Student Unrest Erupts In Nigeria
Musa Ibrahim
The military would tolerate demonstrations of support for their overthrow of politicians but will not tolerate any demonstrations of displeasure against military actions or policies. For students who like to make their feelings known, a collision was inevitable.More than 30 persons were injured last weekend at the Ahmadu Bello University main campus in Zaria where anti riot policemen stormed a delegates' conference of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS).
A News Agency of Nigeria correspondent present at the scene said that about five of the persons, including two female students, sustained serious injuries. Sources close to the divisional police headquarters in Zaria claimed that more than 55 students, most of whom were believed to be delegates and observers from 25 universities and other institutions of higher learning, were arrested.
The whereabouts of Mr Lanre Arogundade, the National President of NANS, which had been declared illegal by the Federal Government, was unknown.
The correspondent said that the incident happened at about 4.55pm when the NANS president was rounding off his opening address to an audience of about 300 students. Loud shouts and screams were heard from outside the building which caused a wild stampede. Scores of the fleeing students ran into the hands of police- men who had quietly cordoned off the building. Armed with automatic weapons, tear-gas and bludgeons, the police had arrived on the campus in three trucks and two jeeps.
About five hours before then, Mr Arogundade had told NAN in an interview that the Association would disregard a widely publicised police warning that the holding of the conference was unlawful because NANS was not recognised by the Federal Govern- ment. His contention was that the police did not communicate their disapproval to the Association officially, saying that they only heard of it through the press.
An eye-witness said that during the 75-minute operation, the police hunted down delegates in their hideouts by questioning every passer-by and conducting a thorough search of vehicles on the campus. The policemen, however, manhandled the NAN correspondent and destroyed his wrist watch, while his driver claimed that he was whipped inside a NAN vehicle with a cane by some of the law enforcement agents.
A correspondent adds: Students in West Africa have invariably been the first on the coup bandwagon and the first to jump off. When soldiers seize power in any West African country, most people adopt a 'wait and see attitude' partly because they want to be sure that the coup has been successful and the new leaders are firmly in power before they venture lending their support.
Students, however, are not that cautious and if anybody will go on to the streets to demonstrate any support for military takeovers they are the only ones that will dare.
The Nigerian coup was no different and the Nigerian students were the first to welcome the return of the soldiers. As is usual in these circumstances, the soldiers show their gratitude by their early pronouncements. The wonder is that they are taken seriously since their loyalty is so short-lived.
The period of honeymoon, in this case however, has been shorter than most, because it did not take very long for the students to become disillusioned with the new military regime. The disagreements between the students and the Federal Military have been on two main issues.
For all their professed dislike for the politicians, the students cherished the atmosphere of freedom that existed under civilian rule and the fact that they could always demonstrate their displeasure about whatever they see wrong with the government.
The military would tolerate demonstrations of support for their overthrow and of the disgust with the deposed politicians but will not tolerate any demonstrations of displeasure against military actions or policies. For students who like to make their feelings known very loudly, a collision was inevitable.
The confrontation was hastened by the decision of the FMG to reintroduce the payment of school fees in all schools, a decision that was loudly decried by the students.
The first rumbling of discontent came into the open as early as March when the Bendel Police Command announced that it will not tolerate any form of student demonstrations. The command then said that it was aware that students in the State were planning to demonstrate against the government's decision to reintroduce school fees. The command appealed to the students to heed the warning "in their own interest".
This was followed up in April by the banning of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) by the Federal Military Government in April.
The Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Alhaji Ibrahim Yarima Abdullahi stated that the NANS was an off-shoot of the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) which had been banned by the Murtala/Obasanjo administration and therefore could not receive the recognition of the present government. The FMG asked the various educational institutions to step up their individual unions.
The students reacted by calling for a boycott of lectures to back up their demands which included a cancellation of school fees at both Federal and State levels, the release of all detained students and the lifting of the ban on Government all student union activities.
The support for the boycott call was patchy but it was serious enough to have led to the closure of a number of universities.
The Universities of Benin, Ilorin, Jos, Federal Universities of Technology, Makurdi and Bauchi were all closed down as a result of the boycott of lectures by the students.Two weeks later the NANS announced a temporary suspension of the boycott of lectures.
In a statement issued in Ilorin, the Association said that it had taken the decision because of "pressures from the Nigeria Labour Congress" which had promised to take up its case with the Federal Government.
Since then the students have been playing hide and seek with the authorities on the holding of their delegates conference.
The students had argued all along that their association was a legally constituted body and the FMG had no reason to ban it and were determined to ignore the ban.
This confrontation is bound to lead to even more strained relations between the military and the students and put the students firmly now in the group of "opponents" to the regime.
