Forty-five years ago, a seemingly minor 50 kobo increase in feeding costs ignited what became one of the most violent and defining student uprisings in Nigeria’s history, reshaping the course of youth activism in the country.
The protest, famously christened the Ali Must Go uprising, broke out in April 1978 following the approval by the military government of General Olusegun Obasanjo (retd.) of a hike in meal ticket prices in federal universities.
Under the new policy, students were required to pay ₦2 daily for meals, up from ₦1.50. Though modest in appearance, the increase struck a sensitive nerve, coming at a time when students heavily depended on subsidised feeding as part of government welfare.
The announcement was made by the then Minister of Education, Ahmadu Ali, whose name would soon be etched into Nigeria’s post-civil war history as the face of one of its bloodiest student confrontations.
Students across the country rejected the decision, describing it as insensitive and imposed without consultation. Leading the resistance was the National Union of Nigerian Students, headed by its fiery president, Segun Okeowo.
In preparation for a showdown, student leaders held strategic meetings in Maiduguri, Ilorin and later Calabar, where they resolved to demand an immediate reversal of the increment.
As pressure mounted, Ali reportedly attempted to deflect responsibility, telling students that the decision emanated from the Supreme Military Council rather than his ministry.
The explanation failed to douse tensions. With it becoming clear that the government was unwilling to reconsider the policy, students abandoned dialogue for open confrontation.
First shot fired
The crisis reached a boiling point at the University of Lagos, where students clashed with the police on the first day of protests. During the confrontation, a student was shot in the leg by a policeman.
Tragically, the injured student later died after allegedly being denied treatment at both the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi.
The death sent shockwaves nationwide. Okeowo swiftly alerted student leaders at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; the University of Ibadan; and other institutions. Within days, protests spread across federal universities, transforming a campus dispute into a national emergency.
Rather than address the grievances, the government responded with brute force. Soldiers were deployed to campuses, while clashes between students and security agents intensified.
More bullets, more deaths
In Zaria, troops opened fire on demonstrators, killing eight students in one incident. By the end of the protests, no fewer than nine students had been killed across the country.
Far from weakening the movement, the deaths hardened students’ resolve.
“Ali Must Go” became the dominant chant nationwide, as protesters demanded the removal of the education minister, whom they blamed for the policy and the loss of lives.
For over a week, campuses were gripped by unrest, protests and sporadic looting.
Eventually, the military government moved decisively. All universities were shut down, students were ordered to vacate campuses, and the NUNS was proscribed to halt nationwide coordination.
Despite the bloodshed and upheaval, the Obasanjo-led military government refused to reverse the meal ticket increase.
Okeowo expelled
In a further clampdown, the University of Lagos expelled Okeowo for his role in leading the protests, abruptly cutting short his academic career but securing his place in Nigeria’s protest history.
Although the policy was not reversed, the uprising inspired generations of activists, labour leaders and civil rights advocates.
Following his expulsion, the late human rights lawyer and activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, took up Okeowo’s case as legal counsel.
After the legal battle, Okeowo resumed his studies at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, where he continued his activism and later graduated in 1982 with a second-class honours degree in Literature in English.
Okeowo died in January 2014 at the age of 73.
Decades later, the Ali Must Go episode remains a reference point whenever Nigerian youths mobilise against policies they consider unjust, underscoring how even 50 kobo can trigger national upheaval when dignity, welfare and justice are perceived to be under threat.
(Vanguard)
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