I ENTERED the University of Jos in 1988 to study sociology for the purpose of preparing myself for the challenges of the future period in advancing the cause of revolution that I already decided to spend the rest of my life for.
The choice of Jos was arrived consciously on the basis of the discussion I earlier had with a friend named Kola that I met the first time at D. D. Adodo’s residence in Ibadan. Kola had his first degree and MSc in sociology at the University of Benin and Ife respectively. It was from him I learnt that the best universities dependable for offering Marxist-oriented sociology were Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the University of Jos; because their course works were Marxist biased. This immediately prompted my desire to go to Jos where I had an uncle, Kokumo Olamosu, living.
I never regretted the choice so made as nearly all the lecturers there were influenced by Marxism while the head of the department, Professor Omafume Onoge, was a noteworthy Marxist scholar whose activities and theoretical works bared him out as a fulfilled Marxist Sociologist and Anthropologist in Africa. My other lecturers in the department included Etannibi Alemika, Femi Adelakun, Ogoh Alubo, David Itahviaya, Iyorcha Ayu, Ezekiel Best, etc.
MAAS was also effective because it had appreciable representation in the Students’ Union Council. The plan was to take over the entire union because of the strength of the group. While we contested for nearly all the positions, we only lost two of the positions contested for that included the president to a former member that was refused nomination by the organisation and for this reason he parted ways with our camp and decided to contest with our candidate on his own independent platform.
The Faculty of Social Sciences had other radical scholars too that included Aaron Gana, Sam Egwu (Political Science), Peter Ozo-Esan (Economics) and Gabriel (Law Faculty). I already gained substantial knowledge of Marxism before my admission into the school having read not a few classical works of Marxists’ classical books. But at the university I was able to learn not only about Marxism but also the evolution of such body of knowledge as it include the 18th and 19th century enlightenment thinkers (philosophers) that preceded and influenced Marxism.
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At the time (and up to the present), I was very conscious of what the role of a Marxist should be in not being limited to scholarship but one that is able to blend and combine theory with practice. It was for this reason I was actively involved in the students’ union activities and that of the only political organisation of the students named Movement for the Advancement of African Society (MAAS) that I met at the University and later led.
I joined the organisation the first day I entered the school as I earlier had contacts with some of the organisation’s leading members when I sold socialist books at the Faculty of Social Sciences a year before my admission. I also met Kingsley, a leading member of the organisation that served during his one-year compulsory NYSC programme in Government College, Ibadan and who introduced me to Chima Okereke and Labaran Maku. The duo I first sought for on gaining admission to the school.
There were also front organisations of MAAS that included Youth-Students Solidarity Against Apartheid South Africa, Nigeria (YUSSAN) used as a pressure group on the campus and also to further the cause of South African independence against Apartheid system.
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There was also a press named Binocular. There was no press board journalism of its kind at the university that was being read on a weekly basis before we introduced this at the university. Sometimes the press also came out in a newspaper format. I later learnt that the SSS read the board on a weekly basis to gauge the radical mood on the campus.
The press activities of the organisations included issuing regular statements on issues of the moment. The fact that I held prominent positions in the organisations that included the National PRO of YUSSAN and formally the Production Editor and Treasurer of the Binocular Press but the coordination of the press rested squarely on me and this made me to be fully occupied with the activities of the organisations.
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At the Students’ Union level, I was a member of the parliament for a session only; and could not contest for the following session because I was unable to collect application form having travelled to a meeting of Patriotic Youth Movement with Chima Okerekere in Ilorin and before I returned the date of collecting form had lapsed.
Kayode, best known as Sankara, having become the hero of the struggle while NANS leadership were nowhere to be found, there was to be an end to a rally held at the Bauchi campus that was exhaustively addressed by him. The rally, having ended, information came from different directions that the security forces were around to arrest some of us especially Sankara. The information was found to be gimmick by the very people that helped to spread such in order to get at the leading forces of the movement.
MAAS was also effective because it had appreciable representation in the Students’ Union Council. The plan was to take over the entire union because of the strength of the group. While we contested for nearly all the positions, we only lost two of the positions contested for that included the president to a former member that was refused nomination by the organisation and for this reason he parted ways with our camp and decided to contest with our candidate on his own independent platform.
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He won by mobilising the Plateau and northern indigenes who he deceived that he was not sponsored by us because of where he comes from. This was how he turned reactionary and hostile to us while working in collaboration with the school authorities and the state throughout the duration of his tenure. But we had on our side on the platform of our organisation Kayode Ogundamisi as the General Secretary, Kemi Afolayan – Assistant General Secretary, Benjamin Okorafor – PRO; while we had influence on some others.
In the year 1991 when I was in the final year, the student’s union participated fully in NANS struggle that was to achieve academic reform in the educational sector. The academic reform programme aimed to fight among other things for adequate funding of education at all levels – tertiary institutions, primary and post-primary; N2,000 as bursary allowance to all students of tertiary institutions. As a student and activist on campus I played no less active role along with others in mobilising for this action.
