WAR AGAINST FEE HIKE: ALL ROADS LEAD TO OSOGBO! - Osun NANS JCC

Lenin, and realities has taught us only struggle wins concession from the ruling class. Buttressing this, science has also taught us through Newton's first law of motion that "a body will continue to be at a state of rest if a force is not exerted on it!" The current fee increment that pervades higher institutions of both state and federal governments is a great attack that all Nigerian students must unite and fight. 

Let no individual, and or union share that ridiculous illusion that mere dialogue or lobbying can resolve the issues on our hands. Even with the most humane of our ruling class;if you do not demand for your right,you will not be given. Then,we must make it clear that this regime of hike is a conscious effort by Nigerian rulers to take back from us what they have granted as concessions on funding public education via the victory of the workers' unions. ASUU won its struggle on the 2009 agreement which won the payment of 200 billion naira annually in the spate of five years. 

ASUP and COESU are also getting gross concessions on their struggles for the funding of polytechnics and colleges amongst some other issues. Comrades and students must then know that FEE HIKE is therefore the way to get back at us by making our parents to pay through their nostrils. The consequences on the entire country, especially in this era of BOKO HARAM insurgency and "mass poverty. " We have a task here,Great Nigerian students, to take our destiny into our hands. It is on this note that relentlessly organize and wage struggles in defence of our future. When the rulers use the media; the managements; the police and other military apparatus; and our religion to try to cow us and intimidate us,let us tell them our future is what we fear. If fees become so high now and there is no job and wealth outside there for us to get after school,we are condemned to start the generational defense of our future now. 

It is on this premise that I call on all change-seeking elements to join us as we move to the streets of Osogbo on Monday. It is the first of a train of protests that the July 8 NANS Zone D congress which held in Poly-badan had agreed on. 

The Osogbo protest will make a fundamental demand on the total reversal of the wicked and anti-poor fee hike at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. As Ibikunle Isaac, the OAU Students union president, noted at the Polybadan congress; "the fee hike on our campus, if it is allowed, will be a litmus test for all higher institutions in Nigeria." Just about 30mins that the union leader spoke, news flew in from Rufus Giwa polytechnic, Owo that the students were holding a mass demonstration against a huge increment in fees just announced by the management! This means that the state that is boastful of charging the least fee payable in acampus in Southwest here has joined others in the cruel fee hikes. Students are also going to storm Akure soon... We in the Osun JCC use this opportunity to warn the OAU management to stop the recent attacks against students individually and collectively. Student activist are being victimized now, facing illegally and undemocratic panels. 

Union Executives are being threatened and enticed with bribes using security men and state agents. Mass of students are also being forced into payment through late registration fee hike. We promise the OAU management that our struggle will live beyond their terror! We also urge the union leaders and students to put the management to shame by mobilizing massively for the Osogbo and subsequent rallies to be led by the NANS Zone D. As I sign off this piece, let's reflect on this famous words of Frantz Fannon: "Every generation out of relative obscurity,has a mission; its either they fulfill it or betray it". 

Aluta continua! Victoria ascerta!! 

Awo sam. Osun NANS JCC chairman.