PhotoNews: UNILAG Students Oppose NANS Action; Bolt Gate Against Protesters

A rift that has torn students of Nigerian institutions of higher learning manifested itself at the University of Lagos when protesters organized by the Joint Campus Committee (JCC) of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) were today barred from gaining entrance into the University of Lagos.

The protesters made good on their threat to proceed with their protest today, defying the deployment of police to the institution. They began their march about 12 p.m., starting out from the bustling Ojuelegba overhead bridge in the Surulere area of Lagos, and stopping just outside the main entrance gate at the University of Lagos.

Our reporter who covered the protest stated that the police did not disrupt the protest, but that the protesters found the university’s gates shut against them. A source within UNILAG disclosed that many of the university’s students did not participate in the protest, and in fact instigated the closure of the gate to prevent the protest from drawing a crowd within the institution.

Two executive members of the Council of Faculty Presidents at UNILAG told our correspondent that they refused to join the protest because they were not privy to the planning process. “They called a meeting and we already made them understand we cannot be part of whatever NANS JCC is doing, only for them to alert us later by sms that we should join their protest coming to our school,” said a UNILAG student.

However, the coordinator of NANS in Lagos, Mr. Yaqub Eleto, said the union held a meeting with the students and the management, accusing the students of choosing to do the bidding of the university’s management.

“We understand that they are not free. They are management boys and are only acting the voice of the management. That won't stop us from carrying on with our protest,” Mr. Eleto said.

In another development, the new national President of NANS, Yinka Gbadebo, had reportedly dissociated himself from any protest held in solidarity with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), whose members have been on a long strike. In earlier statements, Mr. Gbadebo took a stance against both ASUU and the Federal Government. However, the NANS leader has been particularly critical of ASUU, accusing the body of opposing efforts to revive student union bodies in every institution. His position has evolved to reveal increasing sympathy with the Federal Government.

Mr. Gbadebo was recently quoted as stating that the government had made a significant concession by releasing part of the funds required to revitalize education under a 2009 agreement with ASUU. He accused ASUU of failing to make any overtures to end the lingering strike and crisis.

In turn, the leader of the Lagos chapter of the JCC of NANS accused Mr. Gbadebo and other NANS leaders of “misrepresenting the students at the federal level,” adding, “we are not waiting on them for any movement.”

One student at the Yaba College of Education accused the new national student leader of being biased in favor of the Federal Government. “Gbadebo won't do anything with the JCC,” he said. “He is now a big boy and rides seven different cars. He now has a paymaster in the Federal Government,” the student added.

The JCC protesters demonstrated outside the UNILAG gate for several hours. Throughout the protest, the gate remained locked, with no one able to go in or out of the gate until the protests ended in the late afternoon.