The management of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojoo, has declared that the second-semester examination for the 2022/2023 academic session would commence on 13 February (today) and continue till the evening of 23rd February before a four-day break is observed.
The university said its students would resume to continue the examination on Tuesday, 28 February and observe another break between 9 and 13 March, and should resume on Tuesday, 14 March to continue the examinations.
The latest development is against the directive by the National Universities Commission (NUC) that all universities and university centres be shut between 22 February and 14 March so that students could participate in the general elections.
New schedule
The university said the decision was taken by its Senate at an emergency meeting held Monday.
A university bulletin published on Monday by the Centre for Information, Press and Public Relations (CIPPR), was titled: “Decision of Senate on the Ministerial Directive on the Closure of All Universities and Inter University Centres During the Upcoming 2023 General Election”.
According to the bulletin, the decision followed a paper presented by the Vice-Chancellor, Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, who doubles as the chairman of the Senate.
The decisions of the senate as contained in the bulletin are that: “The ongoing examination should continue up to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, 23rd February 2023; students should vacate the campus immediately and resume to continue their examinations by 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 28th February 2023, and that students should vacate the campus by 6:00 p.m. on Thursday 9th, March 2023 to resume to continue their examination by 8:00 a.m on Tuesday, 14th March 2023.”
Calls for students’ enfranchisement
As Nigeria plans to hold the Presidential and National Assembly elections on 25 February, and Governorship and States’ Houses of Assembly elections on 11 March, a coalition of CSOs had demanded ample time and opportunity for students to exercise their civic responsibilities.
The coalition includes the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), ConnectHub, Dataphyte, Enough is Enough Nigeria, #FixPolitics, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), Reclaim Naija, The Electoral College Nigeria, Women Advocates and Research Development Centre (WARDC) and Yiaga Africa.
The House of Representatives also asked the government agencies in charge of tertiary institutions to shut them down during elections.
Meanwhile, according to the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, as of October 2022, students make up 40 per cent of the newly registered voters during the Continuous Voters Registrations between June 2021 and June 2022.
Mr Yakubu said they also make up 27.8 per cent (26,027,481) of the total 90 million registered voters, the electoral commission said.
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