AN EVALUATION OF NIGERIAN STUDENT UNREST CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS (A CASE STUDY OF ILE IFE OSUN STATE)

Background Of The Study: Higher institution is the institution which one attends to after his secondary school education. It is the apex form of education where one chooses his career. Olaitan (2004) stated that in Nigeria, it comprises of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. Among these three, the university education remains the apex form of education of all the tertiary institutions. Aguba (2006) stated that the origin of tertiary institution in Nigeria can be dated back to 1932 when University College Ibadan and University of Nigeria Nsukka were established as pivot universities and they were sources of pride to the students and the entire country due to the standards and respect enjoyed by its students. Then, there were free academic sessions, no strike, no unrest, no demonstration and others of its kind.

The standards started depreciating from 1944, which marked the first students unrest in Nigeria by the students of King’s College Ikeja, Lagos who unrested against the British authorities’ plan of using the college as a base to house the West African Frontier Force raised in their West African colonies to help in the Second World War. The leaders of the unrest were Late Chief Col. Chukwuemeka Odunegwu Ojukwu (rtd), Late Chief A. Y. Eke, Late Chief Olu Akinfosile and Late Chief Victor Orie-Whitey.

The situation turned bloody in 1953 when the secret cult was originated by Professor Wole Soyinka named Pyrates Confraternity, which was called the Magnificent Seven at the University College Ibadan (UCI) now called Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife with the aims of abolishing convention, reviving the age of chivalry, ending tribalism and elitism, and exposing the absurdity of the colonial mentality in the post independent students.

The situation is worst in this 21st century where there are frequent cases of students’ unrest which have been a virus in the educational system of Nigeria. Adebayor (2008) stated that the period of child in higher institution is the period when there is hypertension and hyperactivity in the family. One cannot spend the original approved duration for a course, instead of four years, a year or two are added.

Cambridge International Dictionary of England (2005) stated the meaning of student’s unrest to be the disagreements or fighting between different groups of students. It also defined students’ unrest as a state of disturbance in which students as angry or violet behaviour by the students who are unresting against something. Hornby (1996) defined students’ unrest as a state of disturbance in which students are angry or dissatisfied and are likely to unrest or fight. There are five terms which educational scholars used to refer to students’ unrest which are students’ unrest, students’ rampage, students’ violence and students’ cultism.

The causes of students’ unrest have seen attributed to many factors but the educational scholars have viewed the causes from different angles.

Okeen (1997) decided to approach the problem from several dimensions. He stated that it has international, the national/social dimension, and the specific institutional and individual level. Yalokwu (1992) stated that the causes of students unrest are; religious intolerance, unemployment of graduates of institutions, rural killing(s) of students, inadequate home training by parents, lack of inadequate infrastructures and facilities in educational institutional, inadequate vehicle for transportation of students, breakdown in communications between the authorities and students, students academic stress, too much failures in courses offered by students, banning of students union activities within the campus, inadequate health facilities for students, connivance of staff of institution to achieve their goal(s), selective victimization of staff and students of institution, interference of government in institution affairs, introduction of obnoxious economic, political and other policies, and international issues. Some other scholars have stated that socio-personal, educational and vocational pressures on students, cultism, rigid rules, inadequate infrastructure, communications gap, individual’s indiscipline, students’ politics, students’ intimidation by staff and students of the institution, external influence and family influences are some of the factors that cause students’ unrest in Nigeria.

The students’ unrest has caused more harm to our educational system (Akagu, 1995). It has also contributed to non-recognition of some Nigerian higher institutions certificates across the globe, building vandalism, armed robbery, raping, and other criminal activities.

Therefore, to make Nigeria better, the researchers sought to find out the effect of students unrest in higher institutions and possibly proffer or suggest solution since this student’s unrest was not part and parcel of the early higher institution education in Nigeria.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Students’ rioting has done untold damage and hardship to the students themselves, the institutions concerned, the parents and the public in general. On September 29, 2011, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) reported a killing of a several cultists who were believed to be members of Green-Landers by a cult group known as Blue-Landers in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State.

The incidence is so high and alarming that the educationalists have been compelled to investigate its root causes. It touches on nearly all the critical nerve centre of the very existing of our society. It raises fundamental questions regarding the structure and organization of our society.

The students’ unrest usually lead to mass destruction of school and staff properties, sustenance of serious injuries and in extreme cases loss of lives, thus bringing untold hardship and misery to parents and guardians.

Many commissions, laws and order have been set up and made in order to address the causes of this unrest, but unfortunately none of them had yielded a positive result, thereby making this topic to be a very crucial and national educational problem. Since the problem is crucial, it is necessary to try to find out the root effects of students’ unrest and make suggestions for possible solutions.