Your Silence Could Have Been The Saving Grace!

Mahatma Gandhi sometimes said ‘’Speak only if it improves upon your silence’’

Need I say that Madam Olori has just ignited the fire that may never be quenched by any water in the next few years amidst students of Obafemi Awolowo University? Unknownly to our Students’ Union Vice President, her opinion about 15 hours ago has brought the Students’ Union into proper disarray.

As if sleeping yesterday night with heavy thoughts on my mind about Olori’s response was not enough, I woke up this morning to tune my freaky old radio set to my Local Radio Channel to hear the everyday News Diet, alas!  the News of OAU students division over Omisore’s bus gift was a major headline. I stay outside Osun State, so you can calculate the coverage of that news if it can reach me here. Without mincing words, her yesterday’s response was a major player.

I keep asking myself, why has the SU VP chosen this delicate time to break her alleged Golden Silence that no longer holds value? Why now?? I feel Olori just gave in too cheaply due to pressure from certain ‘Ideological Persons’. I know the Olori we voted as our VP will not do that on a good day and right mind of reasoning. She would rather wait for this whole matter of #OAUsaysNO to be resolved first before washing the dirty linen of our Union in the public. Haba! She once proved that. I could remember how she passionately pleaded with Ife students some months back to cork their grievances until the appropriate time when it will be dully addressed. Ibikunle was almost at the verge of impeachment this very moment I am referring to after rumour yet to be addressed that our Union officers, Olori inclusive collected N70,000 from this same Omisore. If not for the silence and understanding Olori begged for then, this problem could have emanated earlier. How then, that thesame person is sparking disunity at this crucial moment when victory is just around the corner?

Even as I refuse to take this issue personal, I want to recognise the role played so far by Comrade Engels, I think his write up inspired many to leave the genesis of our reason for been at home and putting what should be secondary to be primary. We will eventually not forget you so soon. Remember, there have been several outbursts lately that you have something against Ibikunle in person beyond the way they see it looks ordinarily. Personally, I disagree with them but you have further strengthened their views with this unnecessary arousal at this crucial moment.

As much I would love not to make any public comment on the so called Greek gift, I want to state that no matter any gift and wherever it is coming from, we are no fools and kids. Great Ife students, especially our friends who are indigene of Osun state know better who should govern them for the next four years irrespective of what any reservation any Union/Person/Ideological Group may have against any of the contestants. I took my time to conduct a quick survey of the opinion of my Osun friends on the coming Poll, I must tell anyone who cares to listen, it was a VERY close decision result between the two top candidates for the election. Howbeit, that our so called criticism tends to preach a particular message? Please I crave your indulgence to think more about this.

*Laughing loud* NANS is not even left out in the promotional campaign against our Union. I suppose I read an article yesterday from NANS concerning their position on this matter. My question is, what gives NANS the moral justification to point an accusing finger at any person on this matter? I think the moral decadence in NANS should be a big problem that should be addressed rather than the disagreement in our Union that has always proved too chronic for their cheap drugs of intervention.

Now that our Students’ Union seems divided along various interest lines, you will agree with me that the hope of coming out with a reasonable result from #OAUsaysNO remains a big doubt. I want to advice Ibikunle and leadership to cease fire on the school fees matter before things degenerate to something that may be more difficult and wild. I know the Management is already capitalizing on our division to attack us and fortifying ourselves against this may not be feasible any longer as the strength and support the Union officers would need for this can be questioned. Personally, I am yet to pay the hiked fee but I have started to press buttons from everywhere to ensure I meet up with the deadline. I plead with my fellow Great Ife students that are yet to pay to please go and do so if they have the money.

I will like to end my epistle with these words; Those that seek, pray, fight and promote a state of anarchy for our dear Union may not be able to survive the heat when it begins! 

ALUTA CONTINUA! VICTORIA ASCERTA!!

Long Live Great Ife Students’ Union!
Long Live Obafemi Awolowo University!!
Long Live The State of Osun!!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!!

Bus Gift Reception Is Condemnable -Vice President, OAU Students' Union

WHEN SILENCE IS NO LONGER GOLDEN

“Tell no lies, claim no easy victory; just say it the way it is… (Amilcar Cabral)”
“We must speak the truth even if our voice shakes… (Olori)”

The receipt of the recent gift of bus from Senator Iyiola Omisore, by the leadership of the union, has generated a number of deserved criticisms on the social media – especially Great Ife facebook page platforms. Several have accused the leadership of the union of shameful conducts and condemned the gift as a Greek gift. I wish to state clearly and officially that the reception of the bus was not discussed in any leadership meeting of the Union known to me, especially the CEC meeting. Hence, no responsibility can be apportioned to me as part of the elected leaders of Great Ife Students’ Union who received the controversial gift.

