UNIBEN ASUU Condemns Management Over Rustication Of Students

The University of Benin Chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities has condemned the rustication of five student leaders by the management of the school.

The union expressed their displeasure over the rustication of the students in a statement signed Julius Iyasele, the chairman, on Thursday.

“The union wishes to state that protest is a legitimate instrument in every democracy for responding to and resisting unfair and unjust laws and policies,” read the statement.

It continued: “For this reason, the union considers the rustication of five students of the university, based in their participation in the peaceful protest which trailed the increase in the fees charged at the university to be high – handed.

“The University of Benin branch of Academic Staff Union of Universities thus dissociated itself from (i) the recent increase in fees and charges at the University of Benin and (ii) the rustication of five students including some leaders of the students union of the University of Benin.”

The academic staff, however, assured the public that the leadership is interacting with the administration of the University of Benin with a view to arriving at a peaceful resolution of the matter.

The management of the University of Benin had last week rusticated five students for allegedly staging a protest with the aim of disrupting official programmes of the school last year.

The affected students included Elvis Ogbidi, Students’ Union president; Justus Aidenagbon, secretary-general; Innocent Momodu, assistant secretary-general; Goodnews Ehisbhi, public relations officers; and Benjamin, also known as Samkara, an activist.

Apart from Uniben, student activists at various Nigerian universities, including the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, and Obafemi Awolowo University, have faced sanctions from authorities for leading protests against poor welfare, an increment of fees and so on.

Left-wing Education Rights Campaign has been at the vanguard of advocating the reinstatement of the affected student activists across the schools.