Ali Must Go: How 50k increase in meal tickets cost sparked student protests

The Ali Must Go protests erupted in 1978 after a controversial decision by the Federal Government.

The history of student activism in Nigeria is deeply intertwined with the iconic and tragic “Ali Must Go” protests that happened 45 years ago.

The protests symbolised the spirit, strength and resilience of Nigerian youth, and remained the mother of all youth-led agitations in the country.

The Ali Must Go protests erupted in April 1978, following a controversial decision by the Olusegun Obasanjo-led military government to add 50k to the students’ cost of meals per day.

The increase meant that undergraduates would have to pay additional 50k everyday as their cost of meals would rose from ₦1.50k to ₦2.00.

The then Minister of Education, Ahmadu Ali announced the hike, but the students widely rejected the idea.

Following the announcement, the National Union of Nigeria Students (NUNS) led by Segun Okeowo, the then-president of the union made a move to address the issue.

The students held a meeting in Maiduguri, Ilorin and finally in Calabar before taking a bold step to challenge the military government on the increment.

Segun Okeowo. [Wikipedia]

Meanwhile, Ali was persuading the students to believe that the decision to increase the cost of meals was made by the Supreme Military Council and not the Ministry of Education.

But when the NUNS realised the government was not willing to reverse its decision, they confronted the military government and that was the moment things began to fall apart.

The police fired the first shot

On the first day of the protests, the students and the police had a face-off at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and a student was shot in the leg.

The victim bled to death because the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi refused to treat him.

This infuriated Okeowo, who immediately sent a message to his fellow student leaders at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the University of Ibadan and other federal universities.

The students’ protests escalated and instead of addressing their concerns, the government opted for a heavy-handed approach, deploying soldiers to quell the protests.

Not intimidated by the deployment of security forces, the protesting youth confronted the Police and the Nigerian army for days.

The killing of the student by the police in UNILAG led to nationwide protests and in their bid to contain the students, soldiers fired more shots, killing eight students in Zaria.

The violent crackdown on the students caused more problems for the government as the students refused to be cowed by the gun-wielding soldiers sent to ‘put the situation under control.’

Following the killing of the students, ALI MUST GO became the catchphrase of the struggle in campuses across the country. Students called for the dismissal of the Minister of Education because he was believed to be responsible for the events that led to the tragic deaths of their colleagues.

General Olusegun Obasanjo. [TheABUSITES]

After one week of the nationwide protests, the Federal Government shut down all universities and ordered the students to go home. The government also proscribed the National Union of Nigeria Students to prevent a repeat of students-led agitation.

Despite the killing of nine students, the nationwide demonstration and the looting that happened across the country during the protests, the Obasanjo-led military government refused to reverse the hike.

The government through the University of Lagos management also expelled Okeowo from the institution for the role he played in the protests.

However, it goes without saying that the ALI MUST GO saga paved the way for future generations of activists inspiring them to demand their rights and confront injustice.

The struggle, led by Okeowo, who died in January 2014, at the age of 73, remains a significant chapter in the history of student unionism in Nigeria.

ridoola.blogspot.com.ng