On principle and personal opinion, the collection of this bus is condemnable and brings to mud the values of Great Ife students’ union. In fact, sober lessons from our struggle against current fee regime instruct that such a bus should have been rejected on ground of commonsense-judgment, at least not during this electioneering period. Besides, a receipt of such gift requires SRC ratification and patronizing inscription should not be seen on the body of such gift.

Before now, I have held the view that it will do lesser good to express some of my dissatisfactions and agony on the social media because of my direct constitutional responsibility to the Congress of students. But it is clear that with the continual closure of school, things will only be drifting from worse to worst if students are left in the dark.

I stand with Great Ife students on the reproach of the gift and its receipt. Leadership is only meant to succeed on discipline and focus. The “Union Bus saga” to me speaks more of the state of our current struggle than the bus itself. The same method which has grounded our struggle for a while now precipitated the receipt of the bus too. New methods that have been announced by the union leadership are only pronounced at meetings, without room for debate because they are inviolable. In fact I get stunned coming across most of these decisions and methods on the social media. This particular practice has hindered critical debates and intellection over strange positions of the union “leadership”. At times, my confrontation with other executive council members of the union over new methods were greeted with the most ridiculous accusation that “I wanted to be President or that I am used by the Ideologues”. My new nickname in CEC meeting is Judas or Students’ informant (But I wonder who to inform, if not Great Ife students themselves).

At this point, I believe students should mount calls – more resonant than the bus cries – that the leadership of the union should re-open the struggle against fee-hike and for reopening of the university, instead of selling us cheaply to everybody who has cash at hand. The closure of the school as I believe is a tactic to frustrate our spirit at home and create confusion over the correctness of our battle. Great Ife, we are correct that poor parents should not bear the brunt of a failed government. We are also correct that we will not service the pouch of our second “parents” whose offices are in the Senate building. We are correct that the tradition of Great Ife Students’ Union for the defense of the future and upholding of societal ideals must be reiterated again this time.

But to achieve this, we must look beyond the ‘maradonic’ updates that confuse the state of the struggle. As a union officer, I have been asking these questions from my colleagues in the CEC: “Why are our plans for externalized actions struck out? Why do we have to shelve an Ibadan planned action for a grandiose protest in Abuja (which has remained as a mere imagination)? Why must ‘leadership’ distant itself from the NANS ultimatum to OAU management, when we all attended the Zone-D congress in Ibadan and were quite aware of the debates and resolutions of the Congress among other questions?” The frequent answer I get is: “we will rather beg, crawl, lobby, to achieve negotiation, reduction or re-opening of the school.” While I am not against negotiation and reopening, I believe management is not stupid to severe their self-satisfying interest only because of our wails. Only our tenacious action – the type which threw the university echelon into confusion during our protest in June – can force these elements to meet our demands, or even respect us on the negotiation table.

In conclusion, I do not believe this is the end of the road for the values of our union. We are only being tested and we will come out victorious as usual. However, my current disagreement with some of my colleagues in the leadership is not a ploy of division; rather it is a clear stance of principle which will be judged by posterity and future history.

“My time will pass, your time will pass, but the history we make as a generation will remain long after we are gone… (Great Ife paradigm)”
ALUTA CONTINUA… VICTORIA ASCERTA

Oladejo Olori Funmi
Vice-President, Great Ife Students’ Union

Some OAU Students And Their Confused State Of Reasoning

Reactions have continued to pour in over the Bus gift from the Osun State PDP Gubernatorial candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore for the August 9 Poll. In the series of latest responses from Great Ife students in what seems to be in defence of the decision of the Union officers to accept the Bus gift, they argued that what should be the priority of the concern of any OAU student at the moment is how to get back to school.

In his own reaction, Samuel Hungbeme Nayon wrote; ''Some OAU students and their confused state of reasoning. Should the Union leadership turndown the offer by Omisore? Or. Should he have call a congress of great ife students before receiving the bus.. Some pple and dier thinking sha. I don't see anything wrong with the offer and that's not what we are to be discussing or celebrating here, What we should be asking the leadership is their achievement as regards what sent us home(increment). That's all''

Certifying Samuel's opinion, one Durodola Temidayo gave his opinion;
My Opinion......... This is the best post I will see as regards to the ongoing argument among the Great Ife students one the issue of bus donated by Senator Iyiola Omisore...
Great Ife let's reasoning among our selves, let's see beyond the election, let not get carried away by one day election, we shouldn't take politics so much that we allow it to disintegrate us. We should see this as a gift and Nothing more than that, what if governor Aregbesola also decides to donate a bus too.

