OAU student leaders, Management spar Over Proposed Anti-Cultism Rally

By Uthman Samad

The management of obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife has today countered and refuted the proposed Anti-Cultism rally by some student leaders of  the institution.

This is coming barely 24hours after the communiqué of the meeting held between the students' Union Action Committee and Executives and parliamentary representatives from faculty and departmental associations was made public.

As received by OAUPeeps News Agency,  the communiqué stated that the meeting which was held by the student leaders at Social Sciences Lecture theatre II with more than 50 students in attendance resolved at having "temporal  leadership of a 7-man Ad-Hoc committee"

The meeting also agreed to "organize and mobilize for an anti-cultism march of all students in response to the live cult threat of June 1st on the 30th and 31st of May , 2019 at SUB by 4PM".

However, in a circular signed by the Dean of Division of students affairs of the institution has kicked against the proposed rally.

As contained in the circulated piece, the management noted not to go "against students' freedom of association but frowns at a situation where students will take law into their hands in the name of staging an unauthorized protest"

"Accordingly, the management calls on students that are planning this illegal protest to desist from such. Any student or a group of students caught organising any form of protest or participating in any form of protests would be deemed to have willingly violated his or her oat of matriculation and he university management may be compelled to view or review the studentship of such students in relations to the school rules and regulations", part of the circular reads

It could be recalled that this news Agency reported the "threat message" signed by one Mr Oju, sent around the OAU WhatsApp pages stating the invasion of the campus by the "Alora confraternity" confraternity.

This newspaper understand this move in retaliation of the knock down by the univeristy security after the disruption of the organized musical show which featured popular afro star artiste, Zlatan Ibile.

Since then, observations by OAUPeeps News Agency indicate security beef-up in all halls of residence and the main university gate by identification of students through the relevant medium.

OAU Management Reinstates Students, Unblocks Eportal Of Others

By Farombi Oluwaseun &Uthman Samad

In a meeting at the University Senate meeting today, The management of Obafemi Awolowo university Ile Ife has ordered the reinstatement of suspended Students and unblocking of Eportal of the other students whose electronic studentship accounts has been blocked.

The meeting which was chaired by the Vice Chancellor of the institution Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede had the two deputy vice chancellors, Registrar, Dean& Vice dean of students affairs and the University Chief security officer in attendance

The meeting was ably attended by the Members of the Association of Campus Journalists, NANS south west coordinator and other key element of the University with the embattled students.

The students suspended are Hon. Omole Ibukun(Hon.IBK) and Oluwalade Babatunde(Babatee) while Gbenga Olorunniran(VON),Kareem Olalekan(Gani), Oyedeji Samson(Proficient) and Afolabi Alawode(AfooRevo) got their accounts blocked.

While addressing the Meeting, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Ogunbodede stated that OAU  students should know that they  are ambassadors of the university,therefore should portrait good image for the institution.

In his words " We don't have interest in our students being jailed. The whole court case was initiated by the state not the institution"

He further directed the Dean of students affairs to get across to the ICT sector of the university so as to reopen their Eportal accounts and start the academic session as soon a possible.

While Speaking on the affairs of the suspended Students Union, he said "Some told me that the last year fracas of the students Union was just an internal issue. As a vice Chancellor I can't be looking at things going wrong and still take it internal. That's the reason why you can't find Adedeji Emmanuel (lamba) and Jacob Tosin (Emerald)here today being reinstated, they will serve their two semesters rustication to the end, sanity must be propelled". He further assured the stakeholders that the suspended students Union activities will be reinstated soon.

However, Speaking with OAU Peeps News Agency, one of the suspended students, Hon. Ibukun said "It is not yet victory until we rid Nigerian campuses especially OAU off victimization & depression

Thanking the Vice Chancellor on behalf of the students, Adekitan Lukman , the NANS Zone D coordinator said the Vice Chancellor has truly behaved as a father to all students and further stated that the feet is an additional achievement in his office in NANS.

The Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Aransi concluded the meeting by showing grattitude to the Vice Chancellor for the gesture and further addressed the affected students to be of good behavior henceforth.