The University of Ibadan’s decision to suspend two student activists, Aduwo Ayodele and Mide Gbadegesin, for taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against tuition fees has been sharply criticized by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
A disciplinary panel appointed by the university resulted in the students’ four-semester suspension. NANS called the suspension “a gross abuse of power and due process” and “a dangerous assault on democracy.”
The student body charged that the university administration violated both international and national human rights standards by stifling student voices.
“Their crime? Holding placards with #FeesMustFall, a peaceful, symbolic act of protest at a time when students across Nigeria are crushed under the weight of unbearable economic hardship,” NANS said. The group called for the management of the university to issue a public apology, to immediately reverse the rustication order, and to stop persecuting student activists.
“We salute the bravery of Comrades Aduwo, Nice, and Mide. They stood when it was dangerous to stand. They spoke when silence would have been easier. And for that, they carry the burden of our collective resistance,” NANS continued.
Amnesty International has also denounced the suspension, calling the decision unfair and urging the university to uphold the students’ right to peaceful protest.
Amnesty International declared, “No one should be punished for decrying the university’s fee hike during Nigeria’s worst economic crisis in a generation,”
In addition to calling on other student organizations and civil society allies to join in solidarity, NANS has pledged to respond to the university’s decision “with strategy, solidarity, and unshakable courage.”
