Our agenda at restoring UNILAG student unionism –Prof Amund
What was the situation like with the student union government before the 2005 ban?
There was sort of organized committee that comprised the President, the Vice President which at that time used to come from Idi-Araba statutorily. There was also the General Secretary and the Assistant Secretary, Publicity Secretary, and Sports Secretary. The cabinet was usually between eight and 10 members as the student union body. Later, the union became as if it was independent of the establishment. That really got into many people’s heads as if they were not under control of the institution’s management.
Can you recall some of the incidents that led to the ban?
Overtime the SUG set up by the university got hijacked by the nefarious activities of some underground boys who belonged to several cult groups. They introduced into the union extreme brigandage that led to the unfortunate event of 2005 which led to the attack of the Vice Chancellor’s Lodge. The official residence of the Dean of Students Affairs was set on fire together with his car. His resources and everything he had in his residence got burnt in the fire started by the cult members. It was on that basis of violent turn of events that the student unionism was proscribed in 2005 in University of Lagos. By 2008 during the tenure of Professor Odugbemi as the VC, he reconsidered bringing back a sort of forum through which students could interact with the administration. Consequently, we reconstituted student leadership at the faculty whereby a president, secretary, assistant secretary and treasurer were put in place to run on faculty basis. The presidents of the various faculties would now interact at top to form a body of presidents that would be meeting g with the Dean of Students Affairs and the Vice Chancellor or the university management from time to time. Tacitly, we have actually reintroduced a form of student unionism which is working for now to maintain peace on campus rather than what we used to have in the past where we had a system that was detached from the faculty.
How is the management addressing agitation for restoration of unionism as promised by the VC?
Since the assumption of office of the new Vice Chancellor, he expressed the desire to go back to the old order whereby we constituted a committee the way it used to be like a student representative council where we had the full paraphernalia of office. But this must be done with the benefit of hindsight whereby we now need to reorganize; review the constitution to bring up a system that will be workable for us. On that premise, the VC sent me and a team to South Africa between March and April this year to study the organization of student unionism. We really came back with a good result.
What were your findings in South Africa?
What obtains in South Africa, if practiced here, would be good for UNILAG and the entire academic community in the country. It is called the Students Representative Council that is also approved by the national constitution. First, the country recognizes the council whereby every university is mandated by law to have a Students Representative Council. In South Africa members of the Students Representative Council are paid. Apart from interacting with the university management, they are also members of the University Governing Council and are also represented at the University Senate. Student unionism in South Africa is representative and a cooperative governance system. Presently we are trying to review our constitution along the line of the standard of what is obtainable in South Africa and come out with a constitution and system that is workable such that other universities in the country can learn from our model. If you are going to make a change it takes time because it is a process that must be methodical. The university management is doing something about its restoration in UNILAG and that must be done through a careful process. I believe the VC will soon constitute a committee to review the constitution. He has input of the findings in South Africa, and he is studying the old copy. Thereafter a committee will be put in place to draft a new constitution.
What informed the choice of South Africa; and are local models no longer workable to ensure peace?
We have been part of the local environment all along and nothing seems to be new again. Brigandage has been introduced into student unionism in the local environment and people have thrown discipline away. But if you want to run a highly responsible environment and a responsible setup or organization that operates within the ambits of the law you will obey regulations and rules of engagements. The setup in the local environment believes it must operate outside the rules but that we want to reverse by adding a new flavour into student and management relationship that will guarantee peace.
If the present arrangement has worked for the students why are they demanding restoration for SUG?
We are running a system that is working for us. The faculty presidents represent the interests of the students at the centre and they interact with the office of the Students’ Affairs Department on a day-to-day basis. Just as we had a Student Union Government that also interacted with the office of the student affairs, the students they represent on a day to day are also being heard on a daily basis. The Faculty Presidents have direct access to Students’ Affairs unlike before where they had to do whatever they wanted to do through the central student union office before it got to Students’ Affairs. We have shortened the process so that students can be heard. The system is working. The forum for interaction still exists. It is just that we have given it a new name. To go back to the old order will take time because we cannot rush into it.
What is your assessment of the students’ behavior and conduct with the faculty arrangement? Are they really prepared for the new challenge?
To a large extent they still need more time to learn because most people don’t really know the essence of being in the university not to talk of getting engaged in student unionism. Most students see it as a forum for rascality and it is not supposed to be so. In the new dispensation we are proposing, it is only responsible individuals that will hold positions in the new arrangement in future. We want students that are academically inclined; if you are not doing well in your studies you cannot give good leadership because you cannot give what you don’t have. You must be a role model, not only in leadership quality but also academically since university is about academics and not politics. Academic standing comes first.
Will the students have input in the selection process or will the process be at the discretion of management?
They will nominate among themselves with full flavour but the process will be given some touch of difference from what it used to be.
As a mentor of students, what is your opinion of an ideal student unionism?
An ideal student unionism should be a cooperative relationship and government just like we experienced in South Africa whereby students are represented in every facet of administration in the university. They have access to first hand information and by so doing pass same to their colleagues they represent. Where there is no room for suspicion there will be peace and students will build and have confidence in the system. Once they know what is going on, they are bound to fall in.
What can you say about the present day students?
Present day students are yet to learn. They are still not mature enough to run their own affairs. It is not just about allowing students to be in office.They must be trained and if they fail you don’t have to blame them. The package we are bringing involves training within the first month on what is expected of them. Even the treasurer will be taught the rudiments of accounting.
What is your advice to the students in order to avoid pitfalls of the past?
The generality of the students must be patient. Students must learn to work hand-in-glove with the management and expose those who want to perpetrate evils among them. The evils among them are in the minority. Evil doers are not masquerades and once they give useful information it saves the university system a lot of troubles. If there are no students, there will be no university.
How do you feel running a Student Affairs Department without students?
It is very unfortunate and it pains me as a father, mentor, and as a teacher. What can we do other than to use the media to appeal to the Federal Government to listen to the striking teachers on time? Government owns the university where human beings work. They should put some elements of human touch to it. The agreement signed with the union should be implemented. If not, government will be taking university teachers for a ride. It is as if we are not of any consequence. The only way to prove that we are of consequence is to down tool.
Source: Daily Independent.
Comments
Post a Comment