Over 1,000 students of the University of Ibadan (UI) yesterday stormed Ibadan streets, protesting what they described as the deteriorating condition of education.
The protest, led by the Students' Union Government (SUG) President, Comrade Babatunde Badmus, started from the university gate around 8am in the presence of over 50 policemen led by the Sango District Police Officer, ASP Sybil Akinfenwa, who brought 10 vans. He said his men were there to ensure law and order.
The students disrupted traffic and carried placards with inscriptions, such as: 'Adieu to education sector in Nigeria', 'Say no to poor education standard', 'Nigeria, dwarf or giant of Africa,' 'Nigeria giant of Africa- Ghana budgets 31 per cent for education, South Africa budgets 25 per cent, Nigeria budgets 8.4 per cent,' 'ASUU don't betray this struggle with earned allowances, unionism must be restored to all tertiary institutions,' 'We want 26 per cent budgetary allocation for education'.
Vehicular movement from UI to Mokola roundabout was grounded for over five hours, as the students barricaded roads, singing solidarity songs.
At Mokola roundabout, they hijacked four intra-state buses belonging to the state government (Ajumose Shuttle buses) and rode in them back to their campus.
In a communiqué read by Comrade Badmus, the students said the purpose of the protest was to condemn government's lack of seriousness in the funding of education.
Their words: "The United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommends that a minimum of 26 per cent of the budgetary allocation in developing countries should be devoted to education, but instead, the Nigerian government allocates less than 10 per cent.
"A report by the World Bank in 2012 on the annual budgetary allocation of 20 countries shows that Nigeria is in the last position with the allocation of 8.4 per cent of its annual budget to education, compared to Ghana, which occupies the first position with the allocation of 31 per cent of its budget to education."
Supporting the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike and calling for an early resolution, the students' leader urged the Federal Government to honour the agreements it signed with ASUU.
He enjoined the Federal Government to ensure that the budgetary allocation to the education sector is increased to 26 per cent in line with the UNESCO recommendation.
Badmus said the communiqué represented the views of faculty presidents, presidents of departments, hall chairmen and chairpersons, chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Joint Campus Committee, Oyo State and members of the Union of Campus Journalists.
Said he: "We want ASUU to prioritise the revalitisation of the quality of education. We decry the unnecessary establishment of mushroom tertiary institutions. The existing ones are being neglected.
"The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo invested so much in education, but President Goodluck Jonathan is non chalant about the funding of education. Instead, he takes pride in jetting out when pressing national issues that need his attention arise.
"Our leaders enrol their children in private universities outside the country and cripple public universities to deprive the children of the poor the right to education. We will resist this."
Calling for the resignation of the Education Minister, Prof. Ruquayyat Ahmed Rufai, Badmus said she must resign with immediate effect because she lacked a clue to the problems in the education sector.
The students said besides ASUU's demands, the Federal Government must embark on the building of modern hostels and facilitate the establishment of research laboratories by investors in the universities.
They urged modernisation of decayed facilities and obsolete style of teaching in tertiary institutions.
The SUG president said if their demands were not met, they would head for Abuja next week and ground activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
