OAU: "I was abandoned to my travails"- newly reinstated John Udeh

Explains letter of apology, why three others remain suspended


By Ayoola Omole



While reacting to reports making the rounds on his reinstatement after being suspended along with three others by Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) for inciting students against school authorities, John Udeh said he battled travails alone as students whose interest he had advocated abandoned him to his predicament, carrying on with routine academic activities.

Jacob Tosin, Omole Ibukun, Oluwalade Babatunde and John Udeh were suspended by institution for involvements in anti-school activities during protest of a power outage that extended five days in October 2017.

Since news of John Udeh's reinstatement broke a few days ago, students have expressed different views on the development with some tauting his writing of an apology letter in compliance with conditions set by the school management to restore his studentship, while others alleged foul play, noting that three other students who were suspended along with Udeh were yet to be reinstated.

In a letter of reinstatement signed by the Registrar of the institution, Mr. Dotun Awoyemi, a reference was made to Udeh's apology letter as a basis for his reinstatement.

John Udeh however in an exclusive interview with Attencao revealed the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) waded into his struggle by meeting with the university's Vice Chancellor, Prof.  Eyitayo Ogunbodede and Dean, Directorate of Student Affairs (DSA), Prof.  I.O Aransi.

He further explained that the ideological differences between the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neo-Liberal Attacks (ANSA) is the reason the other three remained suspended at the time. Udeh said while he tabled his issues before NANS which subsequently entered into negotiations with the management, the other three failed to do so by the reason of their alignment with ANSA - a student group which had according to him in the past directed a spate of public criticism towards NANS.

"I put a call to NANS and they sent delegates and had a meeting with the VC and DSA. It was only me that gave them (NANS) my suspension letter, the rest were with ANSA (a left group). Had it been that they cooperated with NANS and brought their suspension letters, they would have taken a position for the four of us.

But they were busy castigating NANS and as such you don't expect the body to put its effort behind its critics. ANSA, an unrecognized and unregistered body launches repeated criticism at NANS which has the capacity to mobilize students nationwide."

Udeh said he was not bothered by what his colleagues made of his decision to make concessions but rather felt betrayed. "Did they not know i was on suspension?  What steps did they take about it ?  Who was i fighting for when i was suspended? It was only a matter of  time before my suspension became an individual problem. No one really cared. I am yet to be approached by any of those who feel i was wrong to have complied with those terms.  When i was on suspension, they were all attending classes, why was there no joint action to ensure my reinstatement?

Ordinarily, i shouldn't have been suspended. My offence was mobilizing students to Moore police station where some of our comrades were detained. Since i was not arrested, i could have decided to return to my hostel while  policemen dealt with those arrested. You have to be there to see the crowd at Moore. After that scenario, i was handed a suspension letter and students did nothing.  Reinstatement is not gained by the art of article writing but action".