OAU Pressure Groups ‘Condemned’ Welcoming Gen. Lucky Irabor On Campus

The ‘Peace and leadership centre’ must be removed with immediate effect. Great Ife students’ union is a pressure group, not an NGO nor a charity foundation, the students says.

The Eaglesforesight online news correspondent received a press release sent on Saturday, in the statement, the students said the presence of the Army commander was persona bon grant’s owing to the part he played in the massacre of #EndSars protesters in 2020 at Lekki. The students also said in the statement that they “condemn the inscription of ‘peace and leadership centre’ on the walls of the students ‘ Union building. There’s no peace where there is relation to injustice, because peace and leadership centre’ must be removed with immediate effect.

General Lucky Irabor

“To start with, it is sacrosanct at this point to condemn the inscriptions of ‘peace and leadership centre’ on the walls of the Students’ Union Building. There’s no peace where there is relation to injustice, because peace in it’s real sense is not the absence of conflict but the presence of justice. Therefore, the ‘Peace and leadership centre’ must be removed with immediate effect. Great Ife students’ union is a pressure group, not an NGO nor a charity foundation. Those into such activities amongst the executives should not mix it with the ideas of the union.”

Below read the full press statement:

”Speaking of justice the Great Ife Students Union Building was named after Ken Saro-Wiwa whose lasts words were “…the struggle continues” to symbolise the on going fight for an egalitarian society where the resources of the nation will be used to cater for the needs of all be they small or great; young or old. Those last words of his resonates with the popular Latin slogan we use on the campus: A luta continua!”

“That is why it is such an unforgiveable aberration that these new set of executives have engraved the name of a man who is in the top echelons of the Nigeria Army, an institution that has perpetrated injustices from time immemorial, on the sacred walls of our union building. Just recently this same Gen. Lucky Irabor, without any remorse, casted aspersions on the Lagos End SARS panel which sought justice for the massacred protesters at Lekki and other parts of Lagos.”

“No wonder the man chose some cosmetic renovation of the SUB over the burning challenges students are facing on the campus and off. For example, there are reports that Fajuyans have now permanently resorted to fetching well water as the university authorities have failed to provide portable pipe borne water to the different blocks in the halls of residence. The prices of commodities continues to rise to high heaven on the campus without any regulation. Students are left at the whims of extortionate bus drivers to do as they please.”

“Greatest Ife! This shows that the Great Ife Students’ Union which used to pride itself as the most radical union in Sub-Saharan Africa, has been adulterated by a set of executives who know the principles of the union, but decided to skip those principles (probably for ulterior interests). Historically, the union has dissociated itself from personalities who have no radical antecedents, especially politicians and officers benefiting directly from the oppressive system of government.”

“To make matters worse, these set of union executives and some bedspace honourables want to celebrate this betrayal of the radical tradition of our union with a commissioning ceremony. Effectively telling the students that all they care about is that their offices now have air-conditioning and the SUB Bar is now “cruise-worthy” for their revellings. Students can continue to suffer for all the CEC cares! At the same time the general can use the union platform to cast the Buhari/APC government in good light as part of campaigns for next year’s elections.”

“The executives of the union has exposed their intellectual bankruptcy as they admitted that the noble activist, Ken Saro wiwa (who was gruesomely murdered by the abacha military junta) is worthy to be honored by the union and also chose to honor Lucky Irabor who serves in the same military that unjustly killed the activist.”

“The gross insensitivity of these union officers is that the commissioning coincides with the 27th anniversary of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s brutal murder by the Abacha junta. As concerned Great Ife students we posit that the union should have held a commemoration for Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni 8 murdered for fighting environmental degradation and exploitation by multinational companies. A vibrant union would have called for post mortem exoneration and also held a rally to increase awareness about climate change a burning issue of the 21st century. Rather than inscribe the name of an impenitent general who defends the Nigeria military after they victimise social justice crusaders like Ken Saro Wiwa and End SARS protesters.”

”We hereby reiterate that General Lucky Irabor is not welcome on campus and his presence will be totally resisted by the mass of ever conscious Great Ife students.”