Founded in 1956, following the structural changes in the West African Students Union,  the National Union of Nigerian students (NUNS), predecessor-in-title to the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), was a union encompassing all Nigerian students in tertiary institutions of learning.  In the piece below, on the occasion of  the 50th anniversary of its 13th convention, Oladele Ajala, then secretary to the University of Ibadan Students’ Union, and a delegate, writes a refreshing recollection of the event, which his university, with my good friend, Yinka Bada, as president, hosted. Incidentally, yours truly was on the University of Ife delegation, led by the President, Femi Adenuga.

He wrote:

Dear Femi,

Further to my recent reaction to your Sunday column, I now forward to you, “a report” on the 13th National Convention of the National Union of Nigeria Students (NUNS), now defunct. Being the Secretariat of NUNS, it was the University of Ibadan that hosted the convention on 13th December, 1969. At the convention were delegates from the following institutions: 1) Ahmadu Bello University main campus; Samaru, Zaria.

2) Its Institute of Administration, Congo campus, Tundun-Wada.

3) Ado Bayero College of Education, now Ado Bayero University, Kano. 4) School of Pharmacy (can’t readily remember its location anymore). All the above institutions came under the umbrella of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

5) University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos.

6) College of Education, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos

7) University of Ife, Ile-Ife

It is important to note that both the Yaba College of Technology and the Federal School of Science, Onikan, and the College of Education Akoka, Lagos, routinely followed the leadership of  the University of Lagos Student’s Union.

8) University of Ibadan

There were, at that time, five Universities in the country but the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, could not attend as a result of the civil war. The University of Ibadan as the then Secretariat was not eligible to vie  for the union’s leadership as a result of which it became the ‘beautiful bride’, in the massive contestations that would soon ensue for offices,  and, ipso facto,  the secretariat for the 1970/71 session.

Quite expectedly, all the three other universities were keen on having it.

Ahmadu Bello University relied on its own strength and that which was provided by its three a fore-mentioned allies with a combined number of 29 delegates. It also relied on the commitment already made by the previous student Union of the University of Ibadan, then led by Dayo Abatan, to attract the ABU support for its bid during the 12th National Convention in Zaria. The University of Lagos, with Yemi Adefulu as President, led an aggressive campaign, directed mainly at the University of Ibadan for support but the University of Ife was certainly not as aggressive. I cannot now remember the number of delegates from either Institution but they were each less than that of Ahmadu Bello. Ibadan had 8 which included the President, the secretary, Mr. Alex Adedipe, who Ibadan was positioning for Director of Travels, Tokunbo Solarin and Edet Ekerendu. As it subsequently happened, Lagos and Ife naturally neutralised each other because neither was willing to trade off any of the offices.

Perhaps I should mention that the speech by the ABU students’ president and leader of its delegation, an experienced politician, and well known supporter of Mallam Aminu Kano, was so persuasive, it literally settled it in favour of ABU. He said things to the following effect: ‘though we have cooperated with NUNS since inception, it would surprise you all that not once has Ahmadu Bello held its secretariat, that is, having the NUNS’ president elected from ABU; wondering whether others do not believe that ABU is a bona fide member of the union. He concluded by saying it was time the organisation bestowed on ABU the privilege of having control, and taking charge of the NUNS’s secretariat. The speech by Godwin Obveagela, a student of Veterinary Medicine, who was in his seventh year at ABU and had attended many NUNS conventions which he punctuated severally with “when we were in Lagos, when we were in Zaria etc, was particularly poignant and as many of us from Ibadan, Lagos and Ife were attending the convention for the first time, none could contradict him. And I for one was highly impressed as I have been with the eloquence of Said Abubakar who was going to be the National President of NUNS, if ABU succeeded. Other ABU students who helped their case considerably were the popular Bros Ade, and Tom Ikimi, both of them Architecture students. The pertinent question, however, was what ABU achieved with this opportunity which, am afraid, was nothing, though I must add, for no fault of theirs.

In January of 1970, the ABU Students’ Union a issued a 20 – page memorandum of complaint against the Ahmadu Bello University authorities which immediately doubled down by closing down the university. The students union leadership immediately moved to the University of Ibadan, appealing for our support. We allowed them to set up a temporary Secretariat to organise, and streamline their campaign against the ABU autocracy. The U.I student’s union also immediately sent a delegation which included some ABU students, to the University of Lagos to organise how ABU would be liberated. This led to the first demonstration in Lagos which saw us going all the way from Akoka to Lagos Island to protest the closure of ABU and demanding its immediate re-opening. The demonstration was subsequently joined by both secondary and primary school students and led to the complete “take over” of Carter Bridge.

Back in Ibadan, our support for ABU students almost resulted in the closure of our university because students invaded the central portals lodge, and seized all the keys to the lecture rooms, staff rooms as well as those of the three gates to the university, almost paralysing all university activities.

But wise counsel prevailed.

Perhaps I should mention that because of the crisis the NUNS Secretariat at ABU achieved nothing; it could not even organise the annual Summer Flight to the United Kingdom which Nigerian students always eagerly await. When the U.I Student’s union subsequently requested, and got the support, of the U.I authorities to make an alternative arrangement which it did through the very resourceful Mr. S. A. O Odumuye, the Student Affairs’ Officer, Said Abubakar, the NUNS President, allegedly leveraged on the good offices of  Mallam Aminu Kano, then a cabinet minister under the Yakubu Gowon administration,  to have it cancelled.

There was, however, during the long vacation, a conference/ seminar at the Institute of Administration, Congo Campus, Zaria which was at the instance of the NUNS Secretariat, partly sponsored by the United States Information Service. At the event, the U.I Student Union presented a paper on “Illiteracy and poverty” and concluded that Illiteracy was the most serious of our problems as a country, and therefore suggested that education must be made free and compulsory. It went further to suggest that if the government provided free education to all Nigerians, it could then ask  all  freshly graduating Nigerian students to serve the nation for a year. Thus was it, that the U.I Student Union initiated the National Youth Service scheme.

I should not forget to mention that on the eve of the convention that is, on the 12th December, 1969,  Bolade Oshinowo, who had won election to the post of  Public Relations Officer in the UI Students’ union, using the slogan: ‘Red for Revolution”, brought the British sensational ‘Beatles’ whose then reigning music: “All we are saying give peace a chance”, was played throughout the night, and the following morning, as the convention was about to commence, quite a number of  UI students were chanting “All we are saying, no convention”. From that point on, the slogan “All we are saying” has become like cast in stone among Nigerian students whenever they are protesting.

In conclusion, I wish to thank the Almighty God who has kept me and all the Nigerian students of higher institutions of that era – half a century ago – who are still on this side of the GREAT DIVIDE.

It can only be God.

POST SCRIPT

As a honest and courageous supporter of President  Muhammadu Buhari, when I observe an error I speak out. When he scores a bull’s eye – as he did in disbanding the illegal NDDC board hurriedly approved by an unreflecting senate – I commend him from the rooftops as I do now.

That for me is the essence of genuine support, not fighting any non- existent, so called proxy war, as some dimwits have wrongly surmised.

I heartily congratulate the traumatised peoples of the Niger Delta like Emma Okotieboh, and all those in the beleaguered territory which pays Nigerian’s bills, who have written to thank me after reading my article; WHO IS AFRAID OF TRANSPARENCY IN NDDC?

Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to all Nigerians, my readers in particular.