A COMMINIQUE ISSUED BY THE STUDENTS’ UNION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT 2015/2016 SESSION ON THE 11TH DAY OF APRIL 2016.
With absolute humility and earnest dedication to the call of leadership
We the Students’ Union Government of the University of Port Harcourt wishes to bring to the notice of the general public and condemn in no small measure the events that occurred in the University of Port Harcourt leading to the death of some conscious Nigerian students in the hands of the NIGERIA POLICE FORCE (NPF)
The following led to the event that transpired today
- The school management headed by the Vice Chancellor Professor N.E.S Lale without recourse to the Student Union leaders and representatives of the students decided to enforce the policy that students who have not paid their school fees will not partake in the school’s first semester examination scheduled to commence today the 11th day of April, 2016, thereby loosing an academic session, hence an automatic extra year. This is contrary to the stipulation of the NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES COMMISSION, which stipulates that new policies especially those directly affecting the students should be enforced in concordance and in dialogue with the representatives of the students.
- However, in an attempt to better manage the situation, the Student Union leaders did all that was humanly possible to dialogue with the management of the University and make them understand how detrimental this policy could be, taking into cognizance the unfavorable economic reality facing the generality of Nigeria, hence the need to shift ground and find other lenient and easily acceptable penalties like not releasing the results of students who failed to pay their school fees. This move was rendered fruitless due to the unyielding nature of the Vice Chancellor who insisted on going on with this unpopular policy, who stated that over 90% of the students have paid their school fees, hence exams can commence without the other 10%.
- Having failed to convince the school management, the Student Union Government in their own capacity tried to convey the stand of the management to the students, trying so hard to convince them against any demonstration. Our attempt was indeed fruitless, hence the demonstration. The student said they were not ready to lose an academic session. There is always a limit to how much the student representative can attempt to convince the students against their intention to demonstrate especially when emotions are involved. This however led to the peaceful demonstration that commenced early this morning the 11th of April 2016
- The demonstration remained peaceful until the men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) who were called in by the Vice Chancellor to maintain peace and order started shooting live bullets at the students which led to the death of one comrade Ofurum Peter, a 400 level student of Accounting department and a serving Executive President of the Faculty of Management Science student association (FAMASSA), amidst countless number of injured students
- As if that was not enough, the men of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) also shot a student while students were en route the media house in demonstration against the death of a fellow student earlier killed by the men of the Nigerian Police Force
- Rather than call for the students’ representatives for dialogue, the University management had a senate sitting and released a memorandium ordering students to vacate the school’s hostels and premises before 6pm giving students less than 2 hours after the fatal and unwholesome killing of their colleague, leader and comrade, enforcing the directives through men of the Nigerian Army without considering students whose residences are not within the shores of Rivers State.
As a result of the foregoing, the Students’ Union Government of the University of Port Harcourt hereby resolves as follows:
1. The action of the management of the University of Port Harcourt in not resolving effectively the events that led to the protest at the University of Port Harcourt is highly condemned. As parents that they are, we expected management not to throw away the baby and the bath water.
2. The actions of the Nigeria Police Force who were expected to protect the Nigerian Students, but rather turned against the same student and killed some of them are highly condemned. Hence we call on the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force, and every well meaning Nigerian to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act must be fished out and the full wrath of the law visited on them.
3. We plead with aggrieved students of the University of Port Harcourt to keep calm as the Students’ Union Government in conjunction with well meaning members of the public will do everything possible to resolve the brouhaha and defend the rights of the Nigerian Students.
Signed
Comr. Ephraim Inno-Anameje Led Students
I feel their pain, but i blame any student that died, why not relax at ur home and sleep, read or see a movie instead of running round the street destroying school property.... Now 45k has lead to death if students, who gain now
ReplyDeleteAnything protest or demonstration, I can't be found there because there must be casualties, I wonder y ppl protest in Nigeria! There must be casualties!!!!!!
DeleteI dont understand the Nigerian police. They are always trigger happy. Now students are dead..nothing will still be done.
ReplyDeleteMy heart bleeds for Nigeria. So much chaos, and i hope the VC is happy now. *sad sigh*
761 comment 2016
Whatever is their grievances, they have no right to take law into their hands.
