UNILORIN Student Protests as Political Questions Involving Atiku, El-Rufai, Natasha appear in Exam

A 300-level student of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has raised concerns over the inclusion of politically charged questions in a departmental examination, expressing frustration at being asked to analyse the actions of political figures such as Nasir El-Rufai, Senator Natasha Akpoti, Atiku Abubakar, and President Bola Tinubu.

In a post shared via the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the student, identified as @fado_maverick, lamented being examined on events and political decisions in which he had no personal involvement.

He wrote:

“I’m not the one who led the coalition, neither did I suspend Senator Natasha, yet I’m the one bearing the consequences. MMS.”

The examination in question was conducted by the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, under the course POS 314 – Contemporary Political Analysis for the 2024/2025 academic session.

Among the five examination questions, three drew direct references from Nigeria’s current political climate, including:

Question 2, which tasks students with analysing Nasir El-Rufai’s shifting political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Question 3, which asks students to justify the suspension of Senator Natasha using the traditional legal approach.

Question 4, requiring analysis of Atiku Abubakar’s allegations against PDP governors using the New Elite Theory.

The full set of questions was structured to test students’ application of political theories to contemporary Nigerian political scenarios.

Reacting to the questions, several social media users shared their perspectives:

@HassanKabirii: “That number 1 doesn’t even look like a question. I minored in that department once. When I took Prof. Salihu’s course, I knew I was finished the moment I saw the paper.”

@whiskey102622: “Omo POS no be joke oo. Anyway, your department is one of the softest in the faculty.”

@HakeemLayeni: “These questions are too soft for 300-level students. UNILORIN can do better.”

@echi_godwin: “This is exactly what the History and International Studies Department should emulate—drawing from real historical and current issues to shape its curriculum.”

While some users commended the Political Science department for using real-life examples to foster critical analysis, others questioned the academic fairness of such politicised examination content.

The development has reignited debate on the appropriateness of using ongoing political events in university assessments, with calls for a balance between academic rigour and impartiality.