The role of the student activists at the University of Jos became much important because the school hosted the national secretariat of NANS for that year. The president and general secretary of NANS were Aminu Abdul Mahmud and Chima Okereke respectively. Both were from Law Faculty of the university. At the end of the struggle, thirteen of the student activists were expelled or rusticated for their roles. I fell within the category of the expelled students. But on taking the case to court, the decision was reversed as the university authorities later sought for settlement out of court.
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While we agreed to withdraw the case from court, on the other hand the case instituted against us at the Miscellaneous Offences Tribunal where we were charged for arson on the campus, was not withdrawn. One of our students Kayode Ogundamisi, the Secretary-General of the students’ union was detained for over three months in respect of this.
This was when some of us started thinking of what was happening and how to deal with the situation. It occurred to me that Sankara would likely go to 20 Church Street, at the residence of one of our comrades in town. So, I decided to go there with the objective of separating him from his accomplice who was later revealed indeed to be a security agent. On getting to the place my guess became real as both of them were in the place. I therefore excused Sankara out to discuss with him. After I was able to convince him we gave the guy an excuse that we wanted to visit a place and we refused him to follow as he wanted to do. This was how I took Sankara to my uncle’s house at Katako near the Village Campus of the university. Two things happened simultaneously thereafter which confirmed truly that the guy was an agent.
The issue of arson came about when some students out of their commitment to get justice upon the rumour that Kayode Ogundamisi had been arrested and for this reason they went to touch the office hosting the school’s security outfits in order to pressurise them to cause the release of their leader. Below is the narration of the circumstances leading to the unknown whereabouts of Kayode Ogundamisi.
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Kayode, best known as Sankara, having become the hero of the struggle while NANS leadership were nowhere to be found, there was to be an end to a rally held at the Bauchi campus that was exhaustively addressed by him. The rally, having ended, information came from different directions that the security forces were around to arrest some of us especially Sankara. The information was found to be gimmick by the very people that helped to spread such in order to get at the leading forces of the movement.
On that occasion, there was a guy who became very close to Sankara on that very day. He acted as if he was his aide-de-camp and he made contact between Sankara and other comrades that might want to discuss with him difficult. This informed how both of them came to a conclusion to evade the supposedly security agents without the knowledge of the rest of us. This was how they escaped to Jos City through Angwan Rogo, the neighbouring community to the university. When we later learnt that Sankara had left the scene, some people were hopeful that he had been saved from any attempt of arrest by the security. Some others felt not contented and put to question the particulars of the emergency assistant that became his aid on that very day.
This was when some of us started thinking of what was happening and how to deal with the situation. It occurred to me that Sankara would likely go to 20 Church Street, at the residence of one of our comrades in town. So, I decided to go there with the objective of separating him from his accomplice who was later revealed indeed to be a security agent. On getting to the place my guess became real as both of them were in the place. I therefore excused Sankara out to discuss with him. After I was able to convince him we gave the guy an excuse that we wanted to visit a place and we refused him to follow as he wanted to do. This was how I took Sankara to my uncle’s house at Katako near the Village Campus of the university. Two things happened simultaneously thereafter which confirmed truly that the guy was an agent.
First was the case of the host of Sankara that they stayed with at 20 Church Street was arrested by the security as they wanted to know the whereabouts of Sankara. Second, the (internal) security outfits on the campus was touched by playing over the ploy that Sankara has been arrested. My conclusion from this was that it was either some students were misinformed by the security agents in respect of his arrest in order to provoke students to take such reaction or the security committed such act themselves only to claim that it was the handiwork of the student activists.
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Daily Sketch, of September 18, 1991, among other newspapers, reported at the period how student activists of the University of Jos were victimised for their role in the NANS’ ACAREF struggle thus: “Fourteen students of the University of Jos have been expelled while ten were suspended over their alleged role in the last May students demonstration.
“The expelled students include the president of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), Mr Mahmud Baba, three executive members of the Unijos Students Union, Mr. Kayode Ogundamisi, secretary general, Benjamin Okonuafo, public relations officer and Miss Kemi Afolayan, assistant general secretary.
“Also expelled were Kazim Ibrahim Ado of Law Faculty; Biodun Olamosu final year student of sociology, Ohio Gboma Sunday, Faculty of Law and Dominic Agamkpa of the social Sciences and Simeon Norakopa, political science.
“Others are Dave Yongo, Vincent Baki, history; Charles Okorie, history; Agbonzike Benson, sociology and Onoja Benson Abah of the management study.”
If the demands and campaign for ‘ACAREF’ were to be met, this would have saved the education industry from the calamity that later bedevilled it at all levels.
Comrade Olamosu is the Coordinator of the Centre for Social Policy and Labour Research (SOPLAR) and the National Secretary of Socialist Labour.
