NASELS President Suspended For Committing Constitutional Aberration –NSRC

By Adetula David

The 2-week suspension slammed on the President of the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS), OAU chapter, Sodiq Oyeleke has been said to be based on issues bordering on gross misconduct and constitutional aberration committed by him as investigated by the association’s legislative division, NASELS Students’ Representative Council (NSRC).

OAU Peeps News Agency reliably gathered that the major bone of contention was the suspension of the Public Relations Officer of the Association by the President which was not in tandem with the provisions of the constitution on which NASELS operates. The constitution does not empower the president to suspend any member of the Executive Council but rather refer disputes and matters bordering on discipline to the appropriate quarters.

According to our source that prefers to maintain anonymity pending the release of the parliament’s resolutions as regards the matter, the suspended President alongside the General Secretary and the Public Relations Officer were all invited by NSRC last week to explain their roles in the purported suspension handed down by the President to the PRO. During the meeting, the PRO confirmed that the Executive Council suspended him through a letter from the President and not the Congress of students as claimed by some persons.

“NSRC invited the President, General Secretary and the PRO to the general parliamentary sitting on Friday which they attended. The PRO was asked some questions which include
1. Were you suspended? He answered ‘Yes’.
2. Who suspended you? He said the Executive Council
3. How were you suspended? He said through a letter from the President.

“The Parliament called on the President to make clarifications as to what the PRO had said. He said, so far the case has been discussed by the congress; NSRC does not possess any right to revisit it. He was enlightenment that the honourables were not there to reverse any decision as taken by the congress.


“He was asked if the PRO was suspended before the last Congress. Sodiq tried explaining that they have a Code of Conduct they are working with as executives. “Which the parliament does not know about?” he was quizzed. He did not answer the questions thrown at him. He was just begging the questions. “

Upon these findings, the Parliamentarians again converged today for a sitting where the President was pronounced guilty having committed offences ranging from gross misconduct to constitutional aberration. The NASELS President, Sodiq Oyeleke was thereafter suspended for a period of two weeks.

The Public Relations Officer of NASELS OAU, Omolaso Adebimpe had been served a letter of suspension dated 30th July, 2015 and signed by the President notifying him of his suspension following his alleged inability to carry out his constitutional duties. The same letter served a reminder to the PRO of two different query letters he was issued before that time as a result of his non-challant attitude to duty which was followed by a fine of N1,000 for an ‘un-executive’ behaviour in one of their meetings.

Sodiq Oyeleke has however come out to rebuff the claim of the NSRC that his suspension was based on misconduct even though he admitted ‘inconsistency’ on his part. He said he was majorly suspended for attempting to probe unaccounted funds by the previous administration and his refusal to pay an hidden N20,000 to the legislative arm.

Breaking News: NSRC OAU Suspends NASELS President For 2 Weeks

The legislative arm of the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS), Obafemi Awolowo University chapter has just suspended the association's President, Sodiq Oyeleke for breach of constitutional protocol.

Details later...

OAU Campus Journalists Elect New Leaders

Campus journalists in Obafemi Awolowo University under the aegis of Association of Campus Journalists (ACJ) have elected new set of executive.

A voting exercise on Friday, August 14 which was preceded by a Manifesto night a day before saw the following persons emerge as the leaders of association at their respective capacities;

Adebayo Benjamin - President
Alawode Tolulope - Vice President
Olaoluwa Joseph - General Secretary
Omole Isaac - Public Relations Officer
Otukoya Oluwatosin - Librarian

A Swearing-in ceremony held on Saturday to finally set the new administration on the go.

The Management of OAU Peeps News Agency has since extended her congratulatory message to the new ACJ leadership charging it to urgently attend to the appalling welfare of Journalists on OAU community. This was contained in a Press Statement signed by the Editor-in-Chief of the Agency, Adetula David and the PRO, Fatoyinbo Gafar.

"The Management of OAU Peeps News Agency uses this medium to congratulate all the new executive members of the Association of Campus Journalists.

We are very glad that ACJ now has a substantive leadership who will hopefully pilot the journalistic affairs of the campus community to the expected point and see to the appalling welfare of journalists.

God's given wisdom and strength are what we pray for you all. Congratulations once again!

