PANS OAU Set To Receive National Secretariat, Holds Elections

The Obafemi Awolowo University Chapter of the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria Students (PANS), in preparation of receiving her National Secretariat, held her National elections on Tuesday, 20th September 2016 at the Faculty of Pharmacy, OAU Ile-ife.

The Association, which comprises all Pharmacy Students across the country, would be having her Secretariat in the Obafemi Awolowo University for the next tenure and as such would have students of the host institution holding certain key positions in the National Executive Council.
After the elections, Alo 'Setofunmi, a 400L student of the Faculty, emerged as President with 214 votes with Olabanji Kayode and Agbola Gloria trailing with 212 and 42 votes respectively.
Other winners include;

Student Exchange Officer- Balogun Stella
Welfare Officer- Oguntoye Tosin
General Secretary- Abayomi-Ola Taiwo
Treasurer- Soyinka Temitayo
Director of Socials-  Aniyi Choosy
Public Relations Officer- Haastrup Adeyeye
Sport Director- Balogun-Agbaje Adeyemi
Financial Secretary-  Ugwuanyi Emmanuel

SUTC, Student Unionism and Division of Student Affairs

By Gracious Egedegbe

The Student Union Transition Committee (SUTC) has been shrouded in mysteriousness and vagueness that many students do not even know what it is all about. Last week, the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) of the Obafemi Awolowo University stated that it had no hand in the SUTC. The Dean announced that the SUTC was a relic of the past administration and not of the present one. However, this does not explain what the SUTC is all about.

In the month of August 2016, news went round that the office of the DSA led by in consort with some past Student Union officers alongside Presidents of departments and other political Individuals had initiated the SUTC. The aim of this, as alleged, was to constitute a Student Union that would entirely be in the control of the University Management.

Several students, particularly those that identified with several ideological camps rejected this move. They regarded it as anti-student, anti-constitutional and un-congressional and claimed that the actualization of SUTC would amount to a Student Union slavish to the University Management. They demanded for a process independent of the University Management.

This conflict of ideas sparked controversy within the student populace. While the average student continued with his daily activities, ‘political conscious students’ were engaged in writing releases explaining their positions and denouncing their proponents. At the time, some members of the Student Union Security Council resigned, citing displeasure with the SUTC as reasons. The Student Union Security Council was an organ vested with the power to run the affairs of the student pending the elections of Union Executives.

From all appearances, it appeared that several individuals were instrumental to the formation of the SUTC and aspirations to be fulfilled by its actualization. On the other hand, certain students were worried that the actualisation of the SUTC would mark the end of vibrant, sincere unionism on campus. They felt the welfare of the student populace was going to be sacrificed on the altar of selfish ambitions. Therefore, it was a source of relief to the leftists and their sympathisers when the Elujoba administration threw out the SUTC.

As an alternative, the current dean of the DSA announced that faculties should hold congresses in which they would elected two representatives towards the elections of new Student Union executives. However, the roles of these representatives have not been fully defined and at the moment, some Faculties have still been having difficulties in the selection process.

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African Universities Set To Award B.Sc Witchcraft

South African Universities through the  Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande have announced plans to make sure that witchcraft is included in the curriculum as from 2018.

The minister shocked  the representatives of the student union with the announcement after hoping  to hear stories concerning their school fees. “There is a lot we can learn from witchcraft, like how they fly in that winnowing basket. Imagine if we learn that skill. It will eradicate traffic jams and everyone will just get in their basket and fly. It also means we will not be importing fuel anymore.”

The announcement was later met with boos and bottle throws from the packed auditorium. The unperturbed minister also invited renowned witches to make an appointment with his office so they can have their skills tested and those outstanding would then be hired as lecturers.

He also invited witches from across the border, promising them permanent residents permits. “I spoke to Gibs (Minister of Home affairs Malusi Gigaba) and he agreed to issue witches from outside South Africa with permanent residence permits. I heard Malawi and Zimbabwe have an impressive collection of witches. We are hoping they will heed the call”, he added.

Applications is said to be closing on the 30th of September at midnight, after which an appointed panel with conduct interviews.

The minister also urged future university entrees to consider taking Witchcraft.


 Source 

Law Students' Congress Ended Violently, Election Cancelled

The Congress of law students which took place yesterday, Tuesday 20th September 2016, at Law 209, ended on an unexpected note.

The Congress which was called to elect the Faculty's representatives in the Electoral Commission and the Election petition Committee as directed by the DSA ended abruptly.

The bone of contention was the post of the Faculty's representative in the Electoral Commission which was contested by Ayo Toluwalase Shedrach popularly known as Ay Toes and Akande Paul popularly known as Positive. The tally was 92 votes for Ay Toes and 90 votes for Positive which didn't go down with many congressmen as they felt the hands that were raised for Positive were much more than those raised for Ay-Toes.

The President of the Law Students Society Ekpa Stanley Ekpa, who presided over the congress then cancelled the election results due to the controversy.

However, announcements have been made that there will be another congress/election on Thursday 22nd September, 2016. It is however unclear at this time whether there will be a re-election for the representative in the Election Petition Committee due to the fact that there was just one candidate contesting.

