University of Ibadan Students' Union.

CRIPPLED UNION: WHO IS TO BLAME? BY KAY BELLO Recent findings show that the Students’ Union of University of Ibadan seems crippled, and the centre may no longer hold. Things could have fallen apart, but some still believe there could be succour. It is important at this very moment to look deeply into what or who could have been responsible for this seemingly crippled Union. Findings revealed that issue that really took centre stage during the last Students’ Union Student Representative Council (SUSRC) sessions was the NANS ticket- that of the National Association of Nigerian Students. Although there were other deliberations, but the SRC of 2011/2012 academic session had never called to order the incessant disappearance of some Executive Council members of the Students’ Union from their duty posts. Reliable sources had it that the incumbent President, Edosa Ekhator, had literally abandoned his office, and always sneaked in and out to the University College Hospital whenever, being a medical student. His counterpart, the Assistant General Secretary, Portia Osudji, also always followed suit to UCH so that they would not become quack doctors who might cripple patients by injecting them where dangerous. The belief or expectation is that there should be some form of delegation of responsibilities if one executive member is not around, but that is not the case, as it has become a deception where the Vice President of the Students’ Union, Miss Collete Anate, never said she was deputizing for the incumbent President. If one asks any of the executive members about the whereabouts of Mr. President, they would prefer to fight you back, and/or accuse, you of criticizing their regime as if the Students’ Union has become their personal property they must protect jealously with all their hearts. Now that the Union seems to be in the cage, and waiting for rescue mission by stakeholders, issues that have piled up to be solved are: the rusticated Fisheries department students who stood up for their right; the fact that there would be kitchenette system; the abolition of cooking in the rooms; resuscitation of cafeteria system in the halls of residence; the disappearance of the executive members from their offices; Mr Sunday Saanu’s Squealer-like write-ups that praise the Vice Chancellor and condemn the students as if he had been paid to always attack students but not the members of staff which he is one too; non-availability of executive members to address fundamental issues in the University of Ibadan concerning students especially the indiscriminate levies upon the Queen Elizabeth II Hall students over wall defacing ; the non-recognition of the elections held at the level of Queen Idia Hall; the fact that the President, Edosa Ekhator, and others were queried over a programme to be held under Students’ Union name; sudden demand for payment from PYTP and IT students residing in Mellanby Hall during the holiday; the fact that it might be difficult at times to gain access to the Vice Chancellor to address certain issues due to protocols and bottlenecks created; the use of Mr. Sunday Saanu as an instrument of propaganda; the use of dictatorship to address matters by the authorities; threats from the authorities to either suspend or expel students through the students disciplinary committee; long withdrawal list of students; the long list of final year students who would not graduate, among others. Above all, who is to blame for a crippled Union? To start with, is the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole to blame for the crippled Union? Did he orchestrate the fall of the Union, and the imposition of the incumbent President from his constituency- that is the University College Hospital? Then, what happened to the issue of Mr Adejare who was disqualified as a Students’ Union presidential aspirant in the last Union’s election? Was Jare seen as one who would not yield to the management’s demands or dance to their tune? What was there to cover by the authorities? I remember that fateful evening when Mr. Jare was to speak before the waiting crowd at the Press Night at the mainbowl of the Trenchard Hall, but suddenly we heard a pronouncement that the Press Night be brought to an abrupt end. Whao! What a pre-determined occurrence? Any lesson for the G13 members of the Electoral Commission that voted for the disqualification of Mr. Adejare and who might have suffered one way or the other because the incumbent President was nowhere to be found when he was needed most? Any lessons for those crying over the fact that they would not be allowed to cook in their rooms, and other conditions being laid down, else a disciplinary action would follow. Who else can we blame for the recent state of the Union? Should we blame the past executive council members of the Union under the leadership of Tokunbo Salako? What role known or unknown could they have played in bringing the Union into comatose? What about the different campaigners of different camps? Did they foresee a Union in limbo? Different camps blamed the other for different reasons known to them, but all in a bid to win elections and emerge victorious. Today, can those who blamed or criticized Adejare for one reason or the other come out today to say: ‘’oh, truly we supported Edosa, and today we are proud of him.’’ Additionally, I remember the Mellanbites how they trooped out en masse to fight for their own Adejare. They protested. They blocked the gates. They published in the dailies the illegal, unconstitutional, and malicious disqualification of one of them. They petitioned. Their petition today cannot be found anywhere either as report or otherwise. They boycotted the election. They were later silenced through some political gimmicks unknown to them. Should they have fought on? Should they have gone to other quarters? Who would have listened to them? Would there had been a re-election? Would the Union have been strong under the leadership of Adejare? Would Adejare have been the best Union President ever? Would he have also disappointed the students? Were those facts about his past in Emmanuel Alayande College of Education used to disqualify him by the authorities of the University of Ibadan true or false? Moreover, should we blame the Chairman of the Electoral Commission then in person of Mr. Tijani Musa who was reported to have threatened a member of the Electoral Commission simply because he wanted to opt out of the Commission for the unconstitutional disqualification of Adejare, one from his constituency, as reported? Must we blame the then Dean of Students, Prof. Falaye, for the fact that up till now the report of the electoral petition tribunal of the Students’ Union is yet to be released? Or, has Adejare withdrawn the petition without the knowledge of the other students? Then, today, and tomorrow, students may cry over some unwholesome decisions as Union becomes crippled and dysfunctional. What are the roles being played by religious bodies in strengthening the Union, and rising to save the Union? Do they only pray without acting. I remember how the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria wrote in defence of Adejare then to the Vice Chancellor condemning the former’s disqualification. Or, could it be termed that the protest by MSSN was due to the fact that Adejare was one of them? If Edosa was affected, would the Christian body have risen to the occasion as well? Furthermore, what are the roles of other Unions in the University especially the ever-protesting ASUU- Academic Staff Union of Universities in strengthening the Students’ Union? It might be difficult for these Unions to act for one way or the other they are part of the management. Recent findings had shown that these Unions might have been asked to persuade the students into accepting the decisions by the management on cooking, use of kitchenette, resuscitation of cafeteria system, etc. Has the Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ) been living up to expectation? Do they report events on campus as they should? Do they inform and educate the University community as they ought? Are they armchair student-journalists? Am I to blame for the crippled Union? Are you to blame for the state of the Union? For there to be a just, better, virile, and egalitarian Union or society we all yearn for, it begins with you and myself regardless of our position or status- member of staff or student, as the University is a MICROCOSM of Nigeria. All hands must be on deck in addressing matters and proffering lasting solutions to issues not in a despotic manner as if a military or colonial administration