Fagbohun spoke during a sensitisation tour against cultism, which took him to all the faculties in the University’s Ojo campus.

He said the tour was organised because intelligence report reaching the management suggested that cultists were beginning to regroup around the university campus.

The vice-chancellor said the university, as such, was taking a bold step to nip the act in the bud with the support of all its faculties.

According to him, the university will soon roll out help lines which students can call to report any suspected moves, assuring that the identities of the callers will be protected.

“We have seen that cultists want to start again, and we in LASU say no to cultism. If we catch anyone in the act, you are gone.

”If you hear that we have expelled students for cultism, you must defend us anywhere, as a member of the institution and any lecturer caught in the act will go for it, ” he said.

Fagbohun said the institution had succeeded in addressing the problem of cultism in the last few years, but information reaching the school signified it was resurfacing.

He said the management was, however, ready and determined to go all the way to stop cultism in the university.

“Please do not let anybody scare you. Let us join hands to fight this menace,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the VC was accompanied on the tour by other members of the management team.

Immediate past and present presidents of the LASU Students Union, among others, also took part in the tour.

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At a time like this, nothing else will occupy my mind but this height of draconian rule and a show of oppression by the Lagos state governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) to the helpless students of Lagos State University.

What is the crime of the students? Their major crime remains their intent to pursue higher education and hopefully, become better citizens in a country impoverished by the ruling class.

This same class, which the governor belongs to, is widely alleged to have plundered the resources of the country, convert the common wealth of the people to their sole property by amassing public fund for their yet to be born generations.

The majority of the citizenry wallow in poverty and uncertain of a future; yet they will not allow the oppressed to even have a voice.

The recent unlawful detention and shambolic prosecution of LASU students by the Lagos State government(make no mistake, the police boss is acting the script of the man at Alausa) is condemnable and it can only happen in our clime.

I cannot fathom the hatred of Fashola for LASU and the poor masses. In the last four years (2010 till date), I am without fear that LASU has been shut for more than two years, if not three. And the governor that promised a Brighter Rewarding Future expects the students to keep quiet? It is sad.

The governor expects the students not to react to the arbitrary increment of tuition from N25, 000 to N350, 000. Fashola will need the university to admit dummies for that to happen. In a state, where the average worker goes home with less than N18, 000 a month, you expect parents to pay N350, 000 per academic session?

The argument by the governor that the hike was a fallout of the recommendation by the Visitation Panel set up on the advice of the House of Assembly is laughable. Why is he bent on increasing the tuition? Was that the only recommendation by the panel?

I recollect vividly that Fashola told the world that Lagos lawmakers can only advise him during the ‘Hussain must go crisis’. This was after a competent committee by the lawmakers indicted the then VC and recommended his removal; why is he now so passionate about obeying the same house he disrespected then?

It took a round of protest for Hussain to finally leave. And need I say more than seventeen students from School of Communication, Surulere who had engaged in a peaceful protest were detained for almost 72 hours at Ogudu Area Command on the directives of the ‘oga at the top’. It took the intervention of a lawyer, for the then CP, Marvellous Akpoyibo to set them free (majority of whom were ladies in their teens, yes 100 and 200 level students).

And this argument that LASU was becoming the school of the poor is totally condemnable and cannot fly in a sane mind. How? Oga Fashola during my days, I know of students from wealthy homes that we shared the same class. And if this is a problem and the best solution is to turn the school to the University of the Rich, then I am afraid, the poor can’t live in Lagos. Indeed an elitist government, government for the ‘haves’. How come UNILAG, UI, UNIZIK or OAU are not universities of the poor?

How can you claim you are in dialogue with the students when you have failed to take actions on the proposal you demanded from them. To worsen the situation, the Obafunwa led administration shut down the portal, as a graduate from LASU, I know what that means.

I will not doubt it if by the time Fashola will leave office (I earnestly pray for May 29, 2015); LASU gates would have been shut for more days than it was opened for academic activities.

Don’t bother about the calculation, a simple scenario will do. As at 2007, when Fashola was elected governor on the strength of votes by the students and their parents, I was in my second year in the university; sadly I was still in 400 level when Fashola won a second term; yes for a four year study without any failure in my courses let alone of an extra year.

One of the young guys I served with in November, 2011 at Akwa Ibom State gained admission in 2008 in another university. I and that young man served in the same year, you can now calculate the wasted years for an average LASU student. Oga Fashola, what academic session is LASU in as at today with the entire abracadabra that was done recently?

Without apology, I am certain if this had happened in a PDP-controlled state, our so called social media critics or influencers would have turned the heat on the government. There would have been press releases from different groups backing the views that would have been conveyed by the ‘master in the game’, Mr. Lai Mohammed.

Sadly, Lagos state and Fashola can do no wrong so LASU gates can remain closed till heaven comes and the students can be molested (even, killed) to submission, who cares? At a time like this, the death Of Gani Fawehinmi becomes most painful.

