The funeral ceremony for the late Prof. Festus
Iyayi began on Wednesday in Benin, Edo State capital, with a solidarity
march by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and civil society
groups.
Members of ASUU in their hundreds from
other universities including the University of Ilorin, Ambrose Alli University,
Ekpoma, Delta State University, Abraka joined their colleagues in the
University of Benin to pay their last respect to the late Iyayi.
Other groups represented included the Nigeria
Labour Congress, Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations, Joint Action
Front and Parents Consultative Association of Nigerian Universities.
The march, which began at about 10am, included
five kilometres walk to the residence of the late professor of Business
Administration, on Bello Street, off Benin Lagos Expressway.
Addressing the participants in the march at the
residence of late Iyayi, the Chairman of UNIBEN chapter of ASUU, Dr. Tony
Monye-Emina, described the deceased as one of the country’s number one fallen
heroes and a hero of ASUU struggles.
Monye-Emina said the march was the beginning of
activities to mark the exit of the late professor.
Recalling the journey that claimed the life of
Iyayi, he said it began on a pleasant note that morning, “with Iyayi reliving
the last meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan and how he urged them to show
true commitment to the struggle.”
Also addressing the crowd, human rights lawyer,
Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), urged ASUU not to relent in the struggle but to continue
where Iyayi stopped.
He vowed to ensure that recklessness on the roads
by government officials was brought to an end.
He said that ASUU and the Iyayi family members
had mandated him to challenge the “murder” of Iyayi in court.
Also addressing the crowd of sympathisers,
Chairman of ASUU, University of Ilorin chapter, Dr. Taiwo Oloruntoba-Oju, said
the late Iyayi had “cloned many other Iyayis while alive, to carry on the
fight.”
He said the only way to ensure that what Iyayi
fought for was not allowed to die with him was by sustaining the struggle.
He said, “If the Federal Government truly
respects Iyayi, it should go ahead to implement the agreement they signed with
Iyayi and other ASUU officials, rather than shift the date for resumption by
the lecturers, failure to which they would lose their jobs.”
Other speakers eulogised Iyayi, saying he had
actually been immortalised.
Iyayi’s eldest son, Ehidiamen, who received the
mourners on behalf of the family, thanked them for the support they had given
the family since their father’s demise.
He was later presented with a signed copy of the
condolence register opened by the union.
Meanwhile, ASUU chapter in Tai Solarin University
of Education, Ijebu-Ode, held a candle-light procession in honour of the
deceased on Wednesday morning.
Participants at the procession sang solidarity
songs during a 25-minute walk within the university campus as a mark of respect
for the deceased.
Chairman of the TASUED branch of ASUU, Dr.
Adebayo Akinsanya, described the late scholar’s death as painful.
“His death has really left a vacuum in the
academic circle and we are going to miss him a lot. We organised this
procession in honour of our late past president and to bid him good night with
the hope of meeting him in heaven,” Adesanya said.
He noted that Iyayi lost his life in the course
of the struggle for the lecturers’ wellbeing, adding that he would always be
remembered for his selfless service to mankind.
“Iyayi believed in the freedom of the people and
we at TASUED will continue to fight until we are sure that his efforts were not
in vain,” he added.
On the ongoing ASUU strike, Akinsanya said that
the union would call off the strike once it was sure that the Federal
Government had met the lecturers’ demands.
“We are fighting this cause for posterity and for
the future of education in this country; we are confident that we will win,” he
said.
No comments:
Post a Comment