Nobel
Eyisi, a charming young man who got elected as President of the Students' Union
of the Anambra State University has been having a running battle with his
fellow executive members, his Vice Chancellor and the entire University
Management leading to his impeachment and indefinite suspension from the University.
Below is
Mr. Eyisi's story told in his own words. Read on please.
Dear
Sir/Madam: Therefore, I, Noble Eyisi, the impeached and suspended Students’
Union Government President writes this letter as an appeal for justice in my
case. I was elected the Students’ Union Government President on the 11th of
December 2014 and was inaugurated on the 15th of December of that same year.
After my election and the Christmas break, on
the 5th of January, our government embarked on the reduction of transport fare
in the university from N30 to N20. At first, it seemed an uphill task as the
drivers went on strike but with time and by God’s grace, they were back and
conformed to the new N20 transport scheme.
This gave
us a very good recommendation and applause from the university management,
students and citizens of our state and country. To be candid, the reduction of
the transport fare to N20 was a huge sacrifice from the part of the Students’
Union Government as I, the former president sacrificed the sum of N20,000 per
day from the Transport Trust Fund (TTF), a sum of money collected by the SUG
from drivers. This Transport Trust Fund (TTF) was illegal and unconstitutional
as it extorted money from the students (the higher the TTF, the higher the
transport fare). For the general students, it brought us love and goodwill as
we have helped them save N10 whenever they board a bus, shuttle or keke but
from my fellow executives, Students’ Representative Council members (though not
inaugurated then) and the judiciary, it brought me hatred as they felt I took
away their daily bread because they were supposed to benefit N8,000 daily from
the illegal Transport Trust Fund (TTF). I was by God’s grace able to navigate
the ship of SUG despite pressures to bring back the Transport Trust Fund (TTF)
up until second semester.
Before the
resumption of second semester, I called my fellow executives for a meeting
where I pleaded with them and convinced them to buy into my idea of reducing
the price of food from N200 to N150 inside the university campus. They all
accepted and agreed to it, the food vendors were called and most of them
accepted but due to the imminent first semester examinations, we weren’t able
to begin implementation.
At the eve
of second semester, I brought to the notice of the students our decision to
bring down food price from N200 to N150, which they all loved, accepted and
supported since it had been a cry in their hearts and it began working as most
food vendors complied. But this policy was greeted by a strong university
management resistance. The Vice-Chancellor called me expressing his
dissatisfaction with it and asked me to make things right. I felt so sad but I
had to obey my superior. So I rested my case, very much against my wish but my
students felt that their rights, expressions and feelings were being trampled
on. Even if it meant that the rent collected by the Commercial Ventures of the
university from the food vendors be reduced, let it be, but let the interest of
the general students be heard and protected.
Since the
university management did not want the policy to see the light of the day, I
felt so sad and decided to rest my case, but at the same time, my students
still felt cheated. Despite the management’s high-handedness on them through
increment of fees, institution of new fees, intimidation by university security
agents etc, the management still wanted to extort money from them through the
food prize. With the new implementation of dues by the management and other
increments, the students began asking me questions relating to monies which
they were asked to pay which was new in the system, increment in some fees and
so on and this led me to write an 8-point letter to the Vice Chancellor asking
him questions which my fellow students have been asking me. Please sir, find
attached an exact copy of the letter I sent to the Vice Chancellor. (Attachment
1)
It may also
please you to find out that there are still other issues which I did not point
out in the letter which includes:
Increment
in the General Studies (GS) fee of Year one students from N1,000 to N4,000
Increment
in the Continuous Education Programme (CEP) school fees from N35,000 to N39,
800,
Payment of
National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) dues of N2,500 and yet there is no
clinic, how much more obtaining free medical treatment; amongst many others
which may still be hidden to me.
After I
gave him the letter confidentially on the 4th of May, he called the management
staff of the university, entire executives of the Students’ Union Government,
the Speaker, Students’ Representative Council and the Chief Judge of the
Students’ Judicial Council to a meeting where he countered the entire letter
point by point. In the meeting which held on the 8th of May, my phone was
seized from me and I was almost slapped and intimidated by words spoken by the
management staff present in the meeting. I still felt unsatisfied with the
response he gave us and unfortunately the letter got to other fellow students.
