Our Leaders -A Poem By Jodekss Gloatkenf

So goes the moon exchanging guard with the sun

The sun repeating the repeated roll firing down the moon with his giant gun

Life is full of changes; constant is changes

Which is why, why the sun shrieks, teeters about, finding his way to shine his sun on souls

So same remains the earth

So same remains this campus filled with big beards

Doing learners with their good gray hairs

To win wits in their ends

What do you expect?

As it happens above

It happens to this dirt's stove.

The campus is heated up
Hands that need votes are vying for fame now
Lobbying with pleases is what we hear now
You see them on their knees, drably dope
Pleading friends and fiends they the hope
Of cause both bad and good minds need to win the cup
Perhaps to fail us again
Or lift this varsity's face that is down up from this filthy water-rain.

Leaders should lie like a lizard limping up and down nodding
Aye just for just just
Against chameleon; the excrete it gives clings till life leaves.


-Jodekss Gloatkenf

2015 General Election: Buhari, Jonathan & Others To Begin Debates On January 28

The Nigeria Elections Debate Group on Monday in Abuja said the 2015 presidential debates would hold between January 28 and February 5.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NEDG, Mr Sola Omole, disclosed this to newsmen after a meeting of the board, hosted by the former Chairman of Daar Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi.

Omole said that the Directors-General of the Presidential Campaign Organisations of the 14 participating political parties would open the floor on January 28.

This, according to him, will be followed by the Vice-Presidential debates, billed for January 29.

He said the debates involving the presidential candidates would hold in two sessions and would climax on February 5.

Omole said the group had contacted all the parties involved, adding that they all support the idea.

“We believe that debates are very important components of the democratic process aimed at giving the candidates the opportunity to speak directly to Nigerians.
“We want the Nigerian community to get used to the business of debating issues and we feel that this is a very strong part of building that culture.

“We have met with all the political parties, those we couldn’t meet directly, we contacted their senior officials and they are very supportive of the initiative,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that NEDG is a coalition of broadcast, civil society and professional organisations, committed to deepening the country’s democracy.

It is also aimed at entrenching an enduring democratic culture through organised television debates since the return of democratic rule in 1999.

NEDG has put together the presidential debates to give the Nigerian electorate an opportunity to hear directly from all the presidential candidates.



Source

GSF Pastor Emerges New UJCM President

The current President of Gospel Students' Fellowship(GSF), Pastor Muyiwa Olasehinde has been chosen as the University Joint Christian Mission(UJCM) set-man for the next one year.

During the final service which doubled as the Thanksgiving and Induction service marking the UJCM's beginning of the semester programme, new set of leaders who will be in charge of the coordinating body were announced and prayed for.
Pastor Muyiwa Olashinde  from Gospel Students' Fellowship(GSF) and  Pastor Ayilola Oyeleke from Anglican Students' Fellowship(ASF) were inducted as the UJCM President and Assistant President respectively. Other executive members cutting across almost all the sister fellowships of UJCM were also announced during the service.

The outgone UJCM President, Olumide Ajibola however expressed his appreciation to the entire fellowship for the privilege he was granted to serve. The attendance had in attendance numerous Christians from various fellowships under the umbrella of UJCM. Also present were some members of the Centaal Executive Council(CEC) of the Students' Union including the Union President.

February 14 Presidential Poll: How Well Do You Know Those Contesting?

How well do you know the contestants we have for the February 14 Presidential poll and their runnin mates?

Party	Acronym	Presidential Candidate	Running Mate
Action Alliance	AA	Tunde Anifowoshe-Kelani	Paul Ishaka Ofomile
Allied Congress Party of Nigeria	ACPN	Ganiyu Galadima	Balarabe Ahmed
Alliance for Democracy	AD	Rafiu Salau	Clinton Cliff Akuchie
African Democratic Congress	ADC	Nani Ibrahim Ahmad	Obianuju Murphy-Uzohue
All Progressives Congress	APC	Muhammadu Buhari	Yemi Osinbajo
All Progressives Grand Alliance	APGA	Goodluck Jonathan	Namadi Sambo
Hope Democratic Party	HDP	Ambrose Albert	Haruna Shaba
Kowa Party	KP	Oluremi Sonaiya	Saidu Bobboi
Labour Party	LP	Goodluck Jonathan	Namadi Sambo
National Conscience Party	NCP	Martin Onovo	Ibrahim Mohammed
Peoples Democratic Party	PDP	Goodluck Jonathan	Namadi Sambo
United Democratic Party	UDP	Godson Okoye	Haruna Adamu
United Progressive Party	UPP	Chekwas Okorie	Bello Umar

Matriculation Date For Fresh OAU Online Undergraduates Fixed

The Matriculation Ceremony for all ODL Programmes holds at the Oduduwa Hall, OAU campus on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 by 12noon. Collection of the matriculation gowns commences at Oduduwa hall at 9am prompt. All students are to be seated by 11am.

All Nursing candidates who have not been screened should report to the Department of Nursing, O.A.U campus on or before Friday, 23rd January, 2014.
All Accounting candidates who have not been screened should report to the Department of Management & Accounting, O.A.U. campus on or before Friday, 23rd January, 2014. Please note that only candidates who have been screened will be enlisted for matriculation.

Study tablets (Vigitabs) would be distributed after the matriculation and orientation on campus.

SU Speaker Preaches Supremacy Of Constitution

It was almost a debate on Wednesday 14th January 2015 at the Afrika Amphitheatre of Obafemi Awolowo University where the Students' Union congress was held as some of the congressmen believed that the Congress was the supreme level of power in the Union, a notion the parliamentarians refused to agree with.

It all began when a congressman moved a motion that a Fact-finding Committee be instituted to investigate the alleged misappropriation of funds in the execution of projects by the Central Executive Council (CEC). A parliamentarian then responded that the Students Representative Council (SRC) had already given the CEC 72 hours to give a comprehensive report of their spending after which the SRC will act. He however said the time frame had not elapsed and so the issue was not up for discussion at congress level as it had not exceeded the power of the SRC as stated in Article 2 section 6 subsection 2 of the sacrosanct Great Ife constitution.

One of the congressmen who did not quite agree with the supremacy of the constitution as preached by the parliamentarian was Comrade Oluwole Olubanji ( a.k.a Engels) making reference to the famous quote “Man was not made for the law but the law for man” and he tried to defend the supremacy of the congress by saying that the student could not strictly follow a constitution last amended in 1979 and therefore the congress of students should be the highest binding power of the Union. Some other congressmen were also of the notion that the congress can make decision on matters that cannot be handled by the CEC and SRC.
The Speaker of the SRC, Ramon Bola (RBT), also mounted the podium a few times to re-emphasize the supremacy of the constitution making reference mostly to Article 1 section 1 subsection 3 of the same constitution which clearly states;

“If any other law, directive or action is consistent with the provisions of the constitution, this constitution shall prevail and such law, directive or action shall to the extent of the inconsistency be null And void”. The Speaker also said it is not in any part of the constitution that the congress is the supreme decision taker on issues of the Union as against the usual statements by some persons which has gained ground over time.

The argument was a long one and eventually copies of the sacrosanct constitution of the Students' Union were brought in and distributed to congressmen. The President of the Union, Comrade Ibikunle Isaac fully threw his weight behind the supremacy of the constitution also making reference to Article 1 section 1 subsection 3 of the constitution.

The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) OAU chapter, Dr. Caleb Aborisade who was present at the Congress was also not left out as he commented on the constitution issue. Aborisade stated that the main cause of the Controversy was the current state of the Union and that if all things were the way they are supposed to be, then the constitution would not even be an issue at all in the first place.


Photo Credit: Ramon's Facebook Wall

Primary And Secondary Education Can Be Free -Fashola

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has criticized activists for free education in Nigeria, claiming they are not well informed about what it means to give free education at all levels.

Speaking at the 2014 series of the Obafemi Awolowo Free Education Lecture organized by the Faculty of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Fashola said free education could only be guaranteed at the primary and secondary level. He argued that education ends at the secondary level: other activities at the tertiary level can be described as specializations.

He said, “What is the definition of education that must be free and which the state is duty bound to provide, and which the citizen is duty bound to take? These questions are important; those who chant Awolowo’s name in the quest for free education at all levels, have probably not done the cost of educating one child at primary level, let alone secondary and tertiary level levels which some people are clamouring for.
“And if these omissions by the protagonists are enough, they cannot provide any data about the number of beneficiaries, yet they say Awolowo would simply have done it. This is where they display their ignorance of the man whose name they use in vain to make loud attention-seeking noise.”

However, he asked people to stop comparing present educational policies to those of Awolowo.

Vice-Chancellor of OAU, Prof. Bamitale Omole, and Dean of Faculty of Education, Prof. Philip Jegede, urged all levels of government to make education a priority.

Activists for free education have been calling on the government to implement policies that will allow for education in the country to be at least tuition free.


Source