More reactions are still emanating to the crisis rocking the University of Port Harcourt that lead to the death of a departmental President, late Comr. Peter Ufurum and the shun down of the university.
Comrade Vincent Dan-Jumbo, a 500-level student of Dentistry and Surgery at the University of Port Harcourt, Choba, and the National President of the National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS) Worldwide in an interview with ObinitonReports.
Interview:
What Is Your Reaction To The Crisis Rocking The University Of Port Harcourt?
The incident was quite unfortunate. Over time in our country, Nigeria, when students come out to protest you find policemen killing at least one or two students. In other parts of the world, in other countries where they do protest, they have ways of dispersing the protesters by way of spraying water, rubber bullets and some other measures that are being put in place. But here in Nigeria you find policemen using live bullets to disperse a crowd. In this particular situation the students were being shot at directly. So it was not even a thing of stray bullet. They shot at the student directly in the body at about two, three times. We condemn the act in its totality. We are calling for the immediate set up of the committee as said by the commissioner of police that will bring out the perpetrator of that heinous act because if we allow that to go the life of that boy will go in vain. So we will not sit down and allow that to happen. We are also in touch with so many human rights groups that are also instituting legal action against the Nigeria Police and the University of Port Harcourt to make sure that we get justice at the end of the day. And then the policies that brought about all these issues will be reversed which is the “No School Fees, No Exams Policy”.
Some People Are Saying This Whole Drama Is Signposting The Disconnect Between Youths And The Process Of Making Policy Decisions That Affect Their Lives. You Want To Go With That? Do You Think The University Of Port Harcourt Management Fully Involved The Student Union Government (SUG) In The Process Of Coming Up With This Policy?
It is simple why things degenerated to this level. It is simply due to lack of effective communication and effective dialogue between all the parties involved, student union and the management. You can't just bring up a policy and you want to implement it. There was no harmony between the SUG and the University of Port Harcourt management.
There was no agreement on this kind of policy. We are always open to dialogue. And in dialoging we find certain factors that will help settle the issues.
For example, the Deputy Registrar of Information, (Dr) Williams Wodi, came out on air and said over ninety per cent of the students have complied with the payment of that fee. So what was wrong if the remaining ten per cent or eight per cent is allowed to write that exam? Knowing full well that you have majority and you cannot achieve 100 per cent compliance. These are things that the student union would have brought up but there was no such connection.
The Dean of Students' Affairs has also failed in that area of bridging the gap between the management and the students. So that is what degenerated into this kind of situation that we find ourselves in. there was no effective dialogue.
How True Are Reports That The Police Is Making Clandestine Arrests In Conjunction With The University Management And That The SUG President Has Gone Into Hiding After Being Declared Wanted?
Well, since this problem started, you find that the media has not been very friendly with the true position of things. You see students that are not even in the know of certain things just online and post something and before you know its all over without due confirmation and all that.
As regards to the arrests of students, there is no such threat. I have been with the SUG president since the day before yesterday. We have not slept. We have all been together in a particular location when we received this information. I can tell you we have been walking freely. We have seen the management. We have gone to see the Commissioner of Police, Director of SSS and Deputy Governor of Rivers State; and there is no such threat on the lives of any student union leader and nobody is in hiding.
Now That There Are Calls On The Governor Of Rivers State To Set Up A Commission Of Inquiry And The Police Have Also Said They Will Do An Autopsy, Is Nurss Considering Being Part Of That Panel And Also Being Part Of The Autopsy Process?
Yes, we have told them. NURSS might not be directly involved but there must be a representative from the student community. A NANS delegation came from Abuja. What we are saying is that NURSS being involved is immaterial but let students be involved. The students can be from Rivers State origin or not from Rivers State because our NANS delegation who are not from Rivers State also came. So it is not really a NURSS issue. It is about the Nigerian students.
The University of Port Harcourt is a federal institution; it is for Nigerian student so if you bring in NURSS you will give it a whole lot of sentiment attached, and we wont achieve our mission. What we have demanded and posited is that members of the student community be part of the investigative panel and the perpetrators of the uncultured and barbaric act be brought to book.
Justice is what we demand and want. In solidarity we stand until VICTORIA ASCERTA!
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