What should be our major concern is our right to vote, not only voting but making our votes count too. I can hear some people say the Students' Union leaders are trying to sell the vote of Great Ife students, How?. Majority of us are not in school to exercise our civil right So, how did relate to our Union leaders selling our vote by collecting bus and cash gifts..Or do you think if we are in school, do you think this will change my mind on who to vote for?....

My people.......If the Union leaders have  rejected the bus earlier on most of us will make it a political issue, by saying the union leaders are in support of one political party and doesnt want any gift from the opposition. I heard about tertiary institution where the union leaders use buses donated to them by politicians so why is this one different. Why is it that many students of OAU are so myopic and think only of actions and neglect the consequences of these actions.

Great Ife, shouldn't allow ourselves to be lead astray by some students on an matter, we are Intelligent, We're intellectuals so we should be able to decide on who to vote for. On this note am signing out and wish all my Goons Happy Resumption in ADVANCE.

In a similar reaction, Oni Oluwabusayo said ''People don't forget about the school closure now, they are now talking about the bus issue. O ga o. Me just dey look sha o cos I dey neutral to everything wey dey happen 4 OAU.''

BREAKING NEWS: Nigerian Doctor Who Treated Liberian Man Tests Positive To Ebola Virus

Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, has just confirmed that one of the doctors who attended to Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian, who recently died of Ebola in Nigeria, is now sick with the disease.

Chukwu said two other people placed under quarantine were showing signs of the disease, although it is too early to say if their symptoms relates to Ebola.

Sawyer was Nigeria’s first case of Ebola death two weeks ago, and since his demise there have been widespread fears that some of the more than 70 people he had contact with also develop the virus.

The Debate

By Abiodun Omonijo

While growing up since Primary School days, debates were probably the best school activities for some pupils as it gave the opportunity to just stand, express yourself and simply talk away in the feat of the growing intellect. Debates encouraged some of us to brainstorm on critical issues for us then, such as that the ‘Farmer is greater than the Teacher’, or simply that ‘Women care better than Men’. Such “catch them young” strategy was what has contributed into making some of us the avid speakers, thinkers and writers that we variously are today. Some kudos to the education sector for that, at least, all isn’t very bad.

On the political scene however, the story is not the same. We awfully and shamefully find a lot of political leaders not interested and even disdain intellectual discourses. And where they discourse, you find a lot of their arguments embarrassingly porous. At the National and States’ House of Assemblies for instance, we sometimes find members who are completely unable to articulate their motions properly, they are though, slightly better than those who don’t speak at all. This is a country where aspiring Presidents still do not turn up for the Presidential Debate. This then leaves a very big question to the kind of leadership they intend to offer.

The most resent episode of the debate escapades against the traditions of the 21st century was staged in Osun State of Nigeria where a youth-focused debate was organized on the 3rd of August, 2014 towards the election coming up six days later, on the 9th August.

Typical of any Nigerian election so far, there are two major candidates ahead in the opinion polls to wit, the incumbent governor of the state who seeks a second term in office, and his major contender, a former senator of the Federal Republic. Shockingly, none of this duo turned up for the gubernatorial debate. In fact, only two “underdogs” were present.

From what can be observed, it can almost not be disputed that one of the incumbent Governor and the ex-Senator would emerge as the winner. What then unsettles the belly that, if they avoid youth and issue-driven interactions as such, what kind of administration do they then plan to offer? On what intellectual and ideological base can they then interface with the people which they fight so much to govern?

One thing is for the people to demand accountability from their leaders, another thing is for leaders to make themselves available for such. It is now time for people to begin to drill both aspiring and incumbent leaders seriously and take a conscious effort to relegate anyone who show traits of unaccountability and who avoid public intellectual stimulations. What developing nations such as ours need are not political jamboree and show-offs where godfathers and/or the republic’s President parade with their “anointed” candidate(s) amidst the cheers of misguided citizens, but platforms where aspiring leaders can be quizzed directly about salient issues by the people they intend to lead.



