UNIZIK’s expulsion of student: A case of using sledgehammer to crack a nut?

BY DAMILARE ADELEYE

While the world was in the euphoria of St. Valentine’s Day, an annual event dedicated to expressing love, affection, friendship and admiration, news came out that Goddy-Mbakwe Chimamaka Precious, a student of history and international studies, had been expelled by authorities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka. In place of a well-decorated special Valentine’s Day card to profess peace and love, the 300-level student was handed down an expulsion letter dated February 13, ordering her to vacate the institution’s premises with immediate effect. As some commentators see the expulsion as a bold disciplinary measure to restore discipline, respect, and ethical standards in the university, others consider it as too severe, likened to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Chimamaka Precious infamously became a subject of discussion on Tuesday, February 11 when she was seen in a now-viral video physically assaulting a lecturer of the institution from the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, Dr Chukwudi Okoye. In the cut-and-join video, the young lady was seen dancing in the university’s hallway while recording herself on TikTok. The lecturer was seen to have tapped her on the shoulder to make way for himself.

However, as Okoye continued to walk away from the scene, the student turned with a frown and murmured something like: “Can you imagine how he just hit me?” Later on, what we could see was a serious confrontation and clash with the lecturer, who seemed to be helpless to defend himself despite being manhandled and bitten in aggression by the female student.

In his own account, Okoye recounted that the lady made an insulting comment which made him turn back to first ascertain if she was a student. According to him, when he discovered the student was on TikTok, he told her to delete the video, but she refused. “I stretched my hand to confiscate the phone. And that was when all hell let loose…,” he said.

Barely three days later, the university student disciplinary committee found the female student’s actions to be a gross violation of the institution’s regulations and recommended her immediate expulsion. The public is yet to know whether any actions were also taken against the lecturer, who has already been adjudged by many to have displayed a rare level of maturity and civility in the face of public humiliation orchestrated by the student. Nevertheless, while this writer is not interested in determining who was wrong or right in all the events between the expelled student and the lecturer, there are a few observations this piece will highlight for the purpose of charting a pathway to a better society.

First is the prevailing moral decadence in our society. The rapidly growing indiscipline and moral decay among young individuals pose a threat to our socio-cultural values. And it is really worrisome that the moral standards of respect for elders are also nosediving in the academic institutions. Based on personal experience, I couldn’t imagine that a student could dare talk back at a lecturer rudely, let alone assault the teacher publicly. Even when we knew that there were guaranteed rights available to us as students, we lacked such audacity to engage violently with lecturers not even when we were at a higher level.

As we know, the power relationship between lecturers and students is not equal, especially within the school campus. Hence, no situation should warrant an assault on a lecturer or teacher. In a worse case, students can report to higher authorities if there is an unsettled disagreement. Whether they are in lecture halls or outside the classrooms, teachers deserve to be accorded all the respect in the world. While Chimamaka Precious’s action is condemned in totality as it doesn’t depict the ethics of Omoluabi. It also brings to the fore why parents should instil social and moral values while bringing up their wards. And the broader societal issues like respect for authority, due process, and ethical behaviour must not be overlooked, but upheld by everyone regardless of their status.

Another observation is that of arrogance, which the Christian Book says can lead to un-restorable downfall. Not wanting to admit to wrong can lead to more damage and cost you dearly. Maybe, if a little ‘I’m sorry’ without even adding ‘sir’ was uttered by Chimamaka Precious, the situation might not have escalated. However, she wanted to be right and prove the other party wrong, but sadly she caught herself in between the anvil and the hammer.

Sometimes, we should learn to let off some situations just to be saved from unbearable consequences. At times, trying to justify or defend certain actions may be an exercise in futility which may not solve any problems, but exacerbate them. Apologising for any little things should not be embarrassing. It even saves time and leaves a good impression on the other party. Going far in life also requires learning to stand corrected when we discover we misstepped or acted wrongly.

My last observation is about the use of a sledgehammer to crack a recalcitrant nut. Yes, the young lady was wrong and her actions stand condemnable. But, expelling her from the school is too capital for her offence. There is a saying among the Yorubas that we should use the right hand to reprimand our child and use the left hand to embrace the child. This also resonates with the doctrine of tempering justice with mercy. Even in law, there are people called first offenders. They are believed to have committed a crime for the first time and are often treated more leniently in court or during plea negotiations. Unless the culprit shows no remorse or commits a capital offence, the leniency doctrine may not be applied.

But, I doubt if assault is a capital offence in the institution. As a university that is duty-bound to train students both in learning and character, UNIZIK management should have adopted much better corrective actions to discipline the young lady. A suspension from the school within a specific timeline should have been considered to uphold and reinforce discipline and ethical conduct in the institution.

Lastly, while the expulsion sends a strong message that incidents of such will not be tolerated and condoned in the institution, I opine that the universities should be more reformative, and not destructive when students breach the existing laws and order. This is also reiterated by Adeola Soetan, a public writer, who avers: “If our prisons are now called ‘Correctional Centre’, I strongly feel our university system should be a super Correctional Centre of Excellence in moral, character and integrity development.”

Damilare Adeleye writes from Ogun state. He can be reached via [email protected]