Awoyemi Bows Out, As OAU Appoints New Registrar

The Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has appointed Margaret Omosule as the 12th Registrar and Secretary to the Governing Council of the university.

A press release issued on Wednesday in Ile-Ife by the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Abiodun Olarewaju, said Mrs Omosule was the Deputy-Registrar and Acting Director, Vice-Chancellor’ s Office, prior to her appointment.

The release said that Mrs Omosule, a native of Ughelli South Local Government of Delta, holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) (Ed.) Degree in History (1984) and Masters Degree in Guidance and Counselling (1990), both from OAU.

“She is currently on her Ph.D Programme in the Department of Educational Foundation and Counselling, Faculty of Education, OAU, Ile-Ife.

“The new appointee began to garner work experience as an Education Officer at the Ministry of Education, Akure, during her NYSC schedule between 1984 and 1985,’’ the release added.

It also said that Mrs Omosule worked at Moremi High School, OAU, between 1991 and 1995.

Mrs Omosule, it added, joined the service of OAU as an Administrative Officer 1 on Jan 23, 1995 and rose through the ranks to the post of Deputy Registrar in 2011.

It said that since she joined the university, she had served in different capacities and in various arms of the university.

Mrs Omosule, according to the release, acquired knowledge and experience in the university’s administration processes and procedures at junior, intermediate and higher levels.

Omosule will now take over from Dotun Awoyemi, who is the outgoing Registrar.

(NAN)

National Assembly Sets Up Committee To Investigate OAU ‘Sex Scandal"

By Farombi Oluwaseun

Today,Wednesday May 30,2018, the National assembly through the  Senate has  called for the probe of the  sex-for-mark case at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Recall that the sex scandal  was exposed in April after a phone  recording of  a lecturer seeking sex from a female student to pass her in an examination was leaked.

The lecturer, Professor Richard Akindele, was caught on record to have requested five times of sex from Monica Osagie, a post graduate student of the institution. Though the OAU management has  placed the professor on indefinite suspension, the National assembly through the  Senate has  said more needed to be done to stem the trend.

The motion which was sponsored by Senator Abiodun Olujimi (PDP) representing Ekiti-South, entitled, ‘"The Growing Trend of Sexual Harassment in the Higher Institutions of Learning: The Case of Monica Osagie.’"

She said " The Senate acknowledges that the case of the brave Nigerian and student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Monica Osagie, who, in an audio recording which went viral, was able to expose her lecturer demanding for sex in order to increase her grades.

“This has further brought home the point, further justifying the specificity and target of the new bill, and the need to ensure that this perversion is completely kicked out of our places of learning."

She further added that although she was informed the university management has acted on the matter, the Senate needs to act on it so that rge case will not be swept under the carpet of expediency, forgetfulness or deliberate abandonment.

Supporting the motion, Senator Olugbenga Ashafa (APC, Lagos-East), he said, “We cannot pretend that sexual harassment do not exist in our higher institutions. This is an age-long behaviour on the part of lecturers particularly. There have been several reported cases of sexual harassment which have been swept under the carpet.”

President of the Senate,  Dr Bukola Saraki, in his ruling, commended  the bravery of Miss Osagie. He further added that any member of the Obafemi Awolowo University found to be involved must be totally disciplined.

Saraki  recalled the Senate to have passed the anti-sexual harassment bill in 2016, stating that the leadership of the chamber would ensure that the House concurs with it.

The Senate concluded by mandating  committees on Tertiary Institutions and Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to “carry-out a full scale investigation of the case of Monica Osagie and the OAU lecturer in order to ensure that there is transparency and accountability, and that satisfactory justice is done to the victim involved and our laws are further strengthened for effectiveness.”

The Senate also urged the House of Representatives to move quickly to concur with the Senate bill on Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institutions (Prohibition) bill, which has been transmitted to the House as this will provide curb this kind of atrocities across the country in higher institutions of learning.

OAU New Accommodation Policy: See How Ife Landlords Exploit Students

By Beloved John

Aside daily chronic transportation crisis rocking the system of Obafemi Awolowo university, Landlords within Ife city have taken accