By Owei Lakemfa

Adeola Soetan was a staff of the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, Abeokuta when some young student leaders from the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife visited the station. Cladded in black, they came in connection with the annual commemoration of the June 7, 1981 massacre of six students in Ife by the police.

The students looked so young, yet articulate and confident while being interviewed, that he decided in furthering his studies, to attend the OAU. So in 1986, he was admitted into the institution for a five -year course in Agriculture. He was aged 25.But when he got to the campus, the student union that attracted him, had been banned over protests against the student massacre at the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU.

On campus, he started writing and pasting articles why student unionism should be restored. His articles carried his name and room number. One day, two young students, Yinka Odumakin, later a national figure in Nigerian politics, and Kola Odetola visited and invited him to join a student journal, ‘Ripples’. A month later, they invited him to a student seminar where he met young students discussing how to revive the student union and intelligently analysing national and international politics. That was how he joined the radical students movement.

About three months later, during the university convocation, the representative of the Visitor, Admiral Patrick Koshoni, was stoned by students protesting the trial for treason of eleven electricity senior staff who had gone on strike in protest against the neglect of their sector. Soetan was not present when this happened.

He had attended an all-night social party the day before, and slept most of the day. So when Koshoni was stoned, he was sound asleep in his room. About 9.30pm, Odumakin and Odetola came to his room and asked whether he listened to the NTA Network News. No he hadn’t. So they informed him he was one of the students the university claimed to have identified stoning Koshoni and has therefore been rusticated indefinitely. He was just four months on campus!

Soetan an orphan since 19, was sponsoring himself in school with help from his sister, Rosalyn Soetan. She seemed so devastated and exclaimed: “How could you go and stone the Minister?” He replied: “ I did not stone the Minister, I was not even there.” She responded: “Ah! Iro ni”(Ah! It is a lie).

Full story : https://www.chronicle.ng/2021/08/adeola-soetan-oau-student-leader-who-spent-13-years-for-a-five-year-course/

Nothing new under the sun

Nothing strange about that. I also spent 8 years for three years course at college of education. Our timings are different in life. Nature was designed that way by the almighty.

Sikay19:
Nothing strange about that. I also spent 8 years for three years course at college of education. Our timings are different in life. Nature was designed that way by the almighty.

Na activism cause your own or wetin
Op put full story here
Ain’t click no shorty link bruh

The fight against an established establishment is not always an easy one. True and pure activism is is not for faint hearted especially if you're a son of nobody. Anyone going into activism should be ready for whatever.
Activism can cost you your life, health, freedom, happiness..........................

Many deans, lecturers, professors and even many non academic staff of university are always the first to resist change because many of them are enablers of the corrupt systems of governance.

Gone were the days of students' real struggles. I'm not sure new generations can have a taste of how it used to be.

"...Inside Aluta, I will read and pass..."