EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN STUDENTS' UNION PRESIDENT ON AMJ TIME OUT WITH DEZ

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN STUDENTS' UNION PRESIDENT ON AMJ TIME OUT WITH DEZ

Dez: Welcome to another interesting episode of AMJ time out with Dez.
My name remains Bankole Oluwagbenga Desire aka Dez...  And with me on the program today is my Co host...
Adetayo damilola aka,  dammydata
And trust me we are having a full house today...
The President,  University of Ibadan students Union is live
And we would be having Oladejo funmi aka Olori on the program later tonight....
I seek your full cooperation as we look into the rising issues in UI
Mr President,  let's meet u sir

Ojo Aderemi: Hello
Good evening
My name is Ojo Aderemi, President of the University of Ibadan Students' Union

Dez: Thank you Mr President, 
Welcome to AMJ TIME OUT WITH DEZ and it's my pleasure to have you on board.

Ojo Aderemi: Thank you very much.

Dez: *Nigerian students nationwide have been hearing alot of thing about the university of Ibadan,  the union,  the Vice Chancellor and the commissioner of police...  What's happening and how did it start?*

Ojo Aderemi: Whatever is happening right now is a manifestation of suppressed anger
Students have been living in a regimented environment. There is a build up to this issue on ground.
Rights have been trampled upon for so long. Freedom of speech and expression has been denied our students.
These combined with poor welfare condition on campus has left students with pent up anger.
Our administration was voted in because students are really tired and they wanted a Union leader who would open up the can of worms.
The University used to be a place for intellectual crossfire and democratic coexistence but that was then. Today, you dear not be a dissenting voice.
You get hammered immediately.

The Union too has been slow in it's actions. The leaders have not been proactive to be a force for students.

The Vice Chancellor is always acting on some orders. You discuss something with him, he goes back and comes out to do something else.
So strange.
The Commissioner of Police is one brutal individual. He tried scaring us from exercising our democratic rights.
He threatened in a phone call that we are going to pick up corpses if we demonstrated. But students called his bluff and blocked the road.

We left shortly after registering our displeasure on the minds of people.

Dez: Wow...
Now Mr President,  I have a question....
Was there a peaceful protest at any point before the Vice Chancellor pronounced the union proscribed? , if there was, What triggered the protest?

Ojo Aderemi: Yes there was.
There are remote caused and immediate causes.
The remote causes;
1) Unjust suspension/expulsion of students on campus
2) Attack on students rights (to use electrical appliances -e.g Hotplates in our hostels... in the kitchenette)
3) Poor welfare condition.
4) Non issuance of ID cards for 3 semesters
5) Need to constitute welfare board meeting
Among other things.

Ojo Aderemi: Immediate causes;
1) Police threat
2) Non compliance of the VC to easy demands such as apologizing to students for the delay in the issuance of ID cards.
3) Consistent threat of the VC to the President of the SU
Among other things...

Dez: Wow...  This is alot of things....
These things led to a peaceful protest..  And the Vice Chancellor responded by prescribing the union...
I have another question...
The Vice Chancellor accused you of insulting him.
How true?  Was there any thing that looks like an insult in any of you statements or addresses?

Ojo Aderemi: Lol. I am, probably, the most gentle SU President ever. I don't insult elderly people, come what may. The VC was lying. I didn't insult him.
I don't insult my colleagues not to talk of the VC.

Dez: Lol...  I noticed that while speaking to you on phone..

Ojo Aderemi: He didn't say, particularly, the kind of insult.

Dez: Now,  after the so called "union proscription", what steps have you taken as a union leader and as a union generally?
Can your union be proscribed?
Do you accept the proscription?

Ojo Aderemi: We have rejected the position of the Senate in clear terms.
As I have always said, our Union is not a cube of St Louis sugar. You can't just dissolve it.
Our union derives it's right to exist from both national and international laws. So who the hell can just wake up and say our Union has been suspended when it is not Mist Mag?
That's the highest stage of insult to our hard-earned democracy.

We are putting all machinery in place to hammer anybody that tries to test our will. UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN STUDENTS' UNION IS A UNION THAT WILL OUTLIVE ALL OF US.

Dez: Before I let you go,  I have one last question.... 
What do u need from Nigerian students at this trying time?
How can students from oda institutions support the UI struggle?

Ojo Aderemi: I want them to monitor the events and when we give our painful cry for their presence with us. We want them to be available. Let them fight by our sides (through the media, legal battles and other legitimate battles)

No Union President has ever had this kind of support (this is fact as I am a Union historian). I have dissolved myself among them and they have taken their own battles. We all fight as comrades, side by side.

Dez: Our listeners have questions (3 questions) .  And here is the very first one.....
The generality of UI students......... Are they supporting or they're watching the show from the shadows?
From Comrade Etuk

Ojo Aderemi: Yes. I only coordinate them. They are conscious of the issues on ground. I used to go and mobilise but now they are mobilising themselves.

Dez: To the second question from the audience...
Have you considered d options of mass rallies and more protests ?
Is the Union in possession of facts to show that d management is corrupt?
From EOE

Ojo Aderemi: Q1:
Mass rallies and more protests may be inevitable in periods to come. And we are getting ourselves orientated about this reality.
Q2:
Yes. But then we don't have to look that way yet. There are other unions on campus with whom we can work as regards this.

Dez: Finally,  Mr President... What's your perspective,  what your view about OAU students Union?
Any word of advice...?

Ojo Aderemi: Ah.
History absolves OAU SU. Years of attacks on that Great Union has weakened it to be sincere. But there is still the chance to retrace our steps.
The New President has got a lot of work to do. He has to sacrifice just as much as we have been doing. He's my friend and he cares about our ordeal.
However, students must make sacrifices for Great Ife to be great again.

Dez: Thank you my brother.... 
I so much appreciate you for honouring my invite...  May God continue to honour you. 
We are strongly with you and I assure you,  we will begin our media support for the reopen UI campaign...

Dez: And it's a wrap on time out with Dez.... 
Special  thanks to OJO Aderemi of UI.... 
Love u bro.
Thanks

Till we meet again same time next week as we bring on board,  OAU Student Union President...  The one and ONLY Dr IBK. 
Special appreciation to JayD for the D staunch support.