After seven years, Mr. Olorunfemi Adeyeye, a student activist, has successfully graduated from the University of Lagos. He was rusticated in 2016 by the university due to his role in organizing and leading a large protest against the campus’s poor infrastructure.
In a positive turn of events, Adeyeye was reinstated in 2022 and has now completed his studies in the Department of Building, earning his degree. His suspension had been a consequence of his participation, along with other student activists, in the protests that took place on April 6 and 8, 2016. These demonstrations resulted in the temporary closure of the university and the subsequent indefinite suspension of the University of Lagos Students Union.
Furthermore, Adeyeye was also accused of criticizing the leadership of the institution for their inability to manage situations as “democrats” in a Facebook article titled, “The Senate of the University of Lagos: a conglomeration of academic ignorami.”
Sharing his sign-out pictures on his Facebook page on Monday, Adeyeye, shown standing at attention, wore a white shirt with the inscription, “I did not just ATTEND UNILAG, I ATTENDED TO UNILAG”.
In addition to the aforementioned incidents, UNILAG authorities also accused Mr. Olorunfemi Adeyeye of leading a group called the “Save UNILAG Coalition,” which included members from the National Association of Nigerian Students. They alleged that this group entered the university campus on March 31, 2016, to disrupt the activities of the office of the Dean of Student Affairs.
In a statement, the university clarified that Adeyeye and other student leaders were not victimized solely due to their involvement in the campus protests. Rather, they were found to have violated certain regulations outlined in the university’s 2015–2016 student information handbook.
In a 2016 interview with the Punch, Adeyeye refuted the allegation, asserting that he and other student leaders had been invited to a panel known as the “Special Senate Disciplinary Committee on Recent Student’s Protest” by the university. According to him, it was made clear during the panel proceedings that their rustication was a consequence of their participation in the protest.
Furthermore, Adeyeye explained that the content of the Facebook article, which was cited by the university, aimed to highlight the undemocratic nature of the university Senate’s decision regarding his rustication.
“It was rather disheartening that the university came out to say that. It is an untrue statement. I and other student leaders were invited to a panel. The panel was known as, the ‘Special senate disciplinary committee on recent students’ Protest.’
“Everything I wrote in the article I posted on my Facebook page pointed to the fact that the resolution of the Senate was not a product of a democratic process, especially with the student leaders who participated in the protest. From the day I was admitted into the university till the day I was rusticated, no regulation in the university’s student handbook stated “unauthorized use of the university name, logo, etc in a manner that would bring the university into disrepute,” Mr. Adeyeye had said.
