UI Students’ Union — We Made a Mistake Protesting

The University of Ibadan Students’ Union has admitted that it was a mistake to have gone on protest in an effort to get Tunde Ekpeti, a 500level student of Petroleum Engineering popularly known as ‘Mote’ reinstated. Ojo Oluwafemi who said this was just sworn in as the New Students Union President, took over from Olateju Oladimeji whose tenure spearheaded the ‘Reinstate Mote’s agitation’.

This was said by the Students’ Union President, Ojo Oluwafemi Emmanuel.

Ojo said students made a partial mistake protesting before appealing for reinstatement of Tunde Ekpeti at the level of the Governing Council. The students’ Union President said “We made a little mistake protesting before approaching the Governing Council to appeal for reinstatement of Mote, the truth is University of Ibadan operates committee system and we should have waited for two weeks before embarking on protest, the Governing Council was meant to meet when our(Students) protests entered its second week but we already went ahead with our protests.”

The Students Union President also attacked National Association of Nigerian Students over what he termed derogatory letter the body wrote to UI Vice Chancellor, Prof Olayinka Idowu Abel, he said “The letter written to the Vice Chancellor by NANS was also derogatory, the Vice Chancellor even said this, if Tunde was reinstated then, it would look like the school was scared or was cajoled into reinsataing him, the Vice Chancellor already stated it that he only aligns really with the Students’ Union and not NANS who he is not Accountable to.”

The Newly elected Students’ Union President who took over in the month of June further stressed that the case of Tunde Ekpeti needs diplomacy and Not protest, he said “Sincerely, this case needs diplomacy, ‘Mote’ was able to meet with the Vice Chancellor on Saturday, 25th of June and they discussed extensively, even the current Vice Chancellor was not the one that sat on his(Mote’s) case, the case occurred in the Month of November and the new VC was sworn in the Month of December, he trusted the deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration to have carried out proper works before recommending suspension of Tunji, and he assented to it, even the Dean Students’ Affairs, A.T.P Ajuape, has threatened to resign if ‘Mote’ is reinstated” Ojo Oluwafemi concluded.

University of Ibadan was opened recently after more than a month Shut down due to Students’ Protest.

The Students had gone on rampage to Protest the alleged illegal suspension of Tunde Ekpeti and leaving conditions on Campus which they termed “Uncomfortable and bad.”

Source: TheInsiderNews