Ali Must Go: How Segun Okeowo Led Nigeria’s Defining 1978 Student Revolt
In April 1978, Segun Okeowo, then president of the National Union of Nigerian Students, led a nationwide boycott over increased hostel and meal fees. The dispute, remembered as the “Ali Must Go” protest, quickly became one of the most significant student uprisings under military rule. Students at universities including UNILAG, UI, ABU Zaria, UNN, UNIBEN, UNICAL and Bayero University joined the action. A planned peaceful march by UNILAG students was blocked by armed police, triggering clashes in Lagos and drawing nationwide attention. The violence escalated at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where soldiers opened fire and five students were reported killed. The Federal Military Government later shut universities, imposed curfews, banned NUNS and expelled Okeowo from UNILAG. Though the fee increase remained, the protest became a lasting symbol of coordinated Nigerian student activism.
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