Many Of Us Did Not Vote- Students
Following the conclusion of the 2023 national elections on Saturday, March 18, 2023, public and private tertiary educational institutions across the country within the week reopened for academic learning.
Recall that the Federal Ministry of Education through the National Universities Commission (NUC) on February 9 ordered the closure of universities across the country to enable students to participate in the 2023 general elections.
The letter addressed to vice-chancellors of all universities and directors of inter-university centres read, “In view of the foregoing and concerns expressed on the security of staff, students and properties of our respective institutions, the Honourable Minister of Education, Mal. Adama Adamu, following extensive consultations with the relevant security agencies, directed that all Universities and Inter-University Centres be shut down and academic activities suspended between February 22 and March 14, 2023.
However, following a change in the election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the authority of institutions extended the break by another two weeks.
On the contrary, the decision to close tertiary institutions did not down well with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as it argued that institutions have never been shut down due to election, saying that the closure and opening of universities were the prerogatives of universities’ Senates.
ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said, “Vice-Chancellors do not have the right to close universities. It is purely the prerogative of the universities’ Senates to either open or close universities.
He argued, “In all the past elections, have we ever closed the universities, polytechnics? So, what has gone wrong? Why the desperation? Why are they punishing Nigerians? We need to ask Nigerian leaders questions because we are trying to meet up with lost time and here you are shutting down universities.”
Corroborating Osodeke, Niyi Sunmonu, CONUA’s national president, described the government’s order as a “blanket directive.”
He argued that the directive was a breach of university autonomy that has disrupted the academic calendars of some universities.
“The blanket directive appears to usurp the power of the senate of the various universities in the country which is expected to structure the university calendars.
“Also, because we are not running uniform calendars in the country, there could be some universities that would be shut down while exams are ongoing,” he said.
Also speaking, the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Mr. Anderson Ezeibe, said the polytechnics regulatory body, National Board for Technical Education, had yet to come up with any directive.
On the contrary, the Secretary-General, CVCNU, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, disagreed with the ASUU President, saying Nigeria had always closed universities during elections.
He said, “It is nothing new, most public universities get closed during elections because many of them housed polling units and universities and their communities always vote on campuses.
“Two reasons why universities are shut down during elections are so as not to disenfranchise the people and to give an opportunity to those who registered away from the university to be able to vote. It is something universities have been doing as far as I can remember; so, this is not new.
‘Many Of Us Did Not Vote’
On Monday morning, Daily Independent observed an upsurge in the number of students at various motor parks within Lagos and Ogun states.
At the Kuto, Panseke, and Adatan motor parks in Abeokuta students were seen in large numbers making return journeys to their hostels ahead of resumption on Tuesday.
In the same vein, a commercial cab operator at the Ketu and Jibowu garages acknowledged an upsurge in the number of students travelling to different campuses of tertiary institutions across the southwest region and beyond.
Uche Igwe said, “This is not a festive period. I have observed many young girls and guys travelling to Benin since Saturday. I thought they were going for JAMB until one told me they were returning to school after the election.”
In a chat, a student of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Funke Bajomo told Daily Independent that the break was uncalled for as she does not possess a voter card to justify the holiday and elongation of her academic programme.
“When the blanket break was declared, I kept asking myself do I deserve the break when I am not registered as a voter. I know many of my colleagues and friends that do not possess voter cards to talk less of participating in the election exercise in any way envisioned by the INEC, NUC, and the Ministry of Education.”
Besides, Rauf Ishola, a final year student of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), said the break was not well thought out by the government, saying the election could have been held without a shutdown of institutions.
“For me, I was indoors all through the election period doing something more interesting. I am not registered as a voter in any part of the world. Thank God the school will reopen for exams and other activities to enable me to go for the National Service,” he added.
