V.C. left students stranded to attend his son's graduation in U.S
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Olayinka, ordered the shutdown of all undergraduate activities in the school.
This came following a protest on May 29 led by the Student Union on campus. The students were simply requesting that their ID cards be issued. The per-session ID cards have been paid for, but haven't been issued for two sessions.
playThe Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka
Around Mid-May, the Vice Chancellor was in the United States of America, not on official assignment, but to attend the University graduation of his own son.
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The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Olayinka, at his son's graduation with his family.
Considering what the students are currently going through, this is clearly not going down well with them. The Student Handbook of the University of Ibadan mentions that students will only be allowed into the exam hall with a valid ID card.
A valid ID card has not been issued for two sessions, while it has been paid for. What this means is that the Vice Chancellor, Professor Olayinka, made students fail to abide by the school laws.
According to a student, they had to use "school fees receipts, faculty cards, and even Hall cards to write exams."
According to a student, they had to use "school fees receipts, faculty cards, and even Hall cards to write exams."
Before undergraduate activites were shutdown yesterday, students were scheduled to begin examinations on the 30th of May.
Although the Vice Chancellor is believed to have returned to school on Friday the 26th of May, just one school day to their exams, this is "highly unacceptable", according to a student we spoke to.
We asked a few students of the University of Ibadan to share their thoughts on all of these:
No faith.
One student of Industrial and Production Engineering said:
"Well, it just shows that the Vice Chancellor doesn't have faith in the Nigerian education system." This point makes sense, considering the Vice Chancellor of Nigeria's oldest University should be a flagbearer of Nigeria's educational system. Another student added:
"It shows he doesn't even put stock or have faith n his ability to lead and produce worthy graduates, that's why he had to take his son out of the country."
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University of Ibadan (UI) students' protest
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University of Ibadan (UI) students' protest
Double standards.
Another student from the Department of History, said:
"I feel sad that such a man who wants the best education for his son would blatantly deprive other people's children of such." This attitude resonates throughout Nigerian society, a problem another student describes aptly;
"It shows the I-Don't-Care attitude of our leaders. Just like the Yoruba proverb says, they have eaten belly-full, and they don't bother to know if the child of someone else is hungry."
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University of Ibadan (UI) students' protest
Shocked.
"My first expression when i heard it was "so he has a son, who just graduated and is going to go around with his certificate to search for jobs, and yet he wants to spoil d lives of thousands of students here?"
When students complained about the non-issuance of ID cards, the school authorities blamed it on the contractors, but two years to print ID cards for students? That's taking way to long for the excuse to hold any water.
A final word from one of the students:
"Their own children study abroad with the enormous salaries being paid to them from the tax payers money, yet, they oppress the offsprings of the people whose sweat and blood feed them and their families.
Well...God is not asleep!"
It's hard not to worry about the Oldest University in Nigeria, that has produced icons, and legends, can not issue a plastic ID card to her students.
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