Every institution has moments that permanently shape its identity. For Tai Solarin University of Education, popularly known as TASUED, one of those defining moments came on February 14, 2012, when a group of students set out for Abeokuta to protest a government decision that threatened the continued existence of their university.
The journey ended in tragedy.
One of the students travelling in the convoy, Comrade Fashina Olatunji David, popularly known as Humble Teejay, sustained severe injuries in a road accident and later died at the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta. He was a 400-level student of TASUED at the time of his death.
Over the years, different versions of his story have circulated, including inaccurate claims that he was shot during the protest. The account preserved by people connected to the struggle, however, states that Humble Teejay died following an automobile accident involving students travelling to the Ogun State Government offices to protest the proposed scrapping and restructuring of TASUED.
His death became one of the most painful chapters in the university’s history and transformed him into a lasting symbol of student activism, sacrifice and loyalty to the institution.
The Government’s Plan to Scrap TASUED
In 2012, the Ogun State Government announced a restructuring plan affecting Tai Solarin University of Education. The proposal, communicated through the state’s education authorities, sought to reverse TASUED’s university status, return it to a college of education and merge aspects of the institution with Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ago-Iwoye.
The decision triggered widespread resistance among students, lecturers, alumni and prominent individuals from Ijebuland. To the university community, the proposed restructuring was not merely an administrative adjustment. It was seen as an attempt to erase an institution that had already established a distinct place within Nigeria’s higher education system.
TASUED was widely celebrated by its community as Nigeria’s first university of education, the second of its kind in Africa and one of the earliest specialised universities of education in the world. Its students often referred to this position through the popular “1-2-8” identity: first in Nigeria, second in Africa and eighth in the world.
For students who had gained admission into a degree-awarding university, the prospect of the institution being reduced to a college of education created fear and anger. Many worried about the status of their programmes, the value of their certificates and the future of their academic careers.
The controversy was also interpreted by some members of the university community as part of a broader political disagreement over the legacy of the previous state administration. Whatever the political considerations may have been, the immediate consequence was a prolonged crisis that placed TASUED’s future in doubt.
Weeks of Protest and Uncertainty
The announcement did not go unchallenged. Students and lecturers began protesting against the government’s plan, while various stakeholders appealed for the institution to be preserved as a university.
The Students’ Union Government became one of the leading voices in the resistance. The union president at the time, Comrade Oyekanmi Abdullahi, popularly known as Plato, helped mobilise students against the proposed restructuring. The campaign also received support from prominent Ijebu leaders, alumni and members of the wider education community.
For several weeks, the atmosphere around the campus remained tense. Students organised demonstrations and public appeals, while security personnel were deployed during some of the protests. Tear gas was reportedly used to disperse demonstrators on certain occasions as the students continued to oppose the plan.
Despite meetings, consultations and appeals, the government had not reversed its position. The students therefore resolved to take their protest directly to the seat of government in Abeokuta.
The intention was to gather in large numbers and demonstrate that the university community was united in its demand for TASUED to remain a degree-awarding institution.
The Journey of February 14, 2012
On the morning of February 14, 2012, students assembled at the university gate in Ijagun. By about 10 a.m., a convoy of approximately ten buses had been arranged to transport students and activists to Abeokuta.
Their destination was the Ogun State Government offices at Oke-Mosan, where they planned to hold a peaceful protest and appeal directly to the state authorities.
Among those in the convoy was Humble Teejay.
He was not merely a passenger travelling out of curiosity. He was regarded as a committed student activist who believed strongly in the campaign to preserve TASUED. Like his fellow protesters, he believed that the university represented a collective heritage that should not be allowed to disappear.
The buses departed from the campus and proceeded towards Abeokuta. However, as the convoy approached the Kobape axis, tragedy struck.
According to accounts of the incident, one of the buses suffered a tyre burst. The driver reportedly lost control, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and overturn. In a matter of seconds, the journey to the government offices became a scene of confusion, injuries and panic.
Several students sustained bruises and other injuries in the accident. Humble Teejay, however, was critically injured. One of his arms was reportedly outside the vehicle when it overturned, resulting in the severe crushing and eventual loss of his right arm.
