Outrage has greeted the killing, yesterday, of
former President of the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, Professor
Festus Iyayi, by a car in the convoy of the Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada,
with many slamming the governor over his drivers’ recklessness. Some even want
the driver of the car that killed Iyayi prosecuted and that, if possible,
Nigerians should frustrate any future attempts by the governor to seek election
into any public office.
Iyayi died at
66, in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital, on his way to Kano for a meeting of the
ASUU National Executive Council concerning the over four-month old strike
embarked upon by the union.
Lagos-based
lawyer, Femi Falana, while expressing shock at the death of his former client,
urged Nigerians to stop agonising and take action. Falana, who
fought and won the case against the sack of Iyayi and Professor Itse Sagay from
the University of Benin during the era of Professor Grace Alele-Williams as
Vice Chancellor, also complained that governors in the country, with the
exception the Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola, are known for their
reckless convoys.
He said the
driver that killed Iyayi must be arrested and prosecuted because the drivers in
Wada’s convoy are notorious for causing fatal accidents. When contacted this morning, Professor Itse Sagay was too devastated to speak
on the death of Iyayi as they were very close during Iyayi’s lifetime. Prof. Ahunna Okerengwo, the Chairman, University of Port Harcourt chapter of
ASUU, said she was still in shock over the death of Prof. Iyayi.
Toni Kan, a
journalist and author called Iyayi’s death a sacrifice, another major and sad
loss of one of the nation’s best.
The Head,
Department of English, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Professor Damian Opata,
described the death as unfortunate. “It is very sad coming at this time,” he said. The National
Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Chibuzo Asomugha,
said the death of Iyayi is both shocking and disappointing.
“What! How did it happen? I can’t believe this! This is quite shocking and
disappointing. I’m lost for words, I can’t make further comments, please,” he
reacted when our reporter contacted him. Also reacting to
the sudden death of Iyayi, chairman of University of Lagos chapter of ASUU,
Oghenekaro Ogbinaka, condemned the manner in which the former National
President of the union lost his life.
“The convoy of
the Kogi State governor in its usual manner, has cut short the life of one of
our best. It is a very sad day for ASUU,” Ogbinaka said. Reacting to Prof. Iyayi’s death, Prof. Friday Okonofua of the University of
Benin, accused Governor Wada of being responsible for his death. “It is the
governor of Kogi that killed him. He was killed by a reckless convoy. He killed
one of our most distinguished academics who has won laurels all over the world.
We would hold the governor of Kogi responsible for his death,” Prof. Okonofua
said.
President
Goodluck Jonathan, in his condolence message to Iyayi’s family, the leadership
and members of the ASUU, said he was especially dismayed that Iyayi died while
going to contribute to efforts to finally resolve the ASUU strike which has
disrupted academics in the nation’s universities for over four months.
Governor
Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state used the opportunity to appeal to ASUU to
reconsider government’s position on the strike.
Sunny Akhigbe, a
Nigerian who commented on the death of Iyayi, said: “this is tragically
painful, a very big loss. I knew this fellow in UNIBEN when ASUU was very
vibrant. This Nasir Fagge-led ASUU of today is not serious. Are they so broke
that they cannot take care of their elders?
“Why should an
elder who led the association almost three decades ago cramp himself into a bus
and set out for a journey of more than 14 hours by road to attend NEC meeting?
Even leaders of road transport workers will not do that.”
Born in 1947,
Iyayi, who was the ASUU president in 1986, was also an author with four books
to his credit. He also won the Commonwealth Prize for Literature for ‘Heroes’,
one of his books, in 1988.
Source: PM NEWS
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