Students protest 12-year ban on SUG

Three students of the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, on Thursday sustained various injuries following a violent protest that crippled administrative and academic activities at the institution.

It was learnt that the students, under the aegis of the Joint Executive Council of Associations on Campus, asked out their members to protest against the management’s refusal to permit Students’ Union Government activities in the school campus.

Before Thursday’s protest, the students’ council had earlier met on September 9, 2014, to impress it on the school management, led by Mr. Israel Affia, to conduct the SUG elections in accordance with the constitution of the students’ body.

A communiqué signed by some 37 students’ leaders across all academic departments of the school, advised the management of the institution to comply with the directives as contained in the communiqué or risk violence protest.

The communiqué, signed by the Chairman of the committee, Mr. Akan Eyo; Secretary, Mr. Ibanga Michael, and 35 others, read in part, “It is the constitutional right of every Nigerian student to vote and be voted for as contained in the solidarity constitution of the SUG of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic.

“The continuous denial of our right is capable of causing the eruption of major students’ unrest….”

Advising the management to follow through this resolution before the end of this month, the aggrieved students who recalled that the suspension of students’ union activities had been in force in the institution in the last 12 years, said they could no longer bottle up their anger over the infringement of their right by the institution’s management.

According to the union, since the era of Mr. Eddy Etim as the Rector, more than 12 years ago, students had been paying their SUG dues.

He added “The management has always collected the dues and paid deaf ears to our genuine concerns as students of the institution.”

Efforts to speak with the Rector failed as his lines were not going through.

It was, however, learnt that the Chairman of the Academic Staff Association of Polytechnic, Akwa Ibom Polytechnic chapter, Mr. Iboro Ibara, and the Dean of Students Affairs, were talking with the students representatives to restore peace to the campus.

PUNCH