By Uthman Samad, Olarinre Damilola and Farombi 'Seun
In what is seeming as yet another scandal in the Students' Union of the Obafemi Awolowo Univerity, Jacob Oluwatosin popularly known as Emerald, the Vice-President of the Union who was said to be assaulted after being involved with the Director of Socials of the Union has finally spoken on the fracas that rocked the Student Union building of the varsity on the 5th of September, 2017.
In an exclusive interview with OAU Peeps News Agency, She opened up about the scuffle between her and the Director of Socials of the Union, Adedayo Afolabi popularly known as Lamba, amongst other things.
The Vice-President who is currently admitted at the Seventh Day Adventists hospital, Ile-Ife, whilst speaking on her experience in the union so far said “Since the beginning of this our administration, it has not been easy at all as it has been filled with difficulty and atrocities sprawling up, issue upon issue. When I was sworn in at the level of Oduduwa hall, I didn't believe and I didn't prepare for an in-house problem rather than from the management”.
While speaking with OAU Peeps News agency on the Genesis of the fisticuff, she further said "I have not been going to the Student Union building, when people need anything as regards my office, my numbers and lines are open to all, my room is open to all. I attended to a lot of challenges this way. I could not work out of my office, because there were threats in SUB that I couldn't just talk about. I’ve gotten a lot of sexual harassment there. In fact, there are some persons in the Union building that I cannot have a closed door meeting with, because I’m not sure that something will not emanate from such meeting.”
Emerald continued in unravelling her experience about threats and harassment she faced from different quarters of the Central Executive Council of SUG, saying that “There's this traditional orientation of people about power, that when you sleep with a woman, you disempowered her and she won't have a voice to speak anymore. They’ve tried that because they wanted to get me on their side, they wanted to silence my voice. My voice cannot be silenced. It may be unpopular, I might be standing alone, but I will keep standing."
Whilst giving her side of the story on the fracas, Emerald stated;
“There was a meeting slated to hold around 5pm on the day of the incidence after my exams, I felt so weak, on getting to the president's office (the venue for the meeting), it was made known that the meeting has been shifted till 7pm, I showed my dissatisfaction to this that if at all the meeting has been shifted that there should be a notice on that. I had to wait till the stated time because I couldn’t go back to my room. The meeting later started around some minutes to 7pm. When the welfare director came in, he was asked why there's no light. He answered with a funny comment by saying 'the director of works says there's no light', I merely shook my head at the current set of leaders we are now having. The funniest part of the whole story was when the Public Relations Officer of the Students' Union entered saying 'there's no light let me go and 'shana' for them’, that is, he should go and give them his sweet tongue of fluent spoken English like the light has issues at Ajebamidele, or there's a power cable issue again.
After some minutes the meeting started with them talking about a lot of capital projects, and to them they know I don't support capital projects as it's an avenue for embezzlement because I know they can't be so sincere in handling projects dealing with money.
With all their deliberations, I reminded silent. Then, when it got to the Freshers’ Orientation package, I voiced out for them to hear my opinion. These people (2016/2017 fresh students) paid ₦300 for Students’ Union due; they paid another ₦300 in their school fees likewise paying indirectly in their respective halls of residence to the Students’ Union. I felt these people needed to be given their package. There was a time I was nearly got embarrassed by a classmate because I hadn't paid for the hall decorations during the Freshers’ orientation program. I used my money to stage everything; I was starved of funds, this Union has made people to call me so much names. All in the name of the Union, I even lost my integrity. After much calls and begging from different quarters to the SU President, he later gave me ₦100,000 which I used to clear the debt.
On the day of this incidence when the meeting was becoming unsafe for me, I headed for the door to leave but they had locked the doors. Before then, I can remember vividly that Lamba told me that if he catches me in town he's going to beat me which the whole house took as a mere joke.
Lamba and I don't talk nor we do greet, I shocked to see online what journalists wrote that Lamba was just trying to play and joke with me by standing at the door. I was really surprised at this. I even begged him to let me leave, but he refused. I tried to push him out of the way and before I knew it, we were already fighting with him raining blows on me and in the process he head-butted me and none of the other CEC members did anything about it, which made me to pick up a bottle to defend myself. I broke it to scare him so as to have way for me to leave because nobody was coming to my aid because Mr President (Oyekan Ibukun), when I was shouting, told people outside the room that they shouldn't come in that we are in a meeting. I left SUB with my bra, I was humiliated, and I was embarrassed. I would like to add that I didn't stab Lamba. The wound on him was not by my hand.”
Although, all efforts to reach the Director of Socials for his side of the story as been futile as he claims to be too occupied to grant an interview, several third parties have come out to condemn the actions of both officers claiming it was nothing but an embarrassment to the entire University.
Also, in giving an account of the incident, The Financial Secretary of the Union, Omisakin Kehinde, also talked about the incident saying that "We got a backlog from the management and we all discussed on what to do with the money. Emerald raised the issue of fresher’s package which was discarded since she already has N1.4 million in her proposed budget. She got vexed. While trying to leave, Lamba blocked her but she slapped Lamba. Both engaged themselves physically before we could separate them.”
“Emerald searched the fridge, later got a bottle on the shelf, broke it and charged at Lamba while Lamba also headbutted her,” Omisakin expressed.
It would also be recalled that it was the last backlog released caused the Bus scandal allegations which also rocked many news platforms.
In an interaction with the University's Acting Chief Security Officer, O. Babatunde, he said the Vice Chancellor of the institution had already ordered the security unit to investigate the incident and file a comprehensive report to his office.