ReplyDeleteImagine blocking FG roads and inconveniencing law abiding citizens.
Anyone dat can not pay should change University.
So that guy's life is gone with the wind just like that.
ReplyDeleteComrade Ephraim I admire your boldness.
ReplyDeleteMay you graduate
Amen
....
Are you being sarcastic?
DeleteThis is really not funny, why shoot at students? what happened to the use of tear gas or rubber bullets?? The FG better look into this.
ReplyDeleteThey didn't use rubber bullets, tear gas or even water, they used real bullets!
ReplyDeleteWhat brand of weed do those police men smoke? This is beyond sad. The students didn't do anything wrong. Right to freedom of assembly and expression is enshrined in the constitution.
I blame a nation that never works! If the country values the lives of its citizens and mete out severe punishment to police men who pull the trigger when it pleases them, I don't think this would happen. Seriously, I am tired of hearing about all these news.
Now watch the NPF release their own statement filled with lies.
This is really sad. My prayers are with the families of the deceased students. May God comfort them.
They should go and sit down.
ReplyDeleteThose in the private Universities are paying much higher.
They are always looking for every opportunity to start riots
End time children
But they cant afford private universities daz why they went for federal university..James pls stop these ur senseless and insensitive comments especially in a serious issue like dis.
DeleteThis is so sad.
ReplyDeleteThe VC should be sacked. Shikina
ReplyDeleteSigh!
ReplyDeleteI passed there some hours ago and pedestrians raise their two hands up when passing police. Hian!
ReplyDeleteOkay
ReplyDeleteMy take: I don't see this fee as been high. This is for a whole year right. Some of us use phones that run into tens of thousands, now you are asked to pay 45k for a year and you are screaming blue murder. Divide the fee by 12months and see how little d amount is monthly. If its for a semester run the same calculations and get you result. Some things are not worth losing your life. Neither ate they worth wasting extra months in school. Any curse goes back to sender cos I'm impregnable to curses. #thruthHurts
ReplyDeleteI find your comments very ignorant. Are you aware that the average monthly income of a nigerian is less than $10? You're probably privileged enough to come from a good home that affords you the opportunity to use high end phones and believe 45k isn't a lot of money. I would like to advise you to think of the average akara fryer on the road whose husband is dead, she has 5 kids to put through school and no family member to support her. She sends her children to a federal university expecting to pay little but instead the fees are continuously increased. Will you not feel the pain of such a child seeing his mother suffer to make ends meet?
DeleteThat is not even the issue here. The students were not protesting the amount alone but the rule saying they cannot write their exams without paying therefore forfeiting one year. Of course I do not excuse the violence but I feel their pain. The least you can do is be empathetic.
Same goes for Mr James who is also commenting heartlessly.
Anon 10:59 I doubt you understand the issue here. The portal was closed for registration and students would not be allowed to take part in the examination. Not that the amount is too much to pay
DeletePrinceleaky thanks for your valid point. I don't understand anon 12:46 rant. Schools fees has never been cheap anywhere. If you want to go to university then be prepared for it. Most Akara sellers I know make money( the lady on my street does, hers has turned to an Akara and Ogi restaurant)
Delete45k is not much and yet your use of grammar is appalling. Been and being are two totally different words which are not interchangeable.Also you omitted over. "Some things are not worth losing your life over".
DeleteThat being said, everyone wants a chance to give their children a better life than they had. A federal university while not free should afford the common man that opportunity. Fee hikes with no corresponding improvement of facilities or increase in the standard of education is daylight robbery. The status quo is that students with an outstanding balance can write exams but cannot view results or graduate etc. Why tamper with that? With the present state of the economy and federal and state governments owing civil servants a tremendous backlog of salaries it is sheer abuse of power for the University to impose this new rule
Damn! RIP to the dead. This so pathetic, why shoot @ students protesting? What happened to the use of tear gas instead? Now a life or more is wasted, nothing can be done about that. Gosh, I feel for the parents
ReplyDeleteAluta continua,victoria ascerta!
ReplyDeleteSeen
ReplyDeleteRip to those DAT lost der lives.
