UNILAG lifts ban on students' unionism

Authorities of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Friday said they had lifted the ban on students’ unionism.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rahamon Bello, made the announcement at the institution’s 2014/2015 matriculation in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the students union was proscribed in 2005 under the former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, sequel to a violent students’ unrest.

NAN reports that the vice-chancellor’s lodge was attacked during the mayhem.

According to Bello, university education should offer opportunity for well-rounded development.

``You are leaders of tomorrow and as such, opportunity for leadership development should be unrestricted.

``With the recent endorsement of the University of Lagos Students’ Union Constitution, the authorities of the institution has approved the unbanning of full students’ union activities at the university.”

Bello directed the Dean, Students’ Affairs, to immediately commence arrangements for the election of the Students’ Union executives, in line with the new constitution.

He, however, urged the students to guard against anything that was capable of bringing back `the dark days’.

The vice-chancellor said that of the 61,931 candidates who applied during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, and 4, 361, from the Direct Entry platform, only 26,641 scored 200 and above.

He said that 15,597 candidates wrote post-UTME of the university.

Bello said that 5, 796 candidates were offered provisional admission in the UTME category and 2,805 in the direct entry category, making a total of 8,601.

The vice chancellor, however, said that after a thorough screening exercise, only 6,644, representing 10 per cent of the total number of applicants, scaled the registration procedures.

He advised the students to be good ambassadors of their families, alma maters, departments, faculties and the university at large.