The Nigeria Student Movement: Implication for future labour leadership and democratic activities

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Nigeria organized a two-day meeting on the Nigeria Student Movements which sought to answer the following questions: What are the factors responsible for the crisis of the Nigerian student movement? What sort of historical collaboration and organic relationship existed between the student movement and the trade union and labour movement in Nigeria in the past? What is the place of leadership and ideology in understanding the contemporary trajectory of the Nigerian student movement? What are the programmes and activities that can assist to revive the Nigerian student movement as a fulcrum for producing future leadership of the trade union and labour movement in Nigeria?

Papers were presented on Student Movement in Nigeria: Looking backwards to leap forward by Comrade Lanre Arogundade; Contemporary Challenges of Students Movement in Nigeria by Comrade Temilade Ajetunmobi; and the student-Labour Mix: Reinventing the balance by Comrade Owei Lakemfa.

There were also presentations on Leadership and organisational discipline in Activating student power by Comrade Adeola Soetan; and on Ideology as Praxis: its place in Rebuilding the students movement in Nigeria by Comrade Omotoye Olorode.

Following the delivery of these well-researched and brilliantly articulated papers and the robust conversations that came after, the participants  observed that given the pitiable and decadent nature of our polity, the desire for a radical, vibrant and ideologically driven students’ unionism cannot be overemphasized and that irrespective of the obvious comatose nature of the students’ union movement in Nigeria, there has always been pockets of students’ activists and students’ unions that remain committed to the ideals of genuine students’ unionism and are constantly seeking a new NANS. Also, the absence of academic freedom, campus independence, clear ideological orientation, as well as the political economy of the society and the fallouts of military authoritarianism combine to deflate the revolutionary activism of the past.

Participants however recommended that there is a need to develop an ideologically driven programme of action to rebuild the students’ union movement on campuses and identify/ build alliance with support organizations who are currently working on campuses for the radical reorientation of students across campuses. Trade unions, student unions and labour centres should return to pro-people ideology and philosophy as a basis for rebuilding students’ unionism and indeed NANS.