This is the problem with Nigeria @ henry Eze. Why would they sit in the house and watch movies when their right is been trampled on??? This is why we would keep suffering and the govt would keep messing us up.. Respect to the dead but he died fighting for a course.. If i would die for Nigeria to be good I do not mind but let my effort not be in vain.....
ReplyDeleteMay God remove anger in this country in Jesus name AMEN.
ReplyDeleteRIP to the guy. I pray God heal the parents broken hearts
a.k.a EDWIN CHINEDU AZUBUKO said...
ReplyDelete.
Schooling abroad is the best option no doubt.....
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***CURRENTLY IN JUPITER***
The VC should resign.
ReplyDeleteHello Stella,
ReplyDeleteI usually do not post comments on blogs but as an ardent reader of your blog i believe you should clarify issues before passing judgement.
I enrolled to study Mass Communication in 2003 at the University of Port-Harcourt. The registration and school Fees at the time was about 65 thousand Naira. Now this was over 12years ago. I grew up on Campus with my Uncle and his family and i know what the school environment looks like. There is no other federal University that has power supply like the University of Port-Harcourt.
Secondly, sometime late last year, Prof Lale invited all parents, lecturers and members of the governing council to a meeting where the school fees and payment methods were discussed in details, most parents were shocked by the revelations at this meeting. their children had been collecting over 60k for fees per semester when in actual sense the school fees was for each year. Everyone agreed to an ideal payment method before the meeting came to a close. That is what i am baffled by the turn of things and the insults being rained on an innocent man.
The university security management heard that the students were planning to protest and messages were sent out to all students via their churches on Sunday warning them against this protest. However, not everyone heeded this advise. Also the allegation that the students became violent after one of them was killed is all lies.
During their protect, they went into the ICT building and broke computers, smashed cars of lecturers, burnt down security posts and destroyed buildings. It wasn't until the issue escalated that security operatives were alerted to come and calm the situation.
Have you asked yourself why no parent has come up to outrightly condemn the VC and the school fees.
Nevertheless, my heart goes out to all injured students and the family of the deceased. Please students violence is never a solution, it only yields violent results.
Please verify this story.
Is it only 45000 dey pay,what about non statutory dues,is dat also a scam from students.secondly who told u dey distroyed properties before the shotting by force men...who paid u to spit nonsense..
DeleteYou enrolled in 2003, did you not graduate? How are you so up to date with everything going on at Uniport? Are we to believe you know even more than the current students?
DeleteWhy would a federal university pass messages across via churches? is every student a Christian? does every student attend service on campus every Sunday?
You sound like a staff member
What a sad news
ReplyDeletestop apportioning blames but throw a pity party for all the students because dem go sit for house tire and wish that protest never happened. mind u am talking out of experience cus i was a student of dis great school when the Aluu 4 incident happened and believe me we all got tired of staying at home.
ReplyDeletelong live my unique uniport but dat school show me shegee shaa
Let's get our facts clear before coming out to the press. Mr/miss anonymous 12:07, you indeed did not verify your story.
ReplyDeleteThe school was aware on an impending protest, but only sent sms to churches, parents and some students. What was done to avert the protest, what was done to manage the protest, who was delegated to speak to the students in the event that the protest not being averted and many more questions.
The school PRO said on air yesterday that over 98% of the students have paid their school fees, can't they see that the remaining 2% are really the indigent students who really couldn't afford the fees at least before the deadline.
There were less stiffer but effective penalties that can be imposed; like not seeing your results until you pay or paying a surcharge for not paying as at when due. There was a need for a compromise to avert or manage the issue.
The police on their own have continually failed us more than they have helped us. They were well informed of an impending student protest situation yet they came with live bullets to disperse unarmed students. What happened to tear gas, baton, rubber bullets or even water, what happened to effective crisis management. Must we be taken through the dark path of thoughtless impunity by our supposed leaders and protectors?
Anyway my heart goes out the friends, family and colleagues of Comr. Peter Ofurum, a vibrant promising young man. May God grant him a peaceful rest and the family the fortitude to bear this huge loss.
Violence is indeed not the answer, and a stich in time saves nine.
May God bless Nigeria.
Anonymous 15:09, na only u make sense here. NPF, is a garbage sort of.
ReplyDelete