EXAMINATION AND GENERAL ELECTION
It is no longer news that harmattan semester examinations for 300-500level students of the University begins on Monday 11th February as contained in the final examinations timetable.
Since the release of the timetable, we have received several complaints from various students who raised concerns over the structure of the timetable in relation with the general elections schedule. For some, their concern is about safety of students especially those who reside outside the campus and for some others, the concern is about the opportunity to travel outside the state to exercise their rights to perform one of the most important civic duties i.e. voting.
We consider the two issues as of utmost importance. Our administration places much priority on safety of lives and properties of our colleagues both within and outside the campus and we have never been shaken in taking necessary measures to ensure this.
In the past days, officials of the Union alongside the league of Faculty presidents have been in talks with relevant student management authority in the University to consider possible changes in the timetable that can allow students who wish to travel in order to either vote and/or be with their families for safety purposes. Up till now, there has been no change by the University on the timetable.
The University’s interest stems from the need to ensure the stability of our calendar to allow our final year students meet the deadlines for their next activities (NYSC and Nigerian Law School).
We can recall that in January, the Student Union was successful in moving the Continuous Assessment (C.A) Test for returning students from 7th January to 14th January and that ultimately affected the calendar. Another move to extend the calendar may go a long way in altering the calendar and prevent us from meeting the deadlines.
It may therefore be out of place for the University to out rightly declare an holiday for students in this electoral period; we however pleaded for flexibility in the timetable to give students the grace to participate in the elections without fear of it affecting their examinations.
The news going around social media platforms that the Federal Government has declared break for University students for the election is unsubstantiated and incorrect as upon our checks, the University has not received any official memo/circular to that effect.
We have also received with great shock, the rumour going around that the University management is of the opinion that most students are underage and won’t be able to vote. This is very untrue, and is another step of detractors in soiling the integrity of the University.
The University has shown great interest in promoting good citizenship and allowing students to vote. It is the reason why we have several polling units on campus, where thousands of students have registered as their voting centres.
Albeit we hope for free and fair elections, we are taking precautionary steps and next week, we shall write officially to necessary authorities in the stat to demand for special protection for all our colleagues residing outside campus, in case violence erupts before, during and after the elections.
We intend to follow up the course of our discussion with the University and we shall communicate with students, in case we get a slight change.
We implore you all to continue preparing for the examinations and we wish everyone best of luck.