Elujoba Probes TETFUND And NEEDS Assessment Fund Given To OAU

The Acting Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Anthony Elujoba has constituted a task force to look into how the annual Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) grants and Special NEEDS Assessment Intervention Funds given to the institution was spent.

In an announcement calling for the memoranda and submissions, it reads that the Task Force on TETFUND Grants and its Special NEEDS Assessment Intervention Funds of was constituted by the Acting Vice Chancellor to “ascertain how far the University has accessed annual TETFUND grants and how they have been disbursed/utilized,”

“Ascertain the application of the TETFUND special intervention fund on the NEEDS assessment submission: and,

“To make suggestions on the ways and means that the University can optimally access and utilize funds from TETFUND.

“The Task Force hereby invite signed and properly addressed memoranda and submissions in writing from interested members of the University community which could be of help to the Task Force in achieving the mandate.

“The hard copies of the memoranda/submissions should be submitted in ‘Room 312’ Academic Staff Establishment, Floor 3, Senate Building, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife or forwarded toasahiahkemi@oauife.edu.ng on or before Friday, 23rd September, 2016.”

The latest development may not be unconnected to several calls by varsity stakeholders for the probe of the previous administration of the university. Students of the institution have since complained of poor living conditions in the fast dilapidating hostels in the school.

In 2014, the education minister said the Federal Government will give N1.3trn to tertiary institutions over 6 year. The fund was an intervention fund meant to cover rehabilitation of dilapidated structures and construction of new ones as per the needs.

Also in the same year, according to the education minister then, each university including OAU was billed to receive N912m each in TETfund.

NANS Senate President States Involvement In Students' Union Restoration

Comrade Salam Oyejide

In a closed door interview/press briefing  with the new Senate president of National Association of Nigerian Students, Comrade Salam Oyejide, he cited his success at the elections to his sponsorship by the generality of Students' Unions of Universities, Polytechnics and other institutions that supported him financially. He however exempted the OAU Students' Union from the list, citing it as a slap on the body of the Union and the tenure of the last Vice-Chancellor.

He further stressed, when talking about his views on reinstating the OAU Students' Union, that he was going to try to his maximum capacity to help bring back the Students Union of Obafemi Awolowo University. He stated further that they have met with the DSA which brought about the 15th September congress across all Faculties and he was sure that student Union Election would follow, if and only if, the university community makes true their promise.

He also reiterated, on his victory of the just concluded election, that if we, in his words, had the "ideology" of what NANS was all about we wouldn't have been taking to meeting charms, and other protective measures; he posited that NANS was a battlefield of words.

On the part of corruption, the new Senate president said, "I will try and take corruption to the nearest minimum under my tenure but thou corruption can't be eradicated totally in an organization and we should all know that corruption in an entity is inevitable." He also commented on the issue of incessant strikes in Nigerian Universities, stating efforts from him to end the sad occurrences. Comrade Salam specifically stated his involvement in the current crisis in LAUTECH and the efforts to meet those at the helm on affairs on how to end the long strike.

Crushed - Nikhil Lagh

Cartoon Illustration By Pelumi Ponmile

I felt like jelly. I didn't know if I was dreaming or just delusional, but I could have sworn that his smile carried a wisp of intended affection. He was Olamide, my longest lasting crush. I met him at our fresher's party where our eyes met and locked for several breathless seconds, and though we were several metres apart, I felt this connection between us.

Despite being a bag of smiles, I could not help but notice his peculiar features; fair skin, jet black hair and ruthlessly dark eyes which made him more attractive, and also that he moved with effortless finesse as one who was accustomed to silk and servants.

Lord help me, I found myself thinking long hours about him, writing his name at the corners of my books and having private conversations with him in my head. It was hard for me to not think about him. Each day, I would resolve to speak to him but after the usual hi's, I would be at loss for meaningful words, besides my girlfriends always reminded me of our society's unwritten 'law' which doesn't allow for the female expressing such things and I stayed that way for several weeks, hoping the feeling would grow cold.

Some days to the close of the session, Olamide and I shared a table in the cafeteria and after our meal, we sidelined taking bikes and opted for the long walk to the gate. It felt like a walk to paradise for I seemed to understand everything he said (and did not say). He told me he liked my dress sense and that I was decent and stuff. He didn't even ask for number like any other guy would, he just smiled and said he would see me tomorrow.

He flagged and boarded the next bike and I kept waving till he was out of my sight. I sang all evening and slept like a child that night. My beauty sleep (trust me, I was not dreaming of him) was cut short by a pounding on my door. Dreary eyed, I opened the door and there stood Lanike, a classmate, drenched in tears. She slumped into me and whispered the words that forever changed my life, 'Olamide is dead'. I was lost, she looked too serious to not be serious and last I checked, April was still very faraway.

I shook her off and sat on the floor, looking for an escape in my mind. She began talking about how the bike he boarded last evening was run over by a truck some minutes away from his hostel, and from there, all I heard was gibberish. I was ridden with self-guilt and bitterness for no just cause, my longest lasting crush had become my last.

(Nikhil Lagh is a Student of the Department of Political Science, OAU Ile-ife and a member of the OAU Peeps Team)