5-Day ultimatum to UL

The Liberia National Students Union or LINSU, through its Montserrado County Chapter, has given authorities of the University of Liberia up to the end of this week, to reinstate Student Alvin Wesseh, or face mass students’ action.

LINSU said its ultimatum is against the backdrop of the inability of the UL Administration to exhaust all of the legal internal procedures before the expulsion Alvin Wisseh.  Addressing a news conference last Thursday in Monrovia, the head of LINSU, Mohammed Donzo, described the expulsion of Mr. Wesseh as unfair, noting that he cannot held accountable for the actions of more than

three thousands students who were involved in the protest that took former UL Vice President Wade Brownell from the University of Liberia.

“To the Government of Liberia, if there is ever a time to intervene in this situation, the time is now because the events that led to major instabilities in Liberia – most of which have begun at the University of Liberia Campus, are gradually resurfacing through Comrade Wesseh`s case if nothing is done to properly handle it. It is our plead to the Defense Minister, as well as the National Security Advisor, among others to speedily intervene in the next five working days in an effort to overturn our fellow student leader so called expulsion,” Donzo indicated.

He said LINSU has also joined the University of Liberia Student Union in resolving the matter with the Administration of UL, describing the expulsion as unilateral, and not in consonance with the hand book of the University vaguely cited by Dean Sawolo Nelson.

The LINSU Montserrado County Chapter indicated that if this decision is upheld, campus politics wouldl be undermined, as no student will be allowed to speak on important issues at the University and on the national scene.

In July 2014, the University of Faculty Association ceased all activities through a go-slow, calling for the dismissal of Wade Brownell; the action triggered mass student protests for weeks before Brownell could be removed.

The University of Liberia authorities expressed the belief that Alvin Wesseh led a gang of students to loot the home of Brownell on the university Fendell Campus. On last Sunday, Wesseh called a news conference to challenge the legal basis of his expulsion, calling on his colleagues not to continue the demonstration, which disrupted normal academic activities early last week. 

“Finally, the students of Liberia, especially MONSU and other Counties Chapters are very disappointed in the Varney Jarsey-led Executive Committee who has compromised every issue about students in this country. He and his cohorts have only been good at receiving LINSU annual subsidies and other benefits and distributing it among themselves. Varney Jarsey has refused to run LINSU by the Constitution; instead, he is running a dictatorship wherein only his will prevails – whether it makes sense or not,” Donzo claimed. 

“Therefore, we are calling on all students across the length and breadth of Liberia to turn out at Comrade Wesseh `s very peaceful petition presentation on Friday on the Fendell Campus and other upcoming peaceful assemblies in full solidarity with our fellow student as Injustice to one student is Injustice to all students of this country.”

-Edited by George Barpeen