Jonathan Assures Yoruba Leaders As AU Students Debunk Stoning Rumour: "We Hailed Jonathan, We Did Not Boo Our President"

The President, Students Union Government of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Mr. Isaac Ibikunle, has described as falsehood the report  in some quarters that students of the university hurled stones and other missiles  at  President Goodluck Jonathan during his visit to the campus on Friday.


The SUG president spoke in an interview with our correspondent in Osogbo on Saturday.

He said that students of the university insisted on discussing with Jonathan on the increment of the fees charged by the school and the President obliged.

He said, “We read some reports that the President was stoned, booed and harassed when he came to our campus. This is not correct.

“Security personnel initially prevented us from seeing the president but we insisted that we wanted to discuss with him and we were allowed to see him.

“We told him that the increment was too high, and gave him a petition concerning the exorbitant fees and he assured us that he would act on it fast.

“I asked Mr. President to come down from the car and address us and he came down. He is our president, we did not harass him.”

Ibikunle added that the President was even hailed by the students and those present when his helicopter was taking off at the university’s sports centre.

He also said that no traditional ruler was embarrassed contrary to the reports  in some  online media.

Some Yoruba leaders held a summit at the Oduduwa Hall of the OAU and Jonathan was invited as a special guest of honour at the event which had the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade and other prominent obas and Yourua leaders in attendance.
Meanwhile the initial story goes thus----President Good luck Jonathan has assured the people of the South Western part of Nigeria that they would not be left behind in the scheme of things when re-elected in the 2015 general elections.
The president stated this yesterday while addressing South-West leaders at the Yoruba Unity Summit held at the Oduduwa Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo Uni¬versity, Ile-Ife, Osun State, where protesting students booed him.
The theme of the pro¬gramme was “Nigeria De¬velopment: Whither The Yoruba.”
President Jonathan who was accompanied by the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Par¬ty (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, some ministers and members of the National Assembly, described the South West as a key part of Nigeria which his adminis¬tration must work with.
According to him, the contributions of Yoruba people to nation building were enormous, hence the need for them to embrace love, unity and understand¬ing to overcome all the chal¬lenges facing the country.
The president also as¬sured Nigerians that the recommendations of the re¬cently conducted National Conference would be imple¬mented to the letter as and when due.
While also appreciating the elders and the traditional rulers in the South West for their support for his govern¬ment since inception, the president promised to ac¬cord them equal treatment along with other geopoliti¬cal zones of the country.
In another development, former Minister of Aviation, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, while delivering a paper on the topic: “Unity of Yoruba Nation” noted that the jour¬ney of president Jonathan into the presidency was not a mistake. He, therefore, assured him of Yoruba peo¬ple’s support with a view to ensuring that the region would not be deprived of its position.
Former Chairman of the Nigeria Port Authority, Chief Bode George, in his own remarks, said Yoruba people could not afford to be going in different direc¬tions, hence the need to manage their dispute with civility.
In their goodwill messag¬es, the Orangun Of Oke-Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, Chief Olu Falae, Governor Ayodele Fayose, Mrs Mu¬likat Akande Adeola and Senator Femi Okurounmu urged the president not to be distracted by comments and actions of some people against his administration.
In attendance were the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, academics, captains of industries, mem-bers of the People’s Demo¬cratic Party among others.
Meanwhile, students of the Obafemi Awolowo Uni¬versity, Ile-Ife booed the president when he was go¬ing out of the campus. They variously condemned his government, lamenting that his administration does not favour the education sector. They also lamented his in¬ability to rescue the Chibok Girls from the shackles of Boko Haram insurgents.
Attempts to stone him, were however, foiled by the security personnel, even as they blocked the road in an attempt to stop him from go¬ing out.
The protest was fuelled by the tight security which denied the students access to the school, especially because they were writing exams.

Punch and Sun