SIGNED

Adetula David
EIC

Fatoyinbo Gafar
PRO"

Maiden Congress Of EDM Students Births EDEMSA

By Durodola Abiola

On Friday 14th August, 2015, students of the Faculty of Environmental Design and Management (EDM) gathered from all the departments in the faculty to hold her first general meeting which eventually birth a student faculty body, EDEMSA.

The congress which took place at the Studio 5 of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning was a bold step in actualizing the long awaited and agitated dream of a faculty association.‎
‎
After the agenda of the congress was read to the congress men,a draft constitution and the name of the association was adopted to be Environmental Design & Management Students Association (EDEMSA).

Nomination of members to constitute the Electoral Committee that will conduct elections to usher in the first set of the association's executive followed thereafter. Two representatives of each member department were adopted  and one Afolabi Albert, a student of the Department of Estate Management emerged as the chairman.

A Constitution Review Committee was set up to look thoroughly into the adopted constitution and report back to the Congress at a later time.

The congress was attended by all departmental presidents and honourables representing the faculty at the Students' Union level. Students of the faculty were also in attendance.‎

Departments in EDM include Architecture, Building Technology, Estate Management, Fine and Applied Arts, Quantity Surveying and Urban and Regional Planning.

Photo: OAU VC Spotted At Ooni's Burial Today

The Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Bamitale Omole was one of the top dignitaries present at the burial of the Ooni of Ife today.

The Nigerian Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and the Governpor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko were also present at the burial.

Photo Credit: Saheed Olugbon (Punch)

Breaking News: Suspended OAU SU President Reinstated

By Dosunmu Deborah

Following the Parliamentary sitting which was slated for 4pm today, the suspended Students' Union President of Obafemi Awolowo University, Omotayo Akande a.k.a TY has been reinstated.

TY had earlier appealed his suspension claiming that suspending him was too severe a punishment for his breach of constitutional protocol. A motion was moved in support of his reinstatement and a counter-motion was also moved against it by honourables present at the sitting. The motion in support was that he, the president should be reinstated immediately if he apologizes while the counter-motion maintained that he should complete his one-month suspension.

The motions were therefore subjected to voting. 49 parliamentarians voted that TY be reinstated while another 6 voted that he should remain suspended. Subsequently, TY was pronounced reinstated as the Union president once again.

It will be recalled that Akande Omotayo was involved in a New York trip scandal that led to his suspension two weeks ago. He has since then been suspended as his Vice, Oladunjoye Opeyemi a.k.a Oprah assumed as the President. During the period Oprah acted as the president, she complained of non-cooperation from some of the Union Officers and Union members especially the yet to be approved Security Committee members.

Brief History Of Late Oba Okunade Sijuade Of Ile-Ife

  
 

By Ipoola Ayodeji

Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade , or Sijuade, (1 January 1930 - 28 July 2015) became the fiftieth traditional ruler or Ooni of Ife in 1980, taking the regnal name Olubuse II . Ife is a traditional Yoruba state based in the town of Ife in Osun State , Nigeria. He was crowned on 6 December 1980 in a ceremony attended by the Emir of Kano , Oba of Benin , Amayanabo of Opobo and Olu of Warri , as well as by representatives of the Queen of England .

The late Oba Sijuwade was born on 1 January 1930 in Ile-Ife to the Ogboru ruling house, grandson of the Ooni Sijuwade Adelekan Olubuse I. He studied at Abeokuta Grammar School and Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife . He worked for three years in his father's business, then for two years with the Nigerian Tribune, before attending Northampton College in the United Kingdom to study business management. By the age of 30 he was a manager in Leventis, a Greek-Nigerian conglomerate. In 1963 he became Sales Director of the state-owned National Motor in Lagos. After spotting a business opportunity during a 1964 visit to the Soviet Union , he formed a company to distribute Soviet-built vehicles and equipment in Nigeria, which became the nucleus of a widespread business empire. He also invested in real estate in his home town of Ile Ife. By the time Sijuwade was crowned Ooni in 1980 he had become a wealthy man.  Sijuwade is a Christian. In November 2009 he attended the annual general meeting of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria accompanied by 17 other traditional rulers. He declared that he a was full member of the church, and said all the monarchs who accompanied him would now become members. At his birthday celebration two months later, the Primate of the Anglican Communion described Sijuwade as "a humble monarch, who has the fear of God at heart".