In what is seeming as yet another scandal in the Students' Union of the Obafemi Awolowo Univerity, Jacob Oluwatosin popularly known as Emerald, the Vice-President of the Union who was said to be assaulted after being involved with the Director of Socials of the Union has finally spoken on the fracas that rocked the Student Union building of the varsity on the 5th of September, 2017.
In an exclusive interview with OAU Peeps News Agency, She opened up about the scuffle between her and the Director of Socials of the Union, Adedayo Afolabi popularly known as Lamba, amongst other things.
The Vice-President who is currently admitted at the Seventh Day Adventists hospital, Ile-Ife, whilst speaking on her experience in the union so far said “Since the beginning of this our administration, it has not been easy at all as it has been filled with difficulty and atrocities sprawling up, issue upon issue. When I was sworn in at the level of Oduduwa hall, I didn't believe and I didn't prepare for an in-house problem rather than from the management”.
While speaking with OAU Peeps News agency on the Genesis of the fisticuff, she further said "I have not been going to the Student Union building, when people need anything as regards my office, my numbers and lines are open to all, my room is open to all. I attended to a lot of challenges this way. I could not work out of my office, because there were threats in SUB that I couldn't just talk about. I’ve gotten a lot of sexual harassment there. In fact, there are some persons in the Union building that I cannot have a closed door meeting with, because I’m not sure that something will not emanate from such meeting.”
Emerald continued in unravelling her experience about threats and harassment she faced from different quarters of the Central Executive Council of SUG, saying that “There's this traditional orientation of people about power, that when you sleep with a woman, you disempowered her and she won't have a voice to speak anymore. They’ve tried that because they wanted to get me on their side, they wanted to silence my voice. My voice cannot be silenced. It may be unpopular, I might be standing alone, but I will keep standing."
Whilst giving her side of the story on the fracas, Emerald stated;
“There was a meeting slated to hold around 5pm on the day of the incidence after my exams, I felt so weak, on getting to the president's office (the venue for the meeting), it was made known that the meeting has been shifted till 7pm, I showed my dissatisfaction to this that if at all the meeting has been shifted that there should be a notice on that. I had to wait till the stated time because I couldn’t go back to my room. The meeting later started around some minutes to 7pm. When the welfare director came in, he was asked why there's no light. He answered with a funny comment by saying 'the director of works says there's no light', I merely shook my head at the current set of leaders we are now having. The funniest part of the whole story was when the Public Relations Officer of the Students' Union entered saying 'there's no light let me go and 'shana' for them’, that is, he should go and give them his sweet tongue of fluent spoken English like the light has issues at Ajebamidele, or there's a power cable issue again.
After some minutes the meeting started with them talking about a lot of capital projects, and to them they know I don't support capital projects as it's an avenue for embezzlement because I know they can't be so sincere in handling projects dealing with money.
With all their deliberations, I reminded silent. Then, when it got to the Freshers’ Orientation package, I voiced out for them to hear my opinion. These people (2016/2017 fresh students) paid ₦300 for Students’ Union due; they paid another ₦300 in their school fees likewise paying indirectly in their respective halls of residence to the Students’ Union. I felt these people needed to be given their package. There was a time I was nearly got embarrassed by a classmate because I hadn't paid for the hall decorations during the Freshers’ orientation program. I used my money to stage everything; I was starved of funds, this Union has made people to call me so much names. All in the name of the Union, I even lost my integrity. After much calls and begging from different quarters to the SU President, he later gave me ₦100,000 which I used to clear the debt.
On the day of this incidence when the meeting was becoming unsafe for me, I headed for the door to leave but they had locked the doors. Before then, I can remember vividly that Lamba told me that if he catches me in town he's going to beat me which the whole house took as a mere joke.
Lamba and I don't talk nor we do greet, I shocked to see online what journalists wrote that Lamba was just trying to play and joke with me by standing at the door. I was really surprised at this. I even begged him to let me leave, but he refused. I tried to push him out of the way and before I knew it, we were already fighting with him raining blows on me and in the process he head-butted me and none of the other CEC members did anything about it, which made me to pick up a bottle to defend myself. I broke it to scare him so as to have way for me to leave because nobody was coming to my aid because Mr President (Oyekan Ibukun), when I was shouting, told people outside the room that they shouldn't come in that we are in a meeting. I left SUB with my bra, I was humiliated, and I was embarrassed. I would like to add that I didn't stab Lamba. The wound on him was not by my hand.”
Although, all efforts to reach the Director of Socials for his side of the story as been futile as he claims to be too occupied to grant an interview, several third parties have come out to condemn the actions of both officers claiming it was nothing but an embarrassment to the entire University.
Also, in giving an account of the incident, The Financial Secretary of the Union, Omisakin Kehinde, also talked about the incident saying that "We got a backlog from the management and we all discussed on what to do with the money. Emerald raised the issue of fresher’s package which was discarded since she already has N1.4 million in her proposed budget. She got vexed. While trying to leave, Lamba blocked her but she slapped Lamba. Both engaged themselves physically before we could separate them.”
“Emerald searched the fridge, later got a bottle on the shelf, broke it and charged at Lamba while Lamba also headbutted her,” Omisakin expressed.
It would also be recalled that it was the last backlog released caused the Bus scandal allegations which also rocked many news platforms.
In an interaction with the University's Acting Chief Security Officer, O. Babatunde, he said the Vice Chancellor of the institution had already ordered the security unit to investigate the incident and file a comprehensive report to his office.
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