Editorial: Bringing Back Ideological Leaning to the Fore of Our Unionism

“Politics without ideology” – one of Mahatma Gandhi’s seven deadly sins – aptly captures the unfortunate decline in the ideological underpinnings of our unionism at the University of Ibadan.

Historically, the advent of unionism in Nigeria is traceable to this very institution. The appellation “Father of Intellectual Unionism,” which the University of Ibadan Students’ Union (UISU) proudly bears, is not mere symbolism. When student unionism began in Nigeria through the activities of the West African Students’ Union (WASU), it was founded on a clear ideological purpose. These students actively campaigned against racism and colonialism, demonstrating an acute awareness of the political ideologies that drove their activism.

In 1950, students of the University of Ibadan played a pivotal role in truncating the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact. Again, in 1983, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) was birthed following the proscription of the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) in 1978 by the military junta. The founding charter of NANS included a host of ideologically driven demands: ending military rule, ensuring adequate funding of education, democratizing education at all levels, prompt payment of workers’ salaries, university autonomy, and independent students’ unionism. These were not just abstract ideals but pressing societal issues that students united to address.

However, just as mainstream politics in Nigeria has suffered a relegation of ideology to the backseat, so too has student unionism. What should be a platform for intellectual and ideological engagement has devolved into a contest driven by primordial sentiments: hall of residence factors, faculty affiliations, facial appearances, flowery rhetoric, and dazzling graphic designs. Deciding who is capable for Union positions now relies on asinine factors like which hall is he or she from? Are the influencers supporting him? Is he endorsed by the mini “cabals” who parade themselves as stakeholders. This tragic shift has consistently delivered ineffectual and undeserving elements to the leadership of UISU, especially since it’s reinstatement in 2019.

Electioneering in our unionism is now devoid of robust discussions on issues affecting students. Aspirants barely articulate positions on matters that genuinely impact the student body, while the electorate, steeped in ignorance or apathy, fails to demand accountability or a focus on pertinent issues. This cycle has entrenched a culture of mediocrity and squandered the intellectual legacy that once defined student activism in this institution.

The consequences of this decline are glaring. The ongoing academic session has seen an astronomical hike in fees, which has forced many students to abandon their education, pushed others into debt, and compelled some to seek loans to continue their studies. Student doctors at the College of Medicine are studying in conditions marked by prolonged blackouts—a situation that is both unimaginable and unacceptable. Nationally, the education sector continues to receive far less than the UNESCO-recommended allocation in the 2025 budget, signaling further challenges for students and staff alike. Already, murmurs of strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are reverberating.

Reflecting on the ideological clarity of past student unionism drives home the extent of today’s failings. In 1983, Nigerian students boldly asserted, in NANS charter of demands, that “Basically, each student needs nothing less than N100,000.00 each session to study and live comfortably, and since parents find it difficult to even survive, students thus pass through a harrowing situation.” This statement reflected the deeply progressive stance of the student unions of that era, one sadly absent today.

It is, therefore, imperative for us to recalibrate. This editorial is a wake-up call to all aspirants for student union positions. Before picking up nomination forms, potential leaders must first immerse themselves in ideological learning. Leadership devoid of ideology is doomed to fail, as evidenced by the missteps of successive UISU administrations. Aspiring leaders must develop a clear vision, anchored in progressive ideals, for addressing the issues that plague students and the education system at large.

Equally, the student electorate has a vital role to play. It is time for us to abandon the superficial criteria that have dominated our electioneering processes and instead demand a focus on substantive issues. We must insist that aspirants articulate their plans for addressing the fee hike, improving campus infrastructure, ensuring academic stability, and advocating for the democratization of education. Our unionism must again become a beacon of intellectual engagement and activism, not a platform for hollow campaigns and cosmetic promises.

The remnants of our collective struggles remain palpable. From the fee hike crisis to the plight of student doctors studying in darkness, it is clear that we cannot afford to continue on this trajectory. Now, more than ever, we need union leaders who are ideologically grounded, passionate about the collective welfare of students, and committed to the ideals of intellectual unionism.

Let us, as students of the University of Ibadan, reclaim the legacy of our forebears. Let us bring back ideology to the heart of our unionism and, in so doing, restore the glory of the “Father of Intellectual Unionism” and save Nigeria Public Education from the brink of collapse, and by so doing, save the nation.