•Charles Amodu Photo: Sun News Publishing

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It would seem the days of sorrow are not yet over for the militant students of the University of Ife, who were rusticated following a protracted crisis in the university in the mid 1990s.
Though they were later pardoned and recalled after six years to continue their studies, life for them has been a bed of thorns.

One of the militant students, Charles Amodu, a native of Ikare Akoko in Ondo State walked into Daily Sun newsroom recently to tell a story of pain, anguish, rejection and poverty. Amodu who graduated from the department of Dramatic Arts and currently pursuing a masters programmes in Public Administration at the same university said they were also in the forefront of the struggle for the enthronement of democracy in the country.

Sadly, almost a decade after, they have been forgotten and left in the cold to face a barrage of socio-economic and psycho-social problems. Looking dejected and unhappy he said: "I am a sad man. We have suffered untold hardship. I am very sad as I am talking to you."
The former students union leader began his story by recalling the events that led to his suspension from the University.

" I was suspended along with ten other students’ union leaders due to some events. First, we were progressive union leaders. During the election, the authorities had their candidate which they tried to impose on us but we did not like it. At the end of the day, our candidate, Mr. Anthony Fashayo, a medical student won the election and the then Vice Chancellor, Professor Wale Omole refused to swear him in as the union presdient. There was a clause in the students’ union constitution which stated that if the VC refuses to swear in the President, a former speaker can be brought in to do that, which was what we did. The VC was not happy with us. That was the beginning of the face-off between the students union and the authorities led by the VC.

"Later, we arrested about 17 cultists in early 1995. During our interrogation, we discovered that some of them were sons of influential people in the society. We handed them over to the authorities only to find them back on campus after two weeks.

"We protested to the authorities that their presence was dangerous on campus but they told us that there was nothing they could do. We insisted, that was how we got into their black book and they started telling our heads of department to warn us."

There was also the issue of the late environmental activist, Ken Saro-wiwa. According to him, Chief Gani Fawehinmi was to address a rally on campus in honour of the late activist. But the students were asked to drop the idea and warned not to bring Chief Fawehinmi into the campus.

He said: "They threatened us through our various departments. My own dean, a retired professor invited me into his office and warned me not to take part in any rally. He explained that there was a directive from the Federal Government that no rally should hold. We insisted that the rally must hold and it held.
"After that, the university set up a panel to try eleven of us, including the students union president, but we told them that it was a civil offence. We refused to appear at the panel but Chief Fawehinmi sent a lawyer from Lagos to represent us.

"The panel refused to recognise the lawyer and placed us on indefinite suspension. We challenged our suspension in a high court in Osogbo. We got an injunction to go back to school but the school’s lawyer, in conjunction with the Federal Government squashed it. We continued the case until we lost it finally at the high court. Immediately we lost the case, we were declared wanted by the Federal Government under Decree 2. The school wrote the Federal Government that we wanted to be in school by force. The president of the students union was arrested and he spent seven months both in Ilesha and Benin Prisons."

During that time, Amodu revealed that many of them were hounded by state security operatives.
"For the first three years, we were unable to do anything other than running for our dear lives," he said.
According to him, the suspension has affected them in many ways.
"The girl I wanted to marry left me to marry someone else, a co-activist lost his father due to hypertension", he said.

Speaking on the process of recall, he said the Obasanjo administration set up a panel to look into the case and later asked the school to begin the process. "The school asked us to write a letter of apology which we refused but the then Special Adviser on Education to the President Chief. S.K. Babalola appealed to us and we wrote it and were recalled after six years," he said.

Charles and others went back to the university to complete their studies but later remained unemployed.
"After my degree programme, I was unable to get a good job despite my contributions. Many politicians promised heaven and earth but did nothing. They knew the role we played despite the fact that we were students activists fighting for them," he said.

What makes it more painful, according to him, is that: "People who did not fight are now enjoying. It is sad because our leaders have forgotten the role we played. The people that were not part of the struggle for democracy are now reaping the fruits. That is why it is very sad."

Though he lamented that some politicians that knew their contributions have forgotten them, he however expressed gratitude to Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Mr. Babatunde Fashola for their assistance.
In spite of all the sufferings, Charles who is in his thirties says he has no regrets.

"As part of what I suffered, I am yet to marry. I do not have any regrets about what led to our expulsion. I am just sad that people who should help us have abandoned us."
The student activist revealed that he has a relationship at the moment and hopes to get married by December "if I get a good job."

He added that he is able to pursue his masters’ programme through the assistance of some kind-hearted Nigerians like Pastor Kayode Williams of Prisons Reform Ministry.
He used the opportunity to thank the Nigerian Press and some religious leaders who stood by them during the crisis.