Prof. Iyayi Burial: Officaiting Priest booed for calling on ASUU to suspend strike
The Late Prof. Festus Iyayi
A
cross-section of members of the academic community, joined by members of
civil society organisations, booed one the officiating clergymen,
during the lying-in-state ceremony held for late former President of the
Academic staff Union of Universities, Prof. Festus Iyayi, which held on
Friday, at the Akin Deko main auditorium of the University of Benin.
Rev. Fr. Andrew Obiyan, one of the seven
officiating priests at the ceremony, which was attended by a record
that continued to swell as the programme wore on, drew the ire of the
virtually all in attendance, when he veered of his main business, to
tell ASUU about having a rethink about their over five month-old strike.
The priest said many of the lecturers were already wary of the “fight.”
Reading from portions of the bible,
Obiyan praised Iyayi’s tenacity of purpose, courage and sense of
dedication to duty, all of which he said contributed to the “hero” he
became, both in life and in death and
went on to call on ASUU members to
consider their position in order that they not continue to be at the
receiving end.
He said, “The death of the faithful is
precious in the eyes of God, so I want to admonish the family not to
think of the pain of death, but think about the bright promise of
immortality.”
Threading on what was to irk the crowd,
he said, “Finally, I want to thank God because (ASUU) you have become
the voice of the voiceless today. May that voice never die. But I want
to remind you that there is no success without sacrifice; for Jesus to
gain the whole world he had to give up his life. We give up to go up.
From left: Engr. Ehidiamen Iyayi, Mrs. Grace Iyayi (Widow), Mr.
Omole Iyayi, Barr. Oriabure Iyayi and Barr. Omoye Zindzi Iyayi.
Omole Iyayi, Barr. Oriabure Iyayi and Barr. Omoye Zindzi Iyayi.
“My humble appeal to you as a minister
of God is to kindly request you in the name of God to please surrender
the tool of power. Do not give the federal government the privilege of
satisfaction of fighting and defeating you. I encourage you to surrender
first in this fight. You have made your point eloquently and clear
enough.
“Sincere and intelligent Nigerians will
consider will consider what you have done and will forever appreciate
you for it. Your surrender at this time as a tool of power is the sign
of strength, it’s not a sign of weakness. Our relationship with God our
father shows that faith and trust navigate.
“We may not trust the federal government owing to their antecedents, but I humbly request you to please trust them now.”
Speaking with journalists at the end of
the ceremony, ASUU President, Dr Nasri Fagge said reaction from the
crowd was enough attestation to the mood of majority of union members on
the matter.
He said, “We were told here at this
gathering there were some fundamental issues that bother the mind of our
late comrade, as to the future of the struggle. For me, it is left for
us to rally round those ideals and advance his legacies. You saw the
reaction of the crowd to what was said about suspending the struggle,
and that to me said it all.”
Recalling some of his past encounters
with the late professor of business administration, Governor Adams
Oshiomhole said, “Iyayi spoke truth to power, just as much as he spoke
truth with his colleagues.”
Oshiomhole offered to support in building of ASUU secretariat at UNIBEN, as a way of immortalising Iyayi.
Source: The Punch
