On May 29, some students from the Niger Delta held a rally in Abuja to mark President Goodluck Jonathan’s two years in office. The rally ended up in the picketing of Niger Delta Minister Elder Godsday Orubebe’s office because of his alleged refusal to see them. EMMANUEL AHANONU reports.
IT was May 29, a day observed by the Federal Government as Democracy Day. Some students from the Niger Delta gathered in Abuja for a “1000-man March” to mark President Goodluck Jonathan’s two years in office. They were led by the National President of the Niger Delta Students Union Government (NIDSUG), Tonbara Yalah. The peaceful rally degenerated to a protest against Minister of Niger Delta Elder Godsday Orubebe over his alleged refusal to see the students.
The students arrived in Abuja in batches on May 28. Some were lodged at Niger Delta Hotels, Nyanya, Abuja. In their hundreds, they swarmed major roads and offices in Abuja on May 29, dressed in T-shirts,with inscriptions, such as: “May 29, our democracy is 14 years”, “Jonathan is 2 years” and “Goodluck Nigeria”.
The rally started at the Bayelsa State Government Lodge and Liaison Office on Plot 1038, Shehu Shagari Way, Maitama District.
Tonbara, who described President Jonathan as “father of the nation”, said the union deemed it necessary to celebrate the country’s unity and existence after 14 years of democracy.
He urged the students to conduct themselves as the procession moved from one place to the other, adding that they should peacefully express their educational challenges to the authorities without being violent.
Tonbara had barely finished his address when a student of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), Friday Anayi, burst out in anger, shouting that his institution had been abandoned by the Federal Government. This resulted into an argument among the students. For several minutes, the crowd was uncontrollable until it was discovered that the complainant was drunk.
From Bayelsa State Lodge, the students went to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to make their position known on democracy. Initially, they stopped at the International Conference Centre (ICC) where the day was being formally marked.
To prevent the rally from being hijacked by hoodlums, operatives from the State Security Service (SSS) and the police guided the procession.
At the NTA, the students were received by Mr Walid Odiola, a journalist.
Tonbara said: “Education is one of the priorities if the Jonathan administration. Considering that the president is an academic himself, he has established more federal universities, increased the funding of the existing ones which has put a stop to industrial actions in our higher institutions. He has established schools for Almajiris in the North. Though we believe there are still more to be done by the president but he has shown that he is ready to effect the changes we desire in the education sector.”
Other students’ leaders who spoke with the NTA reporter were the Speaker of the legislative arm of NIDSUG, Obada Akpomiemie, and Students’ Union Government (SUG) President of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Bassey Eka.
From the NTA, the students moved to the Africa Independent Television (AIT) office, where they were welcomed by the Chairmans of DAAR Communications Limited, Chief Raymond Dokpesi. At AIT, students decried the country’s inability to meet the standard of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for education funding.
The students returned to the Bayelsa State Government Lodge, where Tonbara praised his colleagues for the peaceful outing. He then led the students to the residence of Orubebe who could not attend to them despite a two-hour wait.
The students resolved to continue the rally the next day at the offices of Orubebe and other public officers from the Niger Delta region to “pay homage”.
By 10am on May 30, over 100 students had converged on the 11th floor of the building of the Ministry of Niger Delta. After security clearance, Tombara and four other students’ leaders were allowed to see Orubebe to explain why they were visiting him.
CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Tonbara pleaded with the Minister to address the students, who were waiting outside. Our correspondent learnt that the Minister was not convinced by the the students’-leaders explanation. Orubebe was said to have questioned why the students made such a move in the first place.
One of those that met with the Minister told CAMPUSLIFE: “Orubebe ordered us out of his office in anger and told us that we did not conduct ourselves. He even said that he did not have money to give and that even if he had money to give to us, he would not be happy to do so because we did not officially inform him of our visit. At that point, he ordered us out of his office. Imagine that from a Minister from our region?”
The students waited for another three hours in Orubebe’s office, threatening that they would not leave except Orubebe came to address them.
On leaving the Minister’s office, Tonbara told his colleagues: “We had a very brief session with the Minister but the bottom line is that he told us he was displeased by the fact that we did not organise ourselves properly before coming to do the rally in Abuja. He said that he would not attend to us.
“Even though I have all the resources to do the rally alone, is it out of place for us to come and see our Minister? Have you benefited anything since this ministry was created? Has the ministry impacted on you? Has there been any essence of the ministry? In unison, the students responded: “No”.
In a twinkling of an eye, the ministry’s activities were disrupted. Students blocked the entrance gate, preventing vehicles from coming in and going of the premises. From nowhere, several placards appeared, with inscriptions such as “Orubebe must go!”, “Orubebe is not competent”, “Orubebe, why are you denying Niger Delta students their right?”, “Orubebe, who made you a Minister?”, “Orubebe, you are selfish and incompetent” among others.
For several minutes, the protesters chanted anti-Orubebe songs at the front of the Ministry’s gate. Movement was restricted as the students locked the civil servants in the office.
Udofia Amanam, one of the students from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, said: “The main problem we have in Nigeria is our inability to talk to our leaders. The essence of creating the Niger Delta Ministry is being defeated with the behaviour of people like Orubebe, who ordered us out like a common dog. This shows his incompetence. Let him resign or we will ground activities in the Ministry.”
At 3:41pm, when the civil servants were preparing to close, Tonbara prevailed on the students re-open the gate. He told the students: “Orubebe will never come down because it may be a great shame to him. Let us end the demonstration.”
In an interview with CAMPUSLIFE, Tonbara said: “Orubebe has not been living up to expectation; we came here because of his lacklustre performance as a Minister representing Niger Delta. This is why we came here to register our displeasure.”
