THE AIR AROUND JUNE 12, 2013 AT UNIUYO Latest news — 28 June 2013 THE AIR AROUND JUNE 12, 2013 AT UNIUYO THE ENGINEERING PERCEPTION June 12, 2013 was tagged a black Wednesday at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State Nigeria, after a reaction-turned-protest over some misunderstandings in the Varsity which turned to a riot that claimed the offices of the Vice-Chancellor and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and also the Record’s Unit of the University following the death of a student during the protest and subsequent indefinite shut down of the school. Appropriate authorities have undertaken investigations into the cause of the misfortune. Blames, attacks, counter attacks and arrests have been made on this matter. The mass media are not left out in telling their stories, both true and false. We cannot blame the media though, for no one, neither the Student Union Government, nor the University Management has been able to go on air to brief the public on the cause of the incident. However, this piece became necessary and pertinent after it has been observed that the mass media have given the general public the notion that the Faculty of Engineering students were behind the misfortune that caught up with the entire University Community. Therefore the purpose of this piece is to enlighten the public and the media on the truth around the incident as known and discovered by the Faculty of Engineering. The use of the word “Faculty” in this piece will connote the Faculty of Engineering Students except otherwise stated. A BRIEF BACKGROUND OF THE FACULTY The Faculty of Engineering was established in 1995/1996 Academic Session by Vice Chancellor Prof Fola Lasisi. The Faculty had her humble beginning with sixty three (63) students and eight (8) departments. There were no classrooms and containers were improvised to serve as temporary administrative building. In around 2005 the Faculty was moved to the University’s Permanent Site as the pioneer inhabitants of the campus. The Faculty ever since has been blooming in achievements and splendor even under several challenges they endured of which Transportation to and fro the Town Campus was one of the major challenges. Year one and two students of the faculty of Engineering, some students from Faculty of Agriculture and still have some courses at the Science faculty at Town campus and other courses at permanent site and thus the need for the to and fro movement between the two campuses separated kilometers apart. The University at a point was blessed with the Federal Government Special Intervention Program which also provided buses for the University among other fortunes. Also at their aid on transportation was the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) who provided the school with a high capacity bus. These buses since its introduction has been shuttling free of charge between the campuses carrying the students and staffs of the University between the campuses. The Faculty of Engineering has undoubtedly been a blessing to the University as partnerships, sponsorships and donations have been to the University through her. As at the time of relocation, there was no electricity, no good water, no good roads and insufficient lecture classrooms. The faculty lived in isolation at permanent site campus, was surrounded by bushes as the neighbors and dangerous animals as the friends and visitors. Yet, through all these they endured in peace, love and unity of purpose having in mind that the end justifies the means. Today the students live to enjoy those basic amenities their predecessors lacked. Ladies go about their night readings in classrooms without fear of molestation or harassment, student trek into the campus at night without fear of extortion from cultist and so on. Because of the serenity, maturity and good conduct maintained in the permanent site campus, the University Management favorites the use of permanent site for official functions and meetings. It is therefore an understatement that the Faculty of Engineering with the help of the school security and the Almighty GOD has made the permanent site campus the most peaceful campus in the University. THE PRE-RIOT The University Management in her right and commendable effort to move the University to her permanent site planned the relocation of the Faculty of Science down to permanent site in 2013. This the Faculty of Engineering saw as a very welcome development as it will help solve their loneliness problem. This was evidenced in the Faculty’s planning of a grand reception for the sister Science Faculty to their new campus. However, even before the Faculty of Science could arrive at the permanent site, rumour had carried over the University Town Campus that the Faculty of Engineering students are robbing the innocent Science Students at gun point in their lecture halls in broad daylight. This did not only tarnish our image as the most peaceful campus in the University, but also went on in implying that the University security team at permanent site are incompetent. Investigations into this matter yielded no result as there was no evidence to justify the rumour. This made the faculty to start believing it was a political propaganda aimed at causing hatred on whoever the faculty produces as the SUG Presidential candidate in the hopefully upcoming elections. But further investigations revealed that the Faculty of Science students could not withstand the normal chaos and struggle to jump into the limited space school buses and therefore some of the students under frustration resorted to enriching their prepositions with some coined stories to demand for extra buses from the management. Immediately following these was a rumour that the management is planning the stoppage of school bus services from coming to permanent site. This rumour became stronger when it was said that notices have been pasted at male and female hostels at Town and Annex Campuses and signed by the SUG Director of Transport that buses will be made available to the students for a token, token not valued on the notice. This notice as rumoured never made it clear if the school buses will still be in service or not. However, it is worthy of note that the affected Faculties (Science and Engineering) did not receive any notice as such despite the fact that the said Director of Transport is a student of the affected Faculty of Engineering A week to the riot, the Faculty of Engineering president (at Permanent site) elect in company of his delegates was invited for a meeting with the SUG (at Town Campus) but he could not attend as the invitation was too urgent- some 10 minutes to the meeting. One however wonders why this invitation had to be so sudden. It was later learnt that the SUG had a meeting with Faculty Presidents over some issues among which the transportation issue was discussed. However, the Presidents of the affected faculties (Science and Engineering) were absent from the meeting. It was learnt that decisions on these faculties’ affairs were discussed and taken in their absence. THE RIOT............. 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Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 12:23:22 +0000
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