While the whole situation grew tense, the Students’ Union Government bus under
my care was seized from me, my friends were arrested and threatened and I too
was threatened by the Personal Assistant to the Vice Chancellor. Please find
attached a copy of this letter (Attachment 2). It is also important to note
that the University management never gave me money for the maintenance of the
SUG bus, though I have written to them on countless occasions, rather my
parents had always provided me with the money with which I have continuously
repaired and maintained it.
Meanwhile,
instead of addressing the issue, the Vice-Chancellor instigated my fellow
executives to sign a vote of no confidence against me where they accused me of
a 5-count charge. It is also attached here sir (Attachment 3) and after the
impeachment, I responded to the charges and sent them to the Vice Chancellor of
which I am yet to get a reply to (Attachment 4). The response is also attached.
My fellow executives also sued me to the Students’ Union Government Court on a
three-count charge, based on why I brought down the transport fare from N30 to
N20, why I removed the illegal and unconstitutional Transport Trust Fund (TTF)
and why I reduced the price of food within the university which was all
student-oriented.
While the
whole situation was growing tense, I thought the Vice-Chancellor would have
managed the situation well despite media reports, rather he mandated that I be
removed quickly from office. Please sir, newspaper reports from this issue are
also attached here (Attachment 5). The only condition he gave me to remain in
office was to recant all I said in the letter by calling a press conference
which I will address. I was suspended from being the Students’ Union Government
President of the university on the 18 May, on a Monday, which was not the
normal day the Students’ Representative Council was to sit. The suspension was
unconstitutional and also on the 22 May, I was impeached. This was made possible
by the Students’ Representative Council members who had strongly been
influenced and bought over by the Vice Chancellor through their Heads of
Departments, hence, they ensured I was impeached and more because they were
threatened that disobedience would result to problems in their different
courses. It will also please you, sir to note that the suspension as the
Students’ Union Government President was done by the veto power of the Speaker
as majority of the quorum of the House seated on that day were against it.
After my
impeachment, students were really sad and feeling that their rights had been
trampled on, peacefully protested. On the 3rd of June, a peaceful protest was
conducted of which I was also part of. After the protest, I kept on attending
lectures regularly and on Monday, 8 June, a court order was served to the Vice
President and Speaker by the Anambra State High Court against my suspension as
SUG President and impeachment. On the 11th of June, on entering the university,
I was arrested in the university by a personal security aide to the Vice
Chancellor. I was intimidated and from the Administration Block of the
university, I was dragged into the security van of the university and taken to
the State Security Service Headquarters of Anambra State located at Amawbia.
There and then, the Director showed me my suspension letter and I was asked to
pack my things immediately and leave the university and also that I should not
be seen in the university until further notice. I was also asked to sign an undertaking
to this which I did. I kept on asking for a copy of my suspension letter but no
one gave it to me. Accompanied by security agents of the university, I packed
my things and left.
It will
also please you to note sir, that on the morning of 11th, a circular had
already been shared to all the security agents in the university that I should
not be seen in the university as I had been suspended. It was given to them by
the Chief Security Officer of the University. All this happened even with an
order of the Anambra State High Court which I had with me. Please find attached
the statements of the court order (Attachment 6) and the Chief Security
Officer’s circular (Attachment 7).
All through
my stay as the Students’ Union Government President from December up until May,
it had been a selfless service. The only amount of money I had ever received
from our SUG account which should be autonomous was N70,000 which served as my
take-off grant. It came weeks after we had written a letter to that effect and
ever since then I have never received any of my entitlements as the SUG
President. Even a transport route in the university which the SUG ought to be
in charge of as an Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the welfare of the
students was high jacked by a personal security aide to the Vice Chancellor,
Mr. Anayo Anizoba and when I brought up the issue, the wife of the
Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Gladys Ahaneku called me and asked me to take 40% of the
money and leave the remaining 60% to the security aide which I disagreed to.
Finally, in
a country where people’s rights are being trampled upon, I still believe that
justice must be upheld. I’m a very young, patriotic Nigerian citizen of this
great country who decided to serve my country in the capacity of Students’ Union
Government Presidency of my university, and all through my service in office, I
have fought selflessly for the rights and privileges of my students. I don’t
deserve to be kicked out of the university considering the fact that I have not
been involved in any illegal practices or misconduct. All I have done was for
the best interest of the students and for the good of my country. I sincerely
and desperately appeal to you as a father to look with pity upon me and
consider my case as I have no one else to run to. Thank you very much sir for
your time, understanding and resolution to intervene on my behalf. God bless
you.
Comrade
Noble Eyisi
Department
of Political Science
Nnamdi
Azikiwe University, Awka.
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