The public perception of LASU is discouraging. I have worked in places and to many, LASU is that Nazareth that they doubt if any good thing can ever come from. In the last one year plus, Fashola has willingly turned LASU students to public disturbance and ‘those students that spend more time on the streets protesting than in the class receiving lectures’.

I think the police charged the wrong person (s). Were the students disturbing public peace when academic session was on? If the governor had not provoked them will they have been on the streets venting their anger? Who hijacked the said LAGBUS? And why is LAGBUS more precious than the students that were allegedly brutalised by the police through the firing of live bullets and canisters to disrupt a peaceful demonstration?

What is LASU crime oga Fashola? What have we done to warrant this? You never had to go through this at UNIBEN? You had free qualitative education that prepared you for the leadership position that you occupy today. It was not that you were an exception because that Law School Class of 88 as it is called produced other heavyweights in the society. Why can’t you give back to the society that gave so much to you?

Sadly, I cannot but talk about the caged and stooge Alumni association of LASU. No disrespect to the leadership but to me they are helpless. I have seen UNILAG alumni champion the course of their alma mata and credit to them, they do it every day.

I wish at a time like this, other alumni of the institution will rise and help save the school from total damage. Either we like it or not; in fact, with our other degrees from other institutions, we are products of LASU and LASU needs us now. Fashola, Obafunwa do not have any certificate from LASU and their administration will end one day. We will be left to face our shame wherever we go.

I pledge my total commitment to the movement of LASUSU and refused to be cowed by the intimidation of the government. If you need me for a struggle in the next hour, I will heed the clarion call. Injustice to one is injustice to all and DARE TO STRUGGLE, DARE TO WIN. I say #SaveLASU. If all of us, including spirited individuals will help spread the #saveLASU with at least ten tweets a day, we can get the world to our rescue.

Mentioning international media or organisations such as @CNNnews @aljazeera @UNICEF @BarrackObama among others will help. What Fashola is doing is the abduction of the dreams and future of more than 200, 000 Nigerians and the world needs to know before we breed another terror worse than Boko Haram.

A moral lesson to Alawiye King, Lekan Ogunbanwo, SOB Agunbiade, Ayodele Adewale, Sound Sultan, Omobaba, and the deputy governor, if for the spoil of office, your Alma mata is ruined and you keep quiet, Fashola and co will make fun at you.

I bet Fashola will rise for UNIBEN when the call is made. You occupy that office for a time like this, take a clue from Esther and Nehemiah in the holy scripture.

Other prominent graduates of the institution in the political and social sphere must use their influence now to win this battle. You may live in denial but LASU is inscribed on your certificate; I need not mention names.

It is great to desire higher position but to me, it is more honourable to know what to do with it; to be man enough for the responsibilities that the office demands. That is my simple message to as many that occupy leadership positions in the citadel of learning.

If this is the new face that Fashola promised us, we pray it ends soon. The governor recently claimed he is counting down his days in office. Glad to tell you Sir that after eight years of reign, LASU will remember you and your side of the coin is known.

With what I know as a student activist and former Editor in Chief of LASUGONG, LASU was never poor and it wouldn’t be rich by the increment in tuition. And the available resources (Federal allocation and IGR) to Lagos state can conveniently fund LASU, we need not deceive ourselves. If lesser economically buoyant states can do it, it is a shame for the ‘Centre of Excellence’ to turn education to the exclusive right of the rich.

And to those who boast in taken lives of those that oppose them, please die no more. Live as long as you wish and own the world. I am not afraid of your bullet; die I will one day.

Alade is s former President, Journalism Students’ Association, LASU

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Obafunwa said at a media briefing in Lagos that the institution had no database on students in the School of Part-Time Studies before he assumed office.

Several past part-time graduates of LASU had petitioned the Lagos State House of Assembly over the delay in the issuance of certificates to them on completion of their programmes.

The Assembly, however, directed the authorities of the institution to issue the certificates to the affected students but Obafunwa said the students allegations were baseless as they must have had issues to resolve at that time which was ignored due to “improper documentation” of their database.

The vice-chancellor said most of the students, who lodged the complaints were either not legitimate students of the institution or students, who had bundles of carry over courses to still write.

Obafunwa explained that some of the affected students also had outstanding school fees to pay, while others were not matriculated and did not have matriculation numbers.

“How can you be a student of a university and you do not have a matriculation number or did not pay school fees,” he said.

Obafunwa said that the university, under his administration, had advanced to operate digitally as the data of all the students had been electronically documented and could be obtained when needed.

“We have also moved from the old mode of the examination operated to an advanced system where results of students can be generated within 48 hours.”

The vice-chancellor said that LASU’s Information Communication Technology Unit was presently loading the profiles of students in batches into the system and about 24,000 profiles had been loaded so far, adding that “This was designed to have adequate and reliable information of the students to reduce complaints.”

Obafunwa urged students to submit their bio-data and passports to the ICT unit to enable the authority to print their certificates for endorsement when needed.

“If a student data cannot be generated from the system, the authorities will find it impossible to print the certificate which has to be endorsed before issued,” he said.

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