‘Be Transparent In VC Appointment’

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of University and Allied institutions (NASU) in the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) have sought a level playing ground in the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor.

Speaking at a joint congress yesterday, the SSANU Chairman, Ademola Oketunde, said the unions want the appointment process put on hold because “the process is fraudulent”.

According to him, the governing council did not follow due process, adding that they are not sincere and fair to all the candidates.

He added that the council has usurped the power and responsibilities of the selection committee.

He said the prayers of the unions are that all qualified candidates be granted a level playing ground.

He prayed the Federal Government to dissolve the governing council as “it has outlived its usefulness”.

Source: The Nation

Fajuyi Hall Residents Stop Construction Work In Hall

Some residents of Block 3 of Adekunle Fajuyi Hall in Obafemi Awolowo University have stopped the construction of a buttery beside their block describing it as illegal and unacceptable.

Fajuyi Hall residents woke up this morning to see the construction of an extra structure suspected to be a buttery at the end of block 3. One of the recharge card sellers in the Hall was recently granted the permission to erect the structure, it was learnt.

Aggrieved by the development, the residents complained that the structure was illegal and cannot be allowed. In their outpour, they challenged the jurisdiction that allocated the space saying some fellowships use the same space to keep their equipments and properties during week days. They asked what their fate will be if the buttery is constructed.

Reacting to the students’ stoppage of the construction work, the person who was allegedly given the space said he has been granted an official permission by the Hall Warden and hall management to erect the structure. The man who could not produce any document to substantiate his claim said he stays in town and the paper he was given for the permission is in town.

These aggrieved students have however threatened to remove any further construction made until the Warden wades in on Monday. The residents of the block vow to mobilize to the hall warden on Monday to express their disapproval and rejection of the proposed structure.

LSS Orientation Committee Screening: Adetunji Oluwatobi Asked To Take A Bow & Go

The Part three (3) class representative of the students of the Faculty of Law, OAU, Adetunji Oluwatobi has gotten an exceptional embryonic approval of the student lawmakers of the faculty to be the secretary of the Orientation Committee for the 2015/2016 administration.

During the plenary session of the LSRC yesterday, one of the agenda of the sitting was the presentation of the chairman, vice chairman and secretary of the Orientation Committee by the Executive Council. The committee is expected to be in charge of the orientation programme that will welcome the freshmen for next session.

The president named Adekanye Adeola from the Part 4 class as the proposed Chairperson and Oyewole Omolola as the Vice Chairperson. The two nominees were thoroughly screened as the honourables took time to ask them questions as regards their preparedness to take up the responsibilities before them. The nominees had served in the same committee during the just concluded administration.

Upon the request of the Speaker that the President present the proposed secretary of the committee, Adetunji Oluwatobi was named and told to step forward. In an exceptional style, Honourable Awosusi Kehinde who was the first honourable to speak following the announcement of the name reeled out how the nominee has dedicated himself to serving the society selflessly over time. He argued that his nomination is one that cannot be contested as he has proven exceptionally excellent and thus qualified to take up the task of the Orientation Committee’s secretary. Awosusi however craved the indulgence of the house that the nominee be allowed to take a bow without further screening and go.

In a seemingly related manner, another lawmaker, Honourable Ezejide Augustus moved a motion that Oluwatobi should only take a bow and go which was seconded by Honourable Oyelade Muhammed. A counter motion was however raised by Honourable Uzoma Felix arguing that what is good for the goose is good for the gander, hence, Adetunji Oluwatobi be taken through the due process of screening. The counter motion was eventually seconded by the Clerk of the house, Honourable Adeagbo Toheeb. The motions were subjected to voting where majority supported that the nominee only take a bow and go.

The Speaker of the house however ruled after the voting that the proposed secretary of the committee takes a bow and go. As at the time of filing this report, the honourables were having a closed door session to assess the nominations and consider approving them.

In a related development, the nominee for the Audit Committee for the LLB 4, Aderibigbe Abass was successfully screened while the proposed nominees for other classes were rejected following a notification that the proposed nominees were not constitutionally selected from their respective classes. The nominees are expected to have passed through an electioneering exercise in their class where they would emerge as nominees before being presented at the floor of the house.

Mixed Reactions Greet Proposed NANS Protest In OAU

Several reactions have continued to pour in since the news of the proposed intervention of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Obafemi Awolowo University over the suspension of some Union leaders filtered in.

NANS has vowed to hold OAU to a standstill come Monday, March 21, 2016 should the University management fail to accede to their demand for reinstatement of the suspended trio of Akande Omotayo a.k.a TY, Oketooto Oluwaseun a.k.a Hon. Seun and Ojedokun Emmanuel a.k.a Immanuel Kant.

Many students have asked why NANS has chosen a delicate time like this examination period to embark on the 'intervention'. Asides that, some students doubt the sincerity of NANS intervention and ability to sustain the intervention in the face of possible financial enticement considering the corrupt history of NANS. If this should be the case, students of OAU are scared that they may be sold out to the authority after OAU students must have pledged their allegiance to the struggle.

Another question that some students have continued to also ask is the refusal of NANS to know the mind of OAU students concerning their offer of intervention. ANSA, a group on campus has been at the fore-front of demanding for a student Congress in OAU so that students can say if they are in support or against the envisaged protest. Even if in support of it, ANSA believes there is need for the students to draft a modality for the action so that they can be properly mobilized.

As many students continue to express disapproval to the NANS intervention, some other persons have thrown their weight behind NANS on a basis that the University management has exhibited non-understanding and frustrated diplomatic approaches, hence the need for a practical action.

In the mean time, there are reports that the suspended leaders were seen in their departments participating in the ongoing examinations. This, to some persons raises questions as per the genuineness of the suspension of these leaders or there is something they do not want OAU students to know.

