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The president of the University of Ibadan Students Union, Ojo Aderemi, has insisted that students must get identity cards before examinations are held.
Mr. Aderemi, who spoke at a press conference in Lagos, said the union would ensure that it fights for the students’ rights till the end.
He stressed that the school, which was shut by the university authorities will not begin examinations until the identity cards are issued because they had been paid for.
“As regards that (ID cards), the power we rely on is the power of democracy. I can assure you that exams will not be written in that school if they don’t get ID cards” he said.
“Basically, for these reasons: There are several students on campus who have been assaulted and embarrassed of campus on these issue of ID cards. Secondly, there are students who are supposed to receive scholarships who couldn’t scan their ID cards and send, even outside Nigeria.
“I have friends, one of them is here, he went to Boston to represent the country, $8,000 was going to be disbursed from Hultz Business School, but they don’t have ID cards to claim it. Students are really angry,” he said.
Commenting further, he chided the vice chancellor of the university, Idowu Olayinka, saying the VC does not tolerate any form of dissent from students.
“When I eventually met the VC, I told him that students, the kind of view they have of this vice chancellor is that he is just a vice chancellor that doesn’t care; he would kick you out of the University if you raise a dissenting voice, which is what has been happening,” he said.
Mr. Aderemi said the VC and others blasted former President Goodluck Jonathan during and before the election without consequences, yet expelled a student for writing a critical article on Facebook.
“A student wrote an article on the students’ union page, on Facebook and the boy has been expelled right now,” he said.
“They said he abused the vice chancellor. Oh yes, he abused the vice chancellor but immediately showed remorse.
“Your father won’t expel you for being rude, he won’t kill you. Quite alright, it is wrong but the boy wrote a letter, involved his parents, prostrated to the vice chancellor.
“On the day of the student disciplinary committee, he was rolling on the ground, and he was expelled just like that.”