Students Protest Fraud, Mismanagement in LASU External System

LASU Students sitting down in front of the main gate leading to the governor's office — LASU Students sitting down in front of the main gate leading to the governor’s office

Students of LASU external system during the protest

LASU students clogging entrance to Governor's office. Photos: Starconnectmedia — LASU students clogging entrance to Governor’s office. Photos: Starconnectmedia

September 15, 2015 – Students of the Lagos State University External System on Monday protested what they described as shoddy and fraudulent management of the external system run by the university.

The students who came in their hundreds bore placards where they itemized their woes, calling on the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola to intervene and bring their suffering to an end.

Some of the students who were practically weeping bore placards which reads “ Academic session a year, is that real life; education is a right, give us good education; the fight for good education continues; LASU University External System, 8 years without graduation; We deserve a good education, APC help us and APC Government has failed us”, among others.

The students who came on foot, barricaded entrance to the governor’s office forcing most vehicles inside the Governor’s Office to go out through the governor’s exit gate while those going in were forced to park outside.

Addressing the students, Speaker of the Students Union Government, Abolaji Azeez said enough is enough, noting that students cannot spend the whole of their lives pursuing education in LASU.

“There are students here who have spent eight years pursuing a three year course. We don’t even have Students Identity Cards, the only ID we have is the one produced by Student Union Government”, he said.

He noted that some of the students sponsor themselves and have spent all their earnings paying school fees year after year without graduating. He alleged that students spend a whole year without seeing a lecturer and that the LASU External System remains the only school in Nigeria where students write exams without receiving lectures.

The students were so angry that they rebuffed Special Assistant to the Governor on Students and Youths, Mr. Akeem Animashaun who appealed for understanding insisting that they must have an audience with the governor.

Azeez said the student union has forwarded several letters to the Lagos State Governor on the issue but that they were yet to get a reply. They were especially angry that the Deputy Governor, Princess Adejoke Adefulire- Orelope, remains a student in the Agege campus and has watched the situation degenerate without speaking on the issue.

The students felt they were betrayed even after the deputy governor convinced them to vote for All Progressive Congress (APC) that she will look into the matter if the party wins the elections but that nothing has happened. They alleged that those in charge of the external system are members of the APC hence government is finding it difficult to effect changes in the system.