Schools now affected by chronic shortage of fuel, electricity and water. Students riot – now on rampage! Effects in UNILAG may spill over to other institutions of higher learning in the country!
The management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has ordered that all academic activities on the campus be suspended until the situation on the campus improves.
According to a statement released on Friday 8th April, 2016, the decision was made at a meeting of the University Senate held on Thursday 7th April, 2016.
“The Senate of the University of Lagos at an emergency meeting on Thursday, April 7, 2016 considered the situation on campus occasioned by the ongoing agitation of the student body over poor electricity and water supply in the community, and the difficulty faced by a large number of students living off campus to attend classes as a result of the fuel crisis.
“Senate noted that the problem of poor municipal services is a national issue that governments at both State and Federal levels are addressing,” the statement read.
UNILAG authorities ordered in the statement that students living on the campus should vacate their halls of residence, adding that no student should remain in the halls of residence after 10:00AM on Friday 8th April, 2016.
“All academic activities on campus are hereby suspended with immediate effect. The university is therefore closed with immediate effect.”
The management said that a decision to re-open for normal academic activities would be taken as soon as ‘municipal services improve’.
While commenting on this development, a very concerned citizen said:
“We are not being fair to each other as a Nation; the above news would have been a cover page headline by print media during Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ - from minority tribe) led PDP administration. Under President Muhamadu Buhari (PMB - from majority tribe ) led APC administration petrol is being sold for NGN250:00 per liter but we are all tolerating the situation, previous administration fixed petrol price at NGN147:00 per liter there was mass protest in the North and South-West; the situation is similar to Egyptians and Israelite relationship in the Land of Egypt. Cocoa, Cattle and Palm-Oil Farmers relied on land to produce and they are controlling their Products while royalties from Oil are being shared by the three tiers of Government.
Let us practice true federalism that would allow autonomy to all the federating units; multiple Authorities - State and Local Governments depending on Federal Government is like an inverted Pyramid structure that may not lead us to the promised land. An inverted pyramid falls on each attempt to make it stand.
Before now some south-west based activist were Apostles of true federalism but maintained silence after supporting the present administration to capture power at center. Let us consider UNITED STATES OF NIGERIA (USN) or UNITED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS OF NIGERIA (ULGN). The federating units would control the available resources in their location and contribute to central Treasury for common services like Currency, Boarder, External Relationship, Defense etc.”
On the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, everyone seems to be complaining about the hardship that has come unexpectedly upon Nigerians. They voted for change – expected good “change” and instead they have hardship.
The economy has being grinded almost to a halt due to scarcity of fuel, water and power. No one seems to know the direction the government is going and the future outcome in the days to come.
Nigerians are watching to see how the lingering scarcity in fuel, water and power supply with all the promises made by the Federal Government to solve them unfolds. And they are hopeful that it will not further lead to breakdown of law and order.
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