The 5th of December 2016 is one day that won't be forgotten in a hurry, it is a day that the Marginalized students of the University of Benin Ekehuan Campus said enough is enough!
As early as 6am, I was still trying to enjoy the last minutes of my mosquito ridden sleep, when I heard raps on my door. It was marching students who were already heading towards the point of call, the venue of the earlier planned protest, which was decided upon earlier in the night. They were shouting "make una come out o, make una coma out o!" The shout grew into a hysterical pitch as they marched on towards the main gate of the school.
I yawned my last reluctantly getting of my bed, as my inquisitive side urged me to get up and go see what the ruckus was turning into. I hurriedly took care of some necessities after which I marched on to the battle ground. It was already way past 7am going towards 8am. The usual scenario at this point was always that of students and staff alike busy at their business of the day, the lecturers lecturing, and the students receiving lectures. But lo and behold the reverse was the case. I met all school gates under lock and key, front, back and side gates. Nothing was coming in and non was going out! The courageous protesting students took control of the school at the expense of the helpless security officers! They demanded one request, "An audience with the Vice Chancellor of the School" a seemingly outrageous demand!
They shouted and screamed on, we want VC, we want VC, we Want VC! All efforts to appease them by lower authorities proved abortive, the fire that was burning in them visible in their eyes and audible in their tongues was un-quell-able. The presence of the Public Relations officer of the University and the Chief Security Officer did little or nothing, the students were un-pacify able, they've had enough! Even the loose armed student's representatives who were apparently willing to reach a comprise were pushed aside, the demand remaining unchangeable, "WE WANT THE VC!
Hours went by, and the students protested on unflinchingly and peacefully without drama, except for a short one caused by the unwanted short appearance of the recently suspended UNIBEN Student Union Government President, Laureta Obakpolor. She was escorted out of the school amidst shouts of "shame on you" by the angry throng of protesters who saw her as an outsider who had failed in her bid to rep the school, Especially Ekehuan Campus.
Just when it seemed the cries of the students was going to be turned on deaf ears, out of nowhere the Vice Chancellor made an entrance, an unprecedented occurrence in the history of the school. Many of the protesters looked on disbelieving and appreciative of the reality that it was actually happening. In the company of an entourage that included a few of the top officials in the University and one armed escort, the VC addressed the agitated students who with the leadership of the student's representatives tabled their grievances and gave him a tour of almost the entire campus where nothing works. He was taken round an eyesore of a sport complex, the non-functional single ACCESS BANK ATM Machine, the dilapidated boys and girls hostel, and he was intimated on the epileptic state of water and power in the school, the understaffed departments and so on and so forth. The prof and his men promised and promised and promised, he even went as far as promising a fast track response of a 24 hours duration.
The students laid down their alms, the gates were thrown open! The Vice Chancellor and his entourage made an exit. The perpetually molested and abandoned Ekehuan Campus spoke at last! Things over here will never remain the same, even the wind blows differently, there is a calm, but it's not the calm that Ekehuan was once known for, it's not the passive unresponsive calm. It's a calm that promises a lot of noise if these promises are not met, the school authority may just be sitting on a keg of gun powder. This calm may just be the calm before the storm!
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