LSRC OAU Mandates Former President To Transfer Account Before Tuesday

The legislative arm of the Law Students’ Society (LSS), Obafemi Awolowo University; the Law Students’ Representative Council (LSRC) has ruled that the former president of the society, Olaniran Quadri and the other affected persons should transfer signatories of the association’s account to the new leadership on or before next week Tuesday.

In a plenary session of the honourables that held at the Mock and Moot chamber of the faculty on Friday’s evening, the new president,  Ekpa Stanley highlighted the state of the association among which he talked about the handing over of the society’s account, the endorsement of the Orientation Committee leadership, the creation of the Audit Committee for this administrative tenure.

The LSS OAU President in his words complained that the bulk of examinations before members of the society has not afforded them the time to change the signatories. He also read to the read to the house a text message sent to him by the former president requesting that the change of signatories be done after his exams next week Tuesday.

Following several deliberations cum voice vote by the honourables, the legislative chamber reached a resolution and mandated the former president to follow the new executives to bank on Tuesday next week to change the signatories.

Osun State Will Not Pay State Workers March Salaries

The Osun State government has announced that it will be unable to pay State workers their March salaries.

Osun State received only N6.23m in funding for the month of March. According to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the government will not be able to pay the State Secretariat’s electricity bills, let alone its N2.6bn wage bill.

March’s federal allocation represents a significant decline from February’s allocation of N1.677bn. Additionally, Osun State received N19.418m and N726.1m from the exchange rate gain and value added tax, bringing the total February allocation to N2.423bn.

The reason for Osun State’s insufficient funding comes from debt obligations amounting to over N2bn. The debt payments included external debt and an irrevocable standing payment order (ISPO).

Every other state was granted a March allocation of at least N1bn, with Akwa Ibom, Delta, Lagos, and Rivers States topping the list with N8.557bn, N6.062 bn, N6.612 bn and N5.427bn, respectively.

Source: Sahara Reporters

University Of Ibadan Expels 80 Students

Eighty students were expelled from the University of Ibadan at the end of the last academic session for poor academic performance.

Vice Chancellor of Nigeria’s premier University, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka, disclosed this today at the matriculation of 4008 students for the 2015/ 2016 session. The event which was postponed last week held at the university’s International Conference Centre.

Twenty-eight of the expelled students came from the sciences, while 20 came from Agriculture and Forestry department. Arts produced 13 of them, Basic Medical Sciences 1, Public Health 1, Social Sciences 6, Education 4, Technology 5, and Veterinary Medicine 2.

Olayinka told the freshmen that other reasons students could lose their studentship include: examination misconduct, unruly behavior, indecent behavior, vandalism, miscellaneous hall offences, unauthorized use/displacement/damage to university property, pilfering, insubordination, direct sale of bed space/squatting in halls of residence, membership of secret cult(s) on campus, illegal participation in the National Youth Service Programme, illegal registration as full-time student, and infringement of other university regulations.

“Any of the under-listed is a criminal offence which must be referred to the Police: fraud, theft, burglary, assault occasioning bodily harm, murder, membership of a secret cult inside or outside campus, possession of fire-arms, arson, rape, possession and/or use of hard drug and drug trafficking and other criminal offences”.

Olayinka advised the new students tasting freedom for the first time that freedom is not absolute.

“Those of you who are leaving home for the first time would realize that you are now exposed to enjoy a measure of freedom, which you may not have enjoyed before, as you are no longer under the watchful eyes of your parents. This freedom, however, has its limitations. In other words, your freedom ends at the point where you trample on the fundamental human right of others, or when you infringe on the rules and regulations of the University”.

He urged the new students to be studious.

“Let me inform you that at the University of Ibadan, we do not tell students what to think. You have to learn to think for yourselves. Our teaching is designed to produce intellectual self-reliance-to teach you how to learn and how to take charge of your thinking. We encourage you to be independent in your judgment and critical in your analysis. We work to help you develop these skills here at UI, and we hope you will retain them for life. They will continue to serve you as you experience a world that is constantly and rapidly changing. I, therefore, want to charge you not to restrict yourselves to your field of study alone so as to profit maximally from the numerous activities that will be presented to you throughout the duration of your course in the university”.

He warned the students to comport themselves in a manner that is befitting of an undergraduate student and or new postgraduate student of this premier institution, as the university would not tolerate any act of hooliganism and wanton destruction of properties – all in the name of students’ demonstration, indecent dressing, prostitution and or any other social vices”.

Olayinka also warned students against cultism and sexual harassment.

“Cultism by all estimation is evil and those who associate themselves with it are also evil. For this reason, you should not go into any relationship without thorough investigation. The approach employed is that the cultists camouflage in different colors to recruit members. You should live a modest life and avoid flaunting your financial disposition in public, as this is a veritable attraction to the hoodlums who engage in cultism”.

The 4008 students admitted by the university this year rank the highest in recent times as admission was pegged at 3000.

The Vice Chancellor disclosed that out of 23,219 students that made 200 and above that were invited for Post-UTME, 19,292 sat for the exam out of which 3,225 were given admissions adding additional 783 admitted were from 2,512 applicants received from Direct entry.

“Those that make the institution first and second choice with score 180 and above were 32,587. Those that make it first and second choice with score 200 and above invited for Post-UTME were 23,219. Candidates who sat for the Post-UTME were 19,292 and candidates that were cleared for admission were 3,225. 2,512 applied through Direct entry and those offered admission were 783”.

“A breakdown of the undergraduate admission on a faculty-by-faculty basis are: Agriculture and Forestry 408, Arts 618, Medicine 550, Education 784, Law 147, Pharmacy 90, Science 571, Technology 369, The Social Sciences 351, and Veterinary Medicine 120, totalling, 4,008”.