The injured students were rushed for medical attention, with Humble Teejay taken to the emergency unit of the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta.
The Final Moments of Humble Teejay
At the hospital, university officials, alumni and concerned members of the TASUED community reportedly rallied around the injured students and provided support.
Humble Teejay’s condition, however, was grave. His damaged arm had to be amputated as doctors fought to save his life.
Accounts passed down by those connected to the incident state that after becoming aware of the amputation, he repeatedly called out the name of the institution he had set out to defend: “TASUED! TASUED!! TASUED!!!”
The statement has since become part of the oral memory surrounding his final moments. To those who knew him and participated in the struggle, it represented the depth of his commitment to the university.
He later died from the injuries sustained in the accident.
The news of his death devastated the university community. Students who had begun the day hoping to persuade the government to save their institution ended it mourning one of their own.
February 14, a day traditionally associated with love, became a day of grief for TASUED. In the years that followed, many would describe Humble Teejay’s death on Valentine’s Day as symbolic of the love and sacrifice he demonstrated for his fellow students and the university.
A Death That Deepened the Struggle
The accident did not end the agitation. Instead, Humble Teejay’s death intensified the determination of the students and other supporters of the university.
Grieving students insisted that abandoning the campaign after his death would betray the cause for which he had set out that morning. His name became a rallying point for those demanding that the state government reconsider the decision to scrap or restructure TASUED.
The tragedy also attracted media attention. Reports of his burial and the circumstances surrounding his death appeared in Nigerian newspapers, with one widely remembered headline describing how the TASUED student was buried amid tears.
Public sympathy grew as more people became aware of the crisis confronting the university. Alumni, education stakeholders, civil society groups, traditional leaders and influential figures continued to appeal for TASUED’s preservation.
The campaign was therefore larger than the sacrifice of one individual. It involved sustained resistance by students, lecturers, alumni and community leaders. Nevertheless, Humble Teejay became the defining human symbol of that struggle.
The government eventually abandoned the plan to abolish the institution, allowing TASUED to continue operating as a university.
Who Was Humble Teejay?
Comrade Fashina Olatunji David was born on July 3, 1989, at Massey Hospital on Lagos Island, into the family of Mr. and Mrs. Fashina.
He began his primary education at Gospel Nursery and Primary School before attending Topfield College in Ajegunle, Lagos State. In 2008, he gained admission into Tai Solarin University of Education, where he pursued his studies until his death in 2012.
He was in his final year and was reportedly preparing to complete his university education when the accident occurred.
Those who knew him described him as a vibrant young man, an activist, a writer and a community-minded individual committed to helping young people. The nickname “Humble Teejay” reflected the personality many of his colleagues associated with him: approachable, modest and passionate about positive change.
His activism extended beyond campus politics. He was involved in several humanitarian, health and youth-development initiatives.
He served as a member of the Nigerian Red Cross Society and was reportedly a school council coordinator connected to the Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government division. He was also associated with Clean Up the World Australia, an international environmental initiative.
Humble Teejay worked as a peer educator on HIV and AIDS and participated in activities linked to organisations including the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, the Society for Family Health and the Global HIV/AIDS Initiative Nigeria.
He was also a co-founder of the Career Builders Initiative Nigeria, reflecting his interest in mentoring and helping young people develop their potential.
Beyond activism and humanitarian work, he was a creative individual. He worked as a video editor, showed promise as an actor and wrote a book titled No Cross, No Crown. The title would later appear tragically prophetic to those reflecting on his short but eventful life.
He reportedly received several awards and recognitions for his service, including an award of excellence from Clean Up the World Australia for his contribution and selfless service to humanity.
He was also described as a committed Christian whose faith influenced his approach to service, leadership and youth advocacy.
A Family Left Behind
Humble Teejay was survived by his parents and two younger brothers, Fashina Olanrewaju, popularly known as Sir Method, and Fashina Daniel.
For his family, his death was not merely the loss of a student activist or campus hero. It was the loss of a son and brother whose future had appeared full of promise.
