LASUSU; A pocketed SUG is as good as having NON -By Kareem Itunu Azeez

I didn’t see the future nor dislike the current administration when, prior to their assuming office of the biggest student representation in the Lagos state university, I have only seen how incompetent they are, how unfit they are to lead students of this standard, the famous “World class students” in the words of the soon to depart Vice chancellor, Prof Fagbohun.

Led by Abdul Basit, a political science student, and the current speaker also a political science student, Aromire Qoyum, one would think that’s a perfect combination for the progress of the Student union body, but unfortunately the direct opposite is what we have witnessed so far, in fact I can categorically tell you, the COVID-19 has help in covering their weaknesses, as can see in the few months of resumption.

Jimi Disu usually say, the current crop of politicians we have today in the country are beneficiary of free education, when the country has people who truly put the people first, so is the Lagos State University, this current set of student union leaders are beneficiary of an amount regarded as the smallest across the federation when it comes to state university, and I am even sure many of them don’t even know the story and those who fought for this meager amount we are paying, may God continue to bless Optimist and his cohort.

I once had a conversation with the LASUSU speaker, Aromire Qoyum, seeking to know what the fate if students are, in this current situation, and by my own perception it was evident that he wasn’t just arrogant but also had no answers to my questions, and I even went further as to book an appointment with him, perhaps the association of campus Journalism can feed the public direct from the source, but he never replied again, this is someone who went to Yaba College of Technology with me, but to test the strength of a man, give him power. But in this regard I would not call his, power drunk, but fear.

Fear of the powers that be, fear of his studentship, the same thing could be referred to the President himself, they have only being on a rollercoaster ride seeking for fame and the benefits that comes with being the face of a certain group of people. Which is why i term them a group of sheep leading a family of lions. And if something isn’t done right now, student unionism in the university is already in troubled waters
One aggrieved student had sent me a message about his utter dismay, he had said, “I tell you………SUG is meant for student activism for rights protection. I still can’t believe this present disgraceful SUG didn’t show any resistance to the excesses of the school administration.
Who was consulted before making those increments, are the relevant stakeholders; the parents and the public aware before embarking on such inconsiderate and vile decisions?
This present SUG are just flowers that can be caressed, instead of being stubborn weeds” and to be very honest this is just a depiction of the union we now have. “If” there was a second term to administration it’s probably that they would have in mind.

By now, in times of those who have made history, various rallies and public hearings would have be held across various faculties, spearheaded by the president himself, have we forgotten the 2011 scenario, the institution fee was increased from N25,000 to N197,000 for Arts and Humanities’ students, and N350,000 for medical students.
However, following several protests by students and civil society groups, in 2014, the former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, announced the reversal of the LASU fee, which ranged from N197,000 to N350,000 for medical students, to the old rate of N25,000 across the board.

The welfare representatives would have visited each HOC and discuss with students, likewise the various excos, and not sit at sick centers cogitating about the next excuses they would hive to students to curb their ineffectiveness. A normal norm in the political institution of Nigeria as a larger body.

Premium times had reported the increment on the 11th of December 2020, that the management of the institution said the fee increase is as a result of economic recession because the institution will need Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to sustain the university, but in doing that a committee was claimed to have being set up which included the SUG, here is what premium times wrote,

“ The committee included the staff union, the student union, workers in the university, who unanimously AGREED that school fees should be increased marginally. Whatever the increase we are going to have will not affect the returning student.

This report has already proven that the union, agreed on the students’ behalf, whether unanimously or not, and whether this is true or not, nothing has being said since then, and I expect nothing from them, an SUG that has being pocketed is as good as having NON.

Like I said when the time is right the real students would be out to air their pain publicly in an orderly manner, which is what students across all faculties have started to do, some have come out in peaceful demonstration about the increment, debunking whatever reason for such actions, especially at this torrid times. And hopefully the school management would delve in and resolve the issues.

We are LASU we are PROUD!!