Ekiti students protest against Fayemi’s alleged plan to stop probe

Some students of tertiary institutions in Ekiti State yesterday protested against what they described as an attempt by Minister of Minerals and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to use the judiciary to shield himself from answering questions on allegations of corruption levelled against him.

They demanded that the former governor must present himself for questioning by the judicial commission of inquiry recently constituted by Ekiti State government.

The protesting students, who represented all indigenes of Ekiti State from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Federation of Ekiti State Students’ Unions, home and Diaspora (FESSU) and other student unions from tertiary institutions across the country, among others, marched from the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, to Ojumose to address the press and from there to other parts of the city.

Speaking on behalf of the students, President of FESSU, Idowu Peter and Owolabi Temitayo Alexander, Chairman, NANS Joint Campus Committee (JCC), Ekiti axis, said: “We are protesting endemic corruption of political office holders in Nigeria and we are demanding that the fight against corruption by the Federal Government should be across board and not sectional or restricted to only the opposition party.

“We are also calling on the immediate past Governor Kayode Fayemi to come to face the judicial commission of enquiry set up to probe his activities in government. He must come and defend himself against the allegation of misappropriation of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) funds levelled against him and others. He shouldn’t hide under a court injunction to stop the panel if indeed his hands are clean.”

President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Ekiti State University, Aridiogo David Olaitan and SUG President, College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, Ogundipe Adewale, also corroborated their colleagues’ views.