By Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon
The Vice Chancellor, VC, of the University of Buea, UB, Dr. Nalova Lyonga, has implored students of UB to focus on their academic activities in the campus while they pursue their studies in Buea.
She made the request, Tuesday, February 12 2013 during a press conference in the Board Room of the UB Central Administration. The Press Conference was at the behest of the UB administration, following the Wednesday, February 6 2013 strike action initiated by some members of the University of Buea Students’ Union, UBSU, calling on the UB administration to reinstate business activities on campus and other worries raised.
The Vice Chancellor, VC, of the University of Buea, UB, Dr. Nalova Lyonga
According to the UB VC, UB is an institution run on rules and regulations that are available for all to verify, adding there was no need for a strike action on Feb. 6 since the UB administration had been working with UBSU, following a series of meetings they had before and another one programmed for that same Feb. 6 at 1PM. “Here are a series of memos we have been exchanging with UBSU executive on how to better plan and organise their elections, one of them dated Feb. 4 2013 signed by the Registrar of UB at the behest of the VC calling for an urgent meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 6 2013 at 1PM in the Amphi 250 and the agenda as follows; Preparations for Feb. 11 (Youth Day) and Student Elections,” Nalova mentioned.
The UB VC expressed surprise with the change of attitude in the morning of Feb. 6 2013, same day they had programmed a meeting with UBSU executive members. “Our doors are open to all the 36 clubs for students – academic and social. If UB is not well, nobody in Buea and beyond is well,” she said.
She denounced a handful of students who want to overlord it over 17,000 students. “Somebody, somewhere did not want democracy to prevail within the students’ union in UB. We’ve tolerated UBSU for too long. We need to look into these things. It’s the faculty executives who should run their faculties and not a central body.”
On the arrest of students in the morning of Feb. 12, Nalova said the UB administration will not tolerate individuals to disturb the much needed peace on campus and so, four students found to be disrupting the tranquillity of UB where arrested by the Mobile Intervention Unit of the Police in Buea.
The UB Registrar corroborated the arrest of the students, describing them as using guerrilla and intimidation tactics to achieve their parochial interest in UB. “Because of administrative tolerance, UBSU has become a nuisance in UB. The UBSU constitution has not been ratified by the UB administration, therefore, statutorily, a strike action is supposed to be called by the General Assembly of students and not individuals in UBSU, whose constitution is yet to be vetted. The UBSU executive are fighting to use UBSU money for themselves. Because the UB administration wants to put order, they don’t like it. Some academic staff have decided to join them so as to destroy UB. UBSU should exist according to the text governing UB and not what they wish,” he explained.
Nalova said she’s having total collaboration from the administration of the Southwest Region, while enjoining all UB students and staff to be focussed on their respective responsibilities.
She refuted talk that the UB administration is against UBSU holding their elections. “Nobody is against elections. However, everybody must be part of it. Some faculties have held theirs in a peaceful atmosphere, following the rules and regulations laid down and we’re still waiting for others to conclude theirs, why will UBSU want to be different?” she questioned.
The UB VC found UBSU executive members to be abusive towards the UB administration and pursuing unauthorised actions behind the UB administration.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Research, Cooperation and Relations with the Business World, Prof. Victor Julius Ngoh noted that UBSU is a member of the On-campus Business Committee of UB, where they are entitled to fifty percent of the proceeds made out of registered businesses in UB campus at the close of the year, yet UBSU executive members go behind the UB administration and organise and contract unaccepted transactions with business operators. Prof. Ngoh presented copies of some of the fraudulent documents and deals UBSU executive members have engaged with some business operators, in some cases claiming to be the landlords on UB property and extorting FCFA 1.5 Million from a certain business operator.
Prof. Ngoh said businesses on UB campus have not been banned as claimed by UBSU in their memo to the VC. “At the close of 2012, all the contracts of business operators on the UB campus ended and we asked them to reapply, while the UB administration is taking measures to better organise the sector, following indications that the business operations on the campus had become haphazard, leading to fire outbreaks on campus because of poor electrical connections. We’re taken aback to hear UBSU claim that we’ve banned businesses on campus,” he noted.
The UB VC indicated that she can’t manage UB without dialogue that is why she has convened a meeting for Feb. 14 2013 with executive members of UBSU, while reiterating the need to protect the lives of people working on campus and the property of UB.
She advised that it is very difficult to build but easy to destroy, questioning if it is fair for the Southwest Region to have her university go down the drain. “Government has invested a lot, yet some people are pulling us back. We have to be patient. UB is growing, business partners are coming in, let’s give everybody a chance and put the education of our children on focus.”
