Tag: hearts

The Princess Alexandra Auditorium of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) literally became a cauldron of activism when human rights crusaders, trade unionists and freedom fighters gathered to remember their departed colleague, Chima Ubani, who died in a road accident in 2005.

The 10th remembrance was organised by the Students’ Union Government (SUG) in collaboration with the Friends of Chima Ubani.

The late Ubani was president of the SUG during which he was said to have led struggles against the management. As a top comrade of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the late activist also led struggles to fight the cause of the masses. He died in the heat of a crisis that trailed the fuel price hike by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

It was a solemn atmosphere in the hall as speakers recalled the impact the late Ubani made on people’s lives and union activism.

The lead speaker, Prof Femi Aborisade, lamented the high rate of corruption in the country, noting that it was the scourge the late activist stood and fought against. He said some of the ills, which the late Ubani fought against, were yet to be corrected in public offices.

He said the office of the First Lady, which is not recognised by the Constitution, was illegally created to waste the public resources. He lamented the refusal of private firms to fund education through scholarship and grant to engender growth, saying the practice was affecting the nation adversely.

Prof Toye Olurode, another speaker, said the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) and NLC used to work together for common goals. He blamed the decline in education standard and erosion of value system for lack of synergy between the two bodies.

He said: “Some decades ago, NANS was working hand in hand with NLC in the struggle for a better nation. Later on the partnership was strained by the NLC to the detriment of our national growth.”

The keynote speeches were followed by a panel of discussion on review of activism. One of the panelists, Prof Henry Onwubiko, who said the late Ubani was his childhood friend, described him as humble, selfless, detribalised and down-to-earth.

Another member of the panel, Comrade Alex Ayatollamo, said he met with the late Ubani three days before the accident, adding that the activist  led a corruption-free life. He said: “The late Ubani lived to end corruption in our system. He believed corruption in the system incapacitated the nation from generating enough electricity to power the economy.”

Members of the audience said activism was becoming weaker on campuses, because of the overbearing attitude of school authorities. They said the fear of victimisation by students led to the increase in rape cases in higher institution. They wanted students to be protected by their unions.

The SUG President, Peter Oji, said there was need to inspire students on the effectiveness of unionism, asking what could be done to ensure students’ activism is not infiltrated by authorities of higher institutions.

Responding, Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, said involvement in unionism should not be taken as alibi to harass student-activists.

He called for unity among students, saying that was the only way they could protect their interest.

Since SUG does not have a coercive arm to qualify it as a government, Odinkalu advised students to rename their unions as Student Union Movement (SUM). He said scholarship and activism were not mutually exclusive, noting the late Ubani was a First Class graduate.

Mr Chigozie Ubani, the late activist’s brother, described him as a nationalist, role model, thorough-bred fighter and rare gem.

The event ended with a tribute session, where participants poured encomiums on the late Ubani for his “selflessness and sacrifice for humanity”. Peter and a member of the SUG, Chidi Ilogebe, led students to chant solidarity jingle in honour of the late unionist.

The late Ubani died in Potiskum on his way to Abuja on September 21, 2005, during a nationwide sensitisation tour by the NLC to protest the hike in fuel pump price. He was, until his death, the Executive Director of Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), and a former Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience.

 

 

 

 

 

Medical students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Nnewi, Anambra State, held a memorial for nine of their colleagues who died in a fire on the campus 14 years ago. On the occasion, they drew attention to the state of facilities in the school. FRANKLIN ONWUBIKO (Mass Communication) reports.

At the College of Health Science of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Nnewi, Anambra State, May 9 is a special day. On May 9, 2001, nine medical students were burnt in a midnight fire, which razed the female hostel. Fourteen years after, the ugly incident is still fresh in the medical students’ memories. To them, the tragedy is a reminder of the neglect of the college by the government.

The victims included Adaobi Amilo, Amara Ezeliora, Chinenye Nedolisa, Obiageli Muokwugwo, Ugoma Ositanwosu, Doris Ekpo and the courageous Chukwuneke Chinedu, who reportedly died as she made efforts to save her roommates from the inferno.

“These victims could still be alive if the college had functional ambulance to properly convey them to the hospital,” president of Students’ Association Government in the college, Jennifer Ikediugwu, said. The only functional ambulance in the school, she said, broke down while conveying the victims to the university Teaching Hospital.

To remember their fallen colleagues, students came out en masse on Friday to commemorate the incident and say prayers for the victims. In his comment, the chairman of the occasion and Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Dr Ebele Ugochukwu, described the incident as unfortunate, advising the students on the need to keep to regulation pasted in their hostels to avert reoccurrence of the sad incident.

Mama Ozi, a trader on the campus, who witnessed the incident, gave a moving account of what transpired in the day. The audience moved into a moment of grief when she explained how the victims writhed in pain as they were being transported to the hospital in rickety ambulance. She described incident as tragic, expressing disappointment that school still does not have good ambulance fourteen years after.

Delivering the memorial lecture, Reverend Father Maurice Izunwa spoke on selflessness as exhibited by the late Chukwuneke, who defied the fury of the fire in a bid to save her colleagues trapped in the hostel. The clergy urged students to emulate Chukwuneke’s heroic act and gallantry.

The Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA), Prof Ken Nworgu, said the management shared in the grief of the victims’ family, saying the school would always remember the deceased. He added that the victims’ death was regrettable, urging students to always ensure their safety and be steadfast in act of selflessness. He promised to take the request of more ambulance by the students to the management.

Also addressing the students, the president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Noble Eyisi, gave the reason for participating in the memorial as a way of lending support to students on Nnewi campus. He said called for unity among students, noting: “In unity, we can properly channel our welfare.”

Noble reiterated his commitment to carry all students along in the union’s activities, assuring that the request for a new ambulance would be pursued vigorously.

While lamenting the poor learning environment in the college, Jennifer said: “The College has been in existence for so many years now and it has produced seasoned medical practitioners who are saving lives all over the world. But our own lives as students are endangered by the state of the facilities in the school. This campus has been terribly neglected for years. The entire students of the college cry out with one voice. We need help.”

High points of the event were musical and drama renditions by the students. The students also led a procession to a memorial monument to pay respects to their fallen heroes. After the session, a student, Millicent Ekwudo, seized the opportunity to restate the abysmal state of the school’s facilities, appealing to the authorities to improve on the facilities to secure the life of students. After the presentation, the students shouted: “we need ambulance.”