UNILAG declared a lecture-free week from Thursday, February 23rd to 27th, Senate also declared Thursday, March 9th to 13th, a lecture-free week to allow the students to vote during the gubernatorial election on Saturday, March 11th.
The management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, has approved lecture-free weeks to enable students to vote during the presidential and governorship elections.
The announcement was contained in a publication made available to myschoolnews, titled: “Fourth Revised Academic Calendar for the second semester, 2021/2022 session.
In the revised academic calendar, UNILAG declared a lecture-free week from Thursday, February 23rd to 27th to enable students to vote during the presidential election on Saturday, February 25th.
The University Senate also declared Thursday, March 9th to 13th, a lecture-free week to allow the students to vote during the gubernatorial election on Saturday, March 11th.
With the declaration of lecture-free weeks in February and March, UNILAG students would exercise their franchise during the presidential and national assembly as well as governorship and state house of assembly elections.
Recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had stated that students make up 40 percent of newly registered voters for the 2023 general elections.
The chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had said 7.2 million new voters are youths and are between 18 to 34 years while 3.8 million (40.8 percent) were students.
Most tertiary institutions academic calendar for 2021/2022 session, revealed that no provision was made for students to go on break to vote at their different polling units.
Some lecturers had equally stated that it is not their responsibility to suspend lectures for students to go and vote but the job of the Senate and Academic Board of universities and polytechnics.
Also, worried by the situation, the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) had earlier called for two weeks break to allow students to vote during the February 25th and March 11th presidential and governorship elections.
