"Liberation Day" - How Union Rights Were Reinstated at FCE(T) Akoka 30 Years Ago
Students of the Federal College of Education (Technical) Akoka declared 18 February as Liberation Day, forty years ago. On that day, the autocratic Provost of the school, Dr Auta was humbled and made to reinstate the students union which he had banned five years earlier in the wake of the Great Anti-SAP Revolt. Four student leaders from the University of Lagos, Akoka came to invite him to the university campus close by, at the behest of the FCE(T) students: Omoyele "Sho" Sowore, Tope "Authority" Ajeigbe, Lanre & yours truly. But the journey to that day started five months earlier with the resistance of 17 students at the college on teaching practice. These students, who included Tayo Aderinola, were denied their Teaching Practice allowance, even though this was budgeted for. And they asked questions. Auta's response was to suspend them. But they would not simply give up. They formed a group called G17 with the help of Gbenga Fakoya, a former student and me...