On the second of August 1991 the political atmosphere in Nigeria was tense and deeply influenced by the unpopular economic and political decisions of the military administration led by General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. Across the country students in tertiary institutions had become some of the most vocal critics of the regime. Their frustration stemmed from a combination of harsh economic conditions, the controversial Structural Adjustment Programme, rising inflation, and a tightening of civic freedoms. It was within this national context that General Babangida embarked on an official visit to the University of Ibadan in Oyo State, the premier university in Nigeria and a historic centre of student activism.
The university authorities looked forward to hosting the head of state and took steps to receive him with dignity and respect. However they underestimated the level of resentment simmering among the students. Many of them felt that the government had effectively crippled their academic and social lives. They viewed the visit not as an honour but as an opportunity to express their accumulated anger.
As General Babangida’s convoy made its way through the campus the atmosphere changed dramatically. The heavily armed security personnel surrounding the head of state did little to deter the students who had strategically positioned themselves around the route. Suddenly stones sticks and various objects were hurled at the convoy. The attack was intense and unexpected. For many Nigerians at the time it symbolised the courage of young people who refused to be intimidated by state power. For the authorities it was a moment of embarrassment because it was the most powerful man in the country who had just been assaulted on the grounds of the nation’s oldest university.
The university administration understood that the military government would expect accountability. In a swift and severe response they initiated disciplinary measures against students suspected to have participated in the attack. At least one student was expelled while thirty others were suspended. These students were accused of throwing objects at the motorcade of the military president and bringing the institution into disrepute. Their punishment highlighted the precarious position universities found themselves in during military rule. They needed to protect their students but also feared the repercussions of displeasing the ruling junta.
The incident at the University of Ibadan in 1991 remains a striking example of student activism in Nigeria’s history. It demonstrated the readiness of young people to openly challenge a powerful regime despite the risk of expulsion imprisonment or worse. It also revealed the fragile relationship between academic institutions and military authorities during one of the most turbulent periods in the nation’s political development.
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