Mr. Olorunfemi Adeyeye, a student activist who was rusticated by the University of Lagos in 2016 for organizing and leading a mass protest against inadequate infrastructure on campus, has finally graduated after seven years.
Adeyeye, who was reinstated in 2022, completed his studies in the Department of Building. He, along with other student activists, was suspended for participating in protests on April 6 and 8, 2016, which resulted in the closure of the university and the subsequent indefinite suspension of the University of Lagos Students Union.
Additionally, Adeyeye faced allegations of criticizing the institution’s leadership in a Facebook article titled “The Senate of the University of Lagos; a conglomeration of academic ignorami” for their alleged failure to handle situations as “democrats.”
Sharing his graduation pictures on his Facebook page on Monday, Adeyeye, seen standing at attention, wore a white shirt with the inscription, “It needed attention, and I gave it fully. To continue the big things. Grateful.”
During his period of suspension, UNILAG authorities also accused Adeyeye of leading a group called the “Save UNILAG Coalition,” which included members from the National Association of Nigerian Students. They allegedly disrupted the activities of the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs on March 31, 2016.
In a statement, the university stated that Adeyeye and other student leaders were not victimized solely for their involvement in the campus protests but were found to have violated certain regulations outlined in the university’s 2015-2016 student information handbook.
Adeyeye denied the allegations, stating that he and other student leaders were invited to a panel known as the “Special Senate Disciplinary Committee on Recent Students’ Protest.” He claimed that the resolution of the university Senate regarding his rustication was undemocratic.
“It was disheartening that the university made such a statement. It is untrue. I and other student leaders were invited to a panel called 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 Senate’s decision was not reached through a democratic process, especially for the student leaders involved in the protest. From the day I was admitted to the university until the day I was rusticated, there was no regulation in the university’s student handbook that stated ‘unauthorized use of the university name, logo, etc., in a manner that would bring the university into disrepute’,” said Mr. Adeyeye.
