The Oasis Reporters

January 3, 2018

Students of Nigeria’s premier University, the University of Ibadan in the south west of the country have been asked to resume after the brief Christmas and new year holidays.
Examination fever is already knocking for the teeming students who have had to endure a series of strikes from the teachers union that affected all the government owned universities in the country except the university of Ilorin, which traditionally avoids going on strike to keep their calendar stable, to the medical consultants union and lately, the Non Academic Staff of Nigerian Universities Union (NASU) .

As the students remain at the receiving end of the strikes, their graduation date especially for the final year students keeps on getting extended and no one knows when they will pass out to join their colleagues from private universities in the ever ballooning job market where industries are shutting down every day.

The latest strike of the Non Academic Staff Union brought out the exasperation in the students because water and electricity facilities were turned off, worse still, students halls of residence were locked up.

The male students would have non of that and it was reported that they resisted this and ensured they remained on campus to enjoy the rooms that they have paid for.
Unlike the female students who had a harder time staying.

What is not quite clear is how he intends to keep water flowing and electricity shining for the students in the face of a determined non academic staff union even with resilient students behind him.

Is he going to plead with the staff or pay them off behind the back of a stubborn government that has resisted reaching a settlement with the striking workers?
These are answers that remain to be seen.

Meanwhile students were observed clutching their books and looking for quiet corners to study as examinations could be decreed into being anytime from the first week of January 2018.

Here’s the Vice Chancellor’s Welcome Address sent to our Ibadan office :

OFFICE OF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR

WELCOME NOTE TO ALL STUDENTS ON RESUMPTION FOR THE SECOND SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS, 2016/2017 SESSION

Greatest UITes,

On behalf of the Senate and Management of the University of Ibadan, it is my pleasure to extend seasons greetings to you and welcome you back from the brief Christmas and New Year break, although as I went round the Halls of Residence during the period, I could observe that not a few of you stayed behind to attend to sundry academic activities.

As you are aware, the Second Semester examination is expected to commence shortly and I wish to challenge you to greater exploits in the preparation for and in the writing of this examination.

The current grading system and continuous assessment procedure will guarantee excellence as long as the zeal and the will to excel is in place.

The Management and I, will as always, continue to explore ways of improving the conditions that will facilitate the best study conditions within our means especially provision of municipal services notably electricity and water. It is crucial to remain vigilant all through this period to ensure your safety and peace.

I expect a high sense of responsibility and seriousness among the freshmen (1st year students) particularly because of the performances recorded in the first semester which we noted was generally below par.

Once again, I welcome you to the Year 2018 which promises to be even more rewarding as we work together to achieve success.

Thank you and God bless.

Idowu Olayinka

Vice-Chancellor
1 January, 2018

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