In the past 28 years of my fleeting flirtatious relationship with activism, I have read only one book that chronicled the history and interventions of students in the political development of Nigeria.
I lost that book in LASU, on my way to University of Maidugiri to contest NANS Presidential Election. We lost as among other things, LASU went to that election with a divided house. Me and Ayo Adewale were cleared by LASU Parliament to contest, instead of the school clearing and backing only one pair.
Adefolaju Oloko was to be my Secretary but without LASU and Lagos State Government’s backing, we couldn’t muster any resources to move around schools to campaign.
Radical Brother of UI emerged President and Chairman of that Convention, was Niyi Ibiyetan from UniUyo although he was my contemporary in the struggle at UniAbuja, before we were expelled under the dictatorship of Prof. Isa Mohammed.
I needed to slightly state the above, to situate my pleasure, when I met the author, Lanre Arogundade at a Meeting Of Like Minds, a program organized by Owei Lakemfa a veteran students union, labor activist and a seasoned journalist.
Like a dehydrated fish, the sight of this book, erupted a fountain of rivers of joy.
I grabbed a copy, stayed awake reading it and reliving my student union days, days that shaped my life.
I opened conversation with those who knew the author in his active days and the resounding verdict is, Lanre was the best NANS president of his era, a committed comrade per excellence and a leader worthy of emulation.
I am tempted to review this book but I am not worthy to so do as Comrade Lanre was not my contemporary in the struggle; at the time he was NANS president, I was yet to finish Primary 6. Furthermore, there is nothing to add after reading the Forward by Prof. Olu Oguibe (Secretary-General, UNN Students’ Union, 1983/84).
The Preface by Muyiwa Osunkoya-Adebanjo, Esq, summons up my position. “I highly recommend it for student activists, unions, human rights activists, NGOs, university management bodies and government itself.”
Against this backdrop, I have 4 copies, two will be donated to University of Abuja Students Union and the others, I shall be loaning out to any who is willing to enrich his or her understanding of “the enormous sacrifices of a generation of activists who rose to the challenge of building independent students unions in order to resist the waves of attacks on the right to education by a declining ruling class groping in the dark under the influence of IMF and other forces of neoliberalism.”
THE AUTHOR
Mr. Lane Arogundade, trade unionist, socialist, pro-democracy and human rights activist, is a widely travelled professional journalist, media and communications expert, and freedom of expression activist with passion for press freedom. A founding member of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), he was Secretary General of the University of Ife Students’ Union (1982/83) and the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) from 1984 to 1985. He holds a first degree in Psychology from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and a Masters’ degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ibadan.
He has authored two books: ‘Fela: Yesterday’s Message As Today’s Reality’ and ‘Media and Elections: The Professional Responsibilities of Journalists.’
Mr. Arogundade is currently the Executive Director of the International Press Centre (PC), Lagos-Nigeria and Editor-in-chief of Nigerian Democratic Report, IPC’s Online news portal and media resource.
He was co-recipient of the maiden press freedom award of the West African Journalists Association (WAJA) in 1997 and recipient of the Press Freedom Defenders Award of the NUJ in 2017.
