VOP NG reports that former presidential candidate and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, was prevented from addressing students at the University of Abuja during a lecture organised by the Students’ Union Government (SUG), sparking criticism of the institution’s approach to free expression.
Sowore, who received a formal invitation from the SUG led by Yusuf Tobi Jamiu, said campus security blocked his entry despite the approved event.
In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, security personnel can be seen stopping Sowore’s vehicle at the university gate, citing management’s objection to his visit and claiming the SUG lacked permission to host him.
Narrating his experience in a statement titled “The University as a Joke: My University of Abuja Experience,” Sowore said he chose to sit outside the gate in quiet protest after being denied access.
“When the Students’ Union Government of the University of Abuja invited me for an interactive session with students, I was skeptical. Given the decline in independence among student unions across Nigeria, I didn’t expect much. Still, I decided to give it a try,” he said.
Sowore noted irregularities upon arrival, including the temporary disappearance of the SUG President and a deserted venue.
“My advance team on the ground noticed something was off: the Students’ Union President couldn’t be located, and the hall reserved for the event looked abandoned. Soon after, I was informed that university authorities had cancelled the programme,” he explained.
Despite the initial confusion, Comrade Jamiu later assured him that the event would proceed. However, security officials stopped Sowore at the gate, insisting the university had deemed his visit “unacceptable.”
“I alighted from the vehicle and sat on a dilapidated chair by the gate in silent protest. What I witnessed that day reflected the decay of our university system,” he said.
Sowore recounted an incident where a female student was barred from entering the campus for “improper dressing” until he intervened, highlighting the arbitrary enforcement of rules.
“I asked security whether the university provided clothes for students. Confused, they eventually let her in, perhaps to avoid a scene,” he said.
The activist criticised the erosion of university autonomy and student leadership in Nigeria, describing the experience as a reflection of broader issues in higher education.
“What I saw at the University of Abuja was not an institution of learning, but a graveyard of courage and ideas. Our universities are dying, not for lack of resources, but for lack of integrity, independence, and freedom. Nigerian universities are dead. What remains is the struggle to resurrect them,” Sowore said.
He also questioned the role of student leaders, implying that many are constrained by administrative pressure rather than empowered to represent their peers effectively.
“Comrade Jamiu arrived to apologise, visibly helpless. I couldn’t help but wonder whether he had been elected to lead or to kneel, to represent students or appease authorities,” he added.
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