He was 22 years old when he died.
At the time of the accident, he was nearing the completion of his studies and had already begun building a life centred on writing, advocacy, creativity and service. His death therefore represented not only the end of a young life but also the loss of the many contributions he might have made to society.
The University He Did Not Live to See Survive
Humble Teejay never lived to witness the final outcome of the struggle.
He did not see the government retreat from the plan to scrap the university. He did not return to the classroom, complete his final year or participate in a convocation ceremony. He never collected the degree for which he had worked.
Yet the institution he travelled to defend survived.
In the years since 2012, TASUED has continued to admit, train and graduate thousands of students. The university has expanded academically, contributed to teacher education and produced graduates working in education, media, government, business and other sectors.
The institution later entered another significant phase in its history when it was taken over by the Federal Government and renamed Tai Solarin Federal University of Education. That development further strengthened the status of the institution whose continued existence had once been threatened.
For many alumni and students, every important milestone recorded by the university carries an unspoken connection to those who defended it during the crisis of 2012.
The Meaning of His Sacrifice
It would be historically inaccurate to suggest that one person alone saved TASUED. The survival of the university resulted from the combined efforts of students, lecturers, alumni, traditional rulers, education advocates, community leaders and other stakeholders who opposed the government’s decision.
However, history often remembers major struggles through the individuals whose experiences capture their emotional cost.
Humble Teejay became that figure for TASUED.
His death showed that the struggle was not an abstract political dispute. It involved real students whose education, safety and future were at stake. He became the face of the risks young people were willing to take in defence of their institution.
The most accurate way to remember him is not necessarily as the student who single-handedly saved TASUED, but as the student who paid the ultimate price during the struggle for its survival.
His story represents loyalty to an institution, solidarity with fellow students and an uncommon willingness to stand for a collective cause.
Preserving the True Story
As time passes, important historical details can become distorted. Stories are shortened, exaggerated or retold without proper attention to the facts.
That is why the circumstances of Humble Teejay’s death must be properly documented.
He was not killed by gunfire during the protest. He died after sustaining severe injuries in an automobile accident while travelling with other students to Abeokuta for the peaceful protest against the proposed scrapping of TASUED.
Correcting that record does not reduce the weight of his sacrifice. It makes the story more credible and ensures that future generations understand what truly happened.
His courage was demonstrated by his decision to join the journey. His sacrifice came through the fatal accident that occurred while he was participating in a struggle to preserve his university.
A Name TASUED Must Never Forget
Many of the students currently studying at TASUED were children when the events of 2012 occurred. Some may know little about the period when the university nearly lost its status and existence.
The responsibility to preserve the story therefore belongs to the institution, its alumni, student leaders, historians and media platforms.
Humble Teejay’s life should not be remembered only on anniversaries or through brief social media tributes. His story deserves a permanent place in the university’s historical records.
His name could be preserved through memorial lectures, scholarships, archival exhibitions, student leadership programmes or a physical monument on campus. Such recognition would allow new students to understand that the university they enjoy today passed through a difficult struggle.
It would also ensure that Humble Teejay is remembered not only for how he died but for how he lived—as an activist, humanitarian, writer, youth advocate, video editor, aspiring actor and student committed to positive change.
The Student Who Became a Symbol
Comrade Fashina Olatunji David entered TASUED in 2008 as a student with ambitions for his future. Four years later, his name became permanently connected to one of the most important struggles in the institution’s history.
He boarded a bus on February 14, 2012, with fellow students determined to defend their university. He never returned to campus.
The journey ended at the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta, but his story did not end there.
It continued through the protests, the public outrage, the successful campaign to preserve TASUED and the generations of students who later passed through the institution.
Humble Teejay did not live to receive his degree, but he became part of the history of the university for which he fought.
His life was brief, but it was marked by service. His death was tragic, but it strengthened a struggle larger than one individual. His name remains a symbol of courage, commitment and selflessness.
As long as TASUED stands, the story of Comrade Fashina Olatunji David—Humble Teejay—must never be forgotten.
