Omomeewa’s Death: NANS Give Govt, Management Ultimatum
The National Association of Nigerian Students has asked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to probe the death of a student activist at the Lagos State University, Nurudeen Alowonle, popularly called Omomeewa.
The student body, which also made four other demands, gave the governor a three-day ultimatum to meet the requests.
If the governor and state governor fail to act, NANS threatened to mobilise over four million students to “do the needful” – a massive protest.
The demands were contained in a statement by the Chairman of NANS in Lagos State, Olalere Owoseni, titled, ‘Omomeewa’s assassination – How vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts and lecturers’ common practice of political and academic witch-hunting of student activists murdered a shinning light; NANS Lagos blows hot and makes demands from Governor Sanwo-Olu”.
The student activist and critic of LASU management was killed on Wednesday near the school campus.
Nurudeen, who was supposed to have graduated from the Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Education since 2019/2020 session, died a few hours after appearing before a disciplinary panel set up to probe his alleged involvement in admission racketeering and possession of official documents.
The university neither issued Omomeewa’s certificate to him nor mobilise him for National Youth Service because of his case with the disciplinary panel.
The cause of Alowonle’s death has been a subject of controversy and an autopsy is expected to be carried out on his corpse.
NANS threatened that “as the umbrella body of the student’s body in Lagos State we can’t afford to let this get swept under the carpet.”
The statement read in part, “The assassination and nature of events which lead to the death of our dear comrade is a gross violation of for all of our collective rights as “injury against one is an injury against all”.
“On this note of highly venerated stance, NANS LAGOS CHAPTER with an estimated population of over 4.1 million students hereby unequivocally demand that Lagos State Government in the next three days as a matter of urgency, non-negotiably do the following without any diminishing qualification:
“The Governor of Lagos State must make a public statement on the tragic demise of comrade Omomeewa.
“The Governor of Lagos State must set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the merit of the allegation of admission racketeering levied against Omomeewa and if lacking merit (as it obviously is), exonerate him posthumously and prosecute the evil engineers.
“The Governor of Lagos State shall consequently design an honest laudable relief package for his wife and three months old son.
“The governor of Lagos State shall give Comrade Omomeewa a state befitting burial ceremony and find a way to immortalize him.
“Security of all tertiary institution’s campuses across Lagos must be given special consideration.
“The ultimatum ends by 4 pm on Wednesday 25th, 2021, and we would not hesitate to do the needful within our democratic rights to make our demands met. ‘When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty’. Comrade Omomeewa is one who fought for the rights of other students and we promise, even in death, we would fight for his.”
