After a few weeks in the doldrums, the #NewAkwaIbom Tweet-Convo Series put together by a group of Akwa Ibom State Social Media activists with the handle made a swift return online.
The Tweet-Convo held on Tuesday played host to the Vice-President Special Duties of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), Comrade Ubon Marcus who enlightened the public on the June 12, 2013 crisis of the University of Uyo, Uyo and also analyzed some resolutions reached by the University management.
Comrade Marcus said his timely intervention on the night of the uprising prevented further violence that would have emanated as a result of the death of a student and the arrest of many others.
He also hinted that he has used his office alongside the Special Assistant to the Akwa Ibom State Governor on Student Matters, Comrade Ini Ememobong to protect students of the University of Uyo against victimization since the crisis took place.
Participants in the Tweet-Convo expressed concerns over the news that the University management has resolved to rusticate fifteen students believed to be masterminds of the crisis.
@ asked models used in determining if the 15 students were the real masterminds of the riot and why they will be rusticated.
In his response, @ tweeted that during a meet with the Vice-Chancellor and principal officers of the school recently, it was mentioned that the students will not be rusticated immediately, but will face a disciplinary panel to defend themselves when the University resumes.
@ also asked if the fifteen students mentioned were part of the forty four initially arrested from different destinations and detained.
@ responded that as at press time the identity of the fifteen students were yet to be identified, noting that the University management were yet to intimate the public how they arrived at the names.
In a related development, @ asked if ASUU were to call off their strike, whether the University would be ready to resume academic activities.
Responding, @ said the University will resume once ASUU strike is suspended, stating that it was the Vice- Chancellor’s office, Exams and Records Unit and some admin blocks that were affected, not lecture halls.
Among the issues discussed were the University management’s decision to impose a penal fee of N10,000 for Engineering students and N7,500 for non-Engineering students.
@ asked if post-graduate students of the University are to pay the fees as well.
@ in his response said he was told by the management team that all the students of the institution will pay the penal fee.
@ was of the opinion that students who were away on Industrial Training during the June 12 crisis should be exempted from the penal fee, while others called on the fine to be reduced to a substantial amount to accommodate students with financial challenges.
@ also tweeted that the University management has decided to discontinue the bus shuttle service, which was the immediate cause of the protest.
@ tweeted that the Director of Transport and Student Union Government should look for alternative models of transporting students between the campuses and also advised students of the Faculty of Sciences to consider relocating to areas close to Use Offot to ease some transportation challenges.
@ suggested that transport companies/agencies should be contacted by the SUG as soon as possible to ensure there are models of transportation of students pending when ASUU calls of its strike action.
On the autopsy of the late Kingsley Udoette, @ tweeted that it was imperative to enlighten the public on key developments.
@ hinted that they were two autopsies carried out on the deceased, one by @ and the other from the family of the deceased.
He said efforts have been made severally to get the University management to visit the family of the deceased who was shot dead by a yet-to-identified policeman during the crisis.
@ used the Tweet-Convo to call on the University management to establish a cordial relationship with the Student’s Union, citing the disconnect between the pair as key to the uprising. #NewAkwaIbom Tweet-Convo holds every Tuesday from 5pm.
The session is packaged to discuss key issues as relative to the development of the state and nation at large.
For full analysis and details of the Tweet-Convo on the University of Uyo crisis, log on to and search for the hashtag #NewAkwaIbom and also follow @