About 200 students may have been expelled by the
authorities of Covenant University, Cannanland,
Ota, Ogun State, recently for what was described as
“disregard of paramount core values.”
Frustrated and angered by the development, some
of the affected students who gave account of what
happened battled emotions while narrating their
situations to newsmen recently. They
however pleaded with the school authorities to
tamper justice with mercy in order to save their
future.
Investigation into the matter revealed that out
of the figure, about 126 were expelled for not
attending the ‘departure service’, meant to sign off
from the school after the end of the Semester and
Matriculation of students on November 30.
Five other students were thrown out for smoking while
unconfirmed source said additional 60 got the
same fate for violating other rules bordering on the
University’s core values.
A few others were given four weeks suspension for failure to sign the head-count that was conducted a couple of weeks earlier.
A letter of expulsion signed by the Registrar, Ntia
Ubong, a copy which was made available to
Newsmen stated that the affected students contravened Chapter 1, section 30, page 40 of the 2010-2014 Student Handbook.
SchoolGist gathered that the massive expulsion was
predicated on the anger of the Chancellor, Bishop
David Oyedepo who was said to have been infuriated after seeing students loitering around when they were supposed to be at the Chapel for the Departure Service.
He was said to have personally chased students to
the Chapel and ordered for a search into all the
halls and colleges to fish out those who did not
attend the service.
Several attempts to get the school authorities
comment on the issue proved abortive. The Institution Corporate Affairs Head, Mr Igban Emmaunel also refused to comment as calls pulled through to him were unanswered and text messages not replied.
A student Report on how it happened
A few of the affected students gave account of
what happened to Saturday Vanguard at different
points. The similar accounts go thus: “On
November 30, the last day of the semester,
preceding our December break, there was also a
Matriculation for the 100 level students; in fact
some students had their last semester exams on
that day, some of them finished around 3:00pm
while the matriculation started around 8am. Some
students retired to their rooms to relax while some
engaged in some other activities jubilating the end
of the semester.
“Some also got drinks from the matriculating
students. Even as these were going on, some
students who finished around 3pm retired to their
halls. By 5pm, they announced that we should get
prepared for the ‘Departure service’ which was to
start by 8pm.
Some students were already seeing their parents off while some of us were just trying to relax to get off the stress of the exams.
“Most of us hadn’t gotten through the tiredness of
the sleepless nights of the exams; so, some us
stayed back in our rooms. The departure service is
usually a day before we go home and it is usually
presided over by the Chancellor.
Before the commencement of the service, they used to lock up the main doors of the halls so as to prevent cases of theft.
I was not bothered since there were a lot of
us in the hall. Some minutes past 8pm, they
switched off the light and all of us in the hall went
into our rooms. Because of the darkness and the
cold, I slept off immediately.”
He continued: “The persistent knocks on the door
woke me up and I realised that they had come to
search for people who had not come to service.
Before I realised what was going on, I found myself
with other students numbering about 30. They took
down our names and counted us to make sure that
no one was omitted.
They said the Chancellor was at the service and we refused to come. I heard them talking about other halls and they asked us to wait. I didn’t take it seriously because I never believed in my widest imagination that we would be expelled. We were later asked to go to our
various halls.
“Some of those who went into hiding were lucky as
they were not found. Shortly, those who went for
the service returned and told us there was poor
attendance at the Chapel and how students were
diving in through the windows, scampering for
seats. In fact, one narrated to us how the
Chancellor jumped through the window to vent his
anger on some students who had jumped in,” he
stated.
Another expelled student also gave similar account
of the incident. “I couldn’t go to the service
because, I was not feeling well which was as a
result of the stress of the exams we had just
finished. After a while, I managed to go but I heard
that they started driving people back around
7:30pm while the service was to start around 8pm.
I was surprised because the rule was that you’ve
got to be seated 15minutes to the service.
Again, it was never made compulsory, but they tried to get students out of the halls to prevent cases of theft.
So, because I was not feeling well, I went back to
my room because I needed to rest for a while.
“I thought it was a joke when they said we are in
for expulsion because we failed to come for
departure service. I have never done anything
contrary to the school laws. I have never faced any
panel before and neither did I have any unpleasant
case in my file. I never thought it was real until
letters were handed to me the following morning.”
Giving account of how letters were handed out to
them, the visibly troubled student said: “By 6am,
they announced the names of those who were
caught in halls and colleges. Usually after the
departure service, one can sign out from there and
go but because it ended late and no one could
travel, students had to wait till the following
morning.
But the hall officer told those of us whose
names were written down that if we leave, we
should be considered gone from the university
forever. That gave us an insight into what was
likely to come as punishment. By 7:45am, we were
called once again to go downstairs for our letters.
Those who collected theirs before mine were crying
and I wondered what the punishment could be until
I read the letter stating I was expelled from the
university.”
Another student who found his way to the Chapel
also told newsmen that while the Chancellor was being driven past, he noticed that students were loitering at about the time they were supposed to be seated at the chapel. He said that this apparently infuriated him and he alighted from his car and chased students to the chapel with knocks.
“I saw him, alighted from his car and chased students to the chapel; I quickly found my way to the hall. Not quite long after, I saw students jumping in through the windows. It was a big commotion.
Even the chancellor was going after
those who jumped into the chapel. Later, he
addressed the students saying he was very
disappointed by the behaviour that the students
were not seated 15 minutes before the service.”
Another account had it that while the Education
Secretary, Prof. Aize Obayan was addressing the
students, the students were murmuring, then the
Chancellor immediately took to the microphone
and said: “if I hear the voice of any student, the
curse of the Lord shall fall upon that one.”
The chapel immediately went dead silent. Click here to continue reading.
