African Students For Liberty (ASFL) has organised a conference at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State. Its theme was #ShareYourStory. OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI reports.
Over 100 student-leaders from some tertiary institutions gathered at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State to listen to stories that changed lives and the course of events in some institutions.
It was at an event tagged #ShareYourStory organised by African Students For Liberty (ASFL).
Supported by the United States-based Atlas Network, the event featured speakers from Nigeria, South Africa and Europe. The African Programme Manager of Students For Liberty (SFL), Olumayowa Okediran, led the speakers.
Others were SFL Deputy African Programme Manager Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, CAMPUSLIFE Editor Wale Ajetunmobi, Director of The Bastiat Society Adewale Bankole, an entrepreneurship expert, Bunmi Fadiora, an ASFL Local Coordinator, Lilian David, Martin Van Staden (South Africa) and SFL Programme Director in Europe Yael Ossowski.
The event’s objective was to bring campus leaders together for advocacy on free society and to share practical ideas on how to promote the ideals of tolerance, liberty, entrepreneurship and free markets among students.
In line with the theme of the event, each speaker shared his personal experience and how the ideas of liberty have helped him/her in life pursuits.
Ossowski, a journalist, exposed a corrupt Serbian police, who demanded bribe from him last year on YouTube, a social media platform. The action was followed by hate emails and death threats from Serbian security agencies, which demanded Ossowski’s sack from his employer.
Speaking via Skype, Ossowski told the participants that it was good to obey the law to stay out of handcuffs. But, he added that an individual must learn to stand up against the government if its demands are unjust. People, he said, must always stand up for their rights.
He said: “If using the legal means to expose official misdeeds fails, there is always alternative method by which we can uncover misdeeds committed by people in position of authority. In many cases, this is what the media is intended to do in democratic societies. It is important to have access to media platform to spread message of liberty.
“In my case, I felt I was unjustly being asked to submit to a temporary authority and pay an unreasonable fine and bribe without due process. That was what drove me to expose the action on YouTube. Though, I may have been the victim of personal threats and a massive online campaign to get me fired from my job, I still believe it was worth it to bring attention to the incident. No person, whether Serbian or American, should have to unjustly pay government officials who demand more than stated fines.”
Speaking on Economic freedom: panacea to Nigeria’s growth, Bankole said economic freedom remained the key to an improved quality of life. He said economic freedom would not worth its value if it disallowed people to engage in free market model. He said free market system remains the engine that drives economic prosperity.
He said: “Economic freedom is important because it affects every aspect of our life. Living in a society with high level of economic freedom leads to higher incomes, lower poverty, less unemployment, longer life expectancy, and cleaner environments, among other benefits. It also improves the wellbeing of the people and leads to a higher quality of life,” he added.
Ajetunmobi spoke on human rights abuse on campuses and students’ activism in 21st Century. He advised students to develop a new method of engaging the authorities, rather than needless protest. He said media remained a powerful platform for the students to explore in channeling their grievances.
He said: “Human rights abuses are inevitable in our society, but we can confront the abusers without having to resort to needless demonstration that may not achieve anything in the end. Student activism must shift from street protest to intellectual engagement.”
Lilian, a student of Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, spoke on Women and leadership position in the global economy. She explained how she shouldered responsibilities as a student-leader on her campus, and she was able to meet up with the demands regardless of her gender. She emphasised the need for women to see themselves as problem-solvers, noting that taking up leadership positions on campuses would enable female students inculcate good leadership values after school.
Van Staden, an Executive Board Member of ASFL, spoke on Strength of young people amid repressing authorities in South Africa, while Ezeugo also took turn to share his inspiring stories in propagating liberty ideas among students.
The event also featured discussion on entrepreneurship and students’ activism, where the participants engaged themselves on issues affecting their wellbeing on campus.
