West African Students' Union - Final Years

Final Years

Solanke returned from West Africa at the end of the decade, with sufficient funding for a new hostel to open on the Chelsea Embankment. However, he fell out with WASU's executive, each accusing the other of excessive expenditure, and in 1949 he stepped down from his positions in the group. In the 1951 elections to WASU's executive, he organised an anti-communist slate, which failed to take control from the largely communist leadership of Joe Appiah and Ade Ademola. In 1952, WASU determined to close their Camden hostel, but Solanke instead took control of it.

WASU affiliated to the International Union of Students (IUS) on its foundation, and its members regularly attended the World Festival of Youth. Although the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom left the IUS in 1952, WASU retained its membership.

In 1952, WASU began publication of WASU News Service, as an openly Marxist replacement for Wasu. Following further financial problems, it sold its hostel on the Chelsea Embankment and opened cheaper premises on Warrington Crescent in 1956. The same year, it underwent a major reorganisation and passed a motion disassociating it from all political organisations. In 1958, it joined the Committee of African Organisations and lost importance, but it remained active into the early 1960s.