In their fight to renew their lease in Dakar, UCAD students from Ziguinchor yesterday offered a concert of pans to Ousmane Sonko. Previously, they dislodged students, from primary to secondary, paralysing for three days, the education system in the city.
« Dear Municipality, do not touch my contract, my future, my fight », was the slogan chanted yesterday by the students of the Cheikh Anta Diop University from Ziguinchor. They first dislodged students from primary to secondary school, for the third time, before starting a procession at Djignabo Bassène High School, bound for the town hall. Their parade was made lively by a concert of pans that made the city cringe, carting people, mostly non-students. These students are still demanding the renewal of their rent in Dakar by Mayor Ousmane Sonko. Some of them were in red T-shirts and others wore red armbands, braving the wind and dust that blew over the city yesterday.
The claimants benefitted from the support of the Association of Students and pupils for the development of Ziguinchor.The municipality has indicated that it has no obligation to renew the lease in question. « Whether the mayor is obliged or not is not an excuse. When he makes a decision that we know we will suffer, we will fight against it, « said the students determined to fight against the termination of the rental contract. According to them, all possible mediation methods were carried out to try to win their case. Thus, Guy Marius Sagna, Aminata Sidibé, Imam Ratib and the Governor of Ziguinchor, not to mention the deputy mayor and his chief of staff, were all seized for mediation. It should be noted that since Monday, the education system in Ziguinchor has been paralysed and there are no guarantees that classes will resume in the coming days. « As long as he does not renew this contract, we will not return to Dakar and there will be no classes in Ziguinchor, » threatened the students who renounce any responsibility for the disruption of classes. For them, it all depends on the mayor. « As soon as he renews the contract, we go back to Dakar. » Reacting after the concert of pans, the communication cell of the town hall said that the students are demanding the reimbursement of 5 million CFA francs of rental arrears in cash.
« The amount claimed was already honoured by Mr. Doudou Ka, this looks like fraud, » denounced in a statement, the communication cell of the municipality which noted a political character through the demonstration of students, to whom Mayor Ousmane Sonko pointed out that higher education is not a transferred competence. In addition, the statement noted, « payments made by the town hall to Aliou Cissé, the landlord, amount to millions« .
By Khady SONKO / ksonko@lequotidien.sn