The writer of this article, Abiodun Omonijo is a student of  the Department of Philosophy, Obafemi Awolowo University. You can reach Abiodun via his Blog: www.abiodunomonijo.wordpress.com/

Great Ife SU Facebook Page: Unjustifiable Removal Must Stop!

By Damilola Toblan Dspice

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant"- Martin Luther King Jr.

Great Ife students, it is no longer a rumour that some set of people have hidden agenda which they plan to implement against the present Students' Union administration led by Ibikunle as the indiscriminate removal of Damilola Toblan Dspice which happens to me evidently shows.

It is really pathetic that students can unjustifiably resort to remove students who at any point render useless their Propaganda's and suicidal releases. The time has come for this evil colossal to be nipped in the bud. I remember the removal of one certain Ajaks whose full name I cannot recall but many Great Ife active students can remember.

This evil act was categorically tagged at the Union as most students are not cognizance of the fact that the page is not runned by the Present Union administration but by some few who feel that with the effective monopoly of this means disseminating of information, they can effectively perpetuate their evil agenda of making Great IFE student see the IBIKUNLE led administration as devilish so as to be able to pursue their impeachment agenda.

I begin to question the actions of students who because some set of people have refused to align with their beliefs and because the usual God-fatherism Stance of our Union is been negated, feel that the best way is to make his people turn their back at him so that they can get to Power, they are power hungry individuals.

I as a great Ife student personally feel that if we share contrary opinions to that of the present autocratic controllers of the Great Ife Student Union Facebook Page, that does not give them the right or justify their removal of students because constitutionally as a Citizen of Nigeria and a bonafide Great Ife student we have the Right to Freedom of Expression, thought and likewise conscience.

Consequently, I can with their action say that this set of few can actually delete Information meant to liberate students during this strike action as my removal indicates. Res Ipsa loquitor: The Fact speaks for itself!

THE ISSUE THAT BROUGHT ABOUT MY REMOVAL
The Omisore gift has truthfully torn students apart but to an extent it affords the Union some level of independence from the management. If for years our Union never had a Personal Bus then it means we have been stagnant! This bus was not only given to the SU but also to Union bodies like ASUU and NASU. So why are we biting ourselves?

If they were in his shoes they will have turned it into money and pocketed it. IBIKUNLE as a student feels that Developmental initiative that will be beneficial to students such as Scholarships, Buses to aide easy movement of students from Faculties to farms and to other areas where the students have to trek down, can actually be addressed and not by collecting cash to pocket like many of these town criers would have done.

It is even very disheartening that these people have forgotten the current reason why they are not in schools and have resulted to sponsored political campaigns here. SMH

Great Ife student its time to rise and fight for the return of Damilola Toblan Dspice to the Page if actually they don't have agendas which I have stressed above. I implore us not to be brainwashed by the selected few who do not see Positivity out of things.

Amandla Awetu!


The writer of this Opinion, Damilola Toblan Dspice is a student of  the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University. You can reach Dspice through his e-mail: dotowobola@yahoo.com

Place Your Adverts On 'OAU Peeps' For FREE

Greatest Ife Students!

Good day and hope your break has been productive so far? As part of efforts to appreciate you all for your listening audience and welcoming gesture towards 'OAU Peeps' the newest and hottest hub of information on OAU campus and beyond, we will give out 4 free advert slots to interested students.

ELIGIBILITY:

- You must be a student of OAU
- Your banner for advertisement must be colourful and attractive.
- Your advert must be that of genuine goods/services
- You must be an ardent follower and reader of our Blog. This by commenting on our updates, promoting our updates on various social platforms.


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Attractions:

• Google Estimated Daily Pageview: 7,000+
• Google Estimated Weekly Pageview: 50,000+
• Our audience is specifically targeted at OAU students the most.

Banner/Image Properties

-Banners/Images must be of high quality and very attractive. 

-It must not be too huge or heavy. Preferably not more than 60KB. 
-We do not accept Banners/Images with violent representation/nudity.
-You can link your images to wherever you want to.
-Promotional Ad sizes must be 125x125px


NB:

*Every promotional ad lasts 5 days on our Blog before giving opportunity to another set of Great Ife students.
*You can only win once. Multiple faked entries will be disqualified.
*Promotional Ads that we consider as against the interest of OAU Peeps will not be allowed.
*We reserve the right to remove any advert from our Blog if it violates any of our rules and regulations and any of the set rules of our Hoster.


Interested? Comment here and we will randomly pick 4 students for the first week of our promotion.