When Sijuwade became Ooni of Ife in December 1980 he inherited an ongoing dispute over supremacy between the obas of Yorubaland. In 1967 a crisis had been resolved when Chief Obafemi Awolowo was chosen as the leader of the Yoruba. In 1976 the Governor of Oyo State, General David Jemibewon , had decreed that the Ooni of Ife would be the permanent chairman of the State Council of Obas and Chiefs. Other Obas led by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi said the position should rotate. The dispute calmed down when Osun State was carved out of Oyo State in August 1991, but ill will persisted. In January 2009 Sijuwade was quoted as saying that Oba Adeyemi was ruling a dead empire (the Oyo Empire , which collapsed in 1793). Adeyemi responded by citing "absurdities" in Sijuwade's statements and saying the Ooni "is not in tune with his own history".  Adeyemi, Permanent Chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, was conspicuously absent from a meeting of Yoruba leaders in April 2010. 

Towards the end of 2009 a more local dispute between the Ooni, the Awujale of Ijebuland and the Alake of Egbaland was finally resolved. Sijuwade traced the dispute back to a falling out between Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola during the Nigerian First Republic , which had led to a division between the traditional rulers. He noted that the traditional rulers were an important unifying force in the country during the illness of President Umaru Yar'Adua .
In February 2009, Sijuwade helped mediate in a dispute over land ownership between the communities of Ife and Modakeke , resolved in part through the elevation of the Ogunsua of Modakeke as an Oba. The new Oba, Francis Adedoyin, would be under the headship of Sijuwade. 

Political activities In July 2009 Sijuwade said he was concerned that Yoruba socio-cultural groups such as Afenifere and the Yoruba Council of Elders were taking partisan positions in politics. In January 2010 he attended a meeting of the Atayese pan-Yoruba group, which issued a call for a truly federal constitution in which the different nationalities in Nigeria would have greater independence in managing their affairs. 

Celebrating his 80th birthday in January 2010, Sijuwade conferred Chieftainship titles on a number of politicians and their wives, including Imo State governor Ikedi Ohakim, Oyo State governor Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala , Niger State governor Babangida Aliyu , Abia State governor Theodore Orji , Senators Jubril Aminu and Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello and others. Guests at the ceremony included former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, president of the Republic of Benin Dr Thomas Boni Yayi and King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene of Kumasi, Ghana. When Peter Obi, controversial governor of Anambra State, was reelected on 7 February 2010, Sijuwade congratulated him, saying his victory was the will of God. 

In August 2010 he mediated in the ownership dispute between Oyo and Osun states concerning Ladoke Akintola University , calling a meeting attended by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola , governor of Osun State , Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala , governor of Oyo State and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education which resulted in an action plan.  Sijuwade and Governor Oyinlola were said to have the power to decide who became the next Osun State governor. In February 2010 Sijuwade and 16 other traditional rulers endorsed Senator Iyiola Omisore as candidate for Osun State governor in the 2011 elections.  Later there were allegations that Senator Omisore had fallen out with Sijuwade due to his failure to maintain support for Omisore's bid to become governor. Omisore denied the allegations, saying that the relationship was cordial and that "Ooni is our king and we should preserve and respect him as well".  In June 2010 Sijuwade and other traditional rulers endorsed the candidature of Fatai Akinade Akinbade for governor. 

 

He was reported dead on July 28, 2015 in a London hospital at the age of 85 but the news was refuted by the Royal traditional council of Ile Ife who claimed that he is alive and in good health. His passing away was officially announced by the Ife High Chiefs when they visited the governor of Osun State in Nigeria , Mr Rauf Aregbesola on Wednesday 12th of August, 2015 at the governor's office in the state capital, Osogbo . The Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed condolences to his family on his passing.

Traditional Oriki Of Olubuse

 "Olubuse Eri Ogun
Sagogo nju
Okun mo losun kun molata
Oribiti Apelunda Solukue
Abanise mase banise mo
Osun mo sile sunmo eni
Igi meta ona ilare
Bi idi baba odi obadi
Ki ire baba ore obare
Bi ologun sese ba dari so o/ o daso
Oni ilare nfobi kan
Oloriburuku nfoju di
Nle o, Olodo Tunbumbi
Ogborun lokun, ajiwunmi bi omo
Oke ilare ko jugun, aje lo ngbeni gun
Omo Ogboru keke fo isa Olori
Omo Ladejokun, Ojire loni  o"

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