorities will continue to be political in lieu of in loco parentis. The politics that played out between then and now suggests that it is better to always push the demands with a view to eventual confrontation. Every Union leader must understand that. After we had our meeting on Sunday 28th, I thought all was settled. I asked, with the best diplomatic voice, for the authorities to apologise to students for the delay in the production of ID cards. The DSA, who was seated in my front said that will settle it. The next thing I would hear… the VC said I demanded that he should apologise to me. I don’t know how his apologies to me will overturn the resolve of students to stage a protest.

I am a student of History, I know the history apologies. I know the psychological effect of apologies. The hatred of blacks for whites was largely reduced by President Bill Clinton’s apologies to the African American victims of the Tuskegee syphilis study.

I have a copy of one journal of Political Psychology which features a paper written by the trio of Craig W. Blatz, Karina Schumann and Michael Ross titled “Government Apologies for Historical Injustices”. It was published in 2009. There are instances of how apologies can stop wars. … You will hear more from me.

Thank you for your support so far.

Aluta Continua

Ojo, Aderemi

President

University of Ibadan Students’ Union 2016/2017 session.

Author

Ojo, Aderemi is a Historian, teacher, public speaker, writer, politician, and community organiser. He was trained at the University of Ibadan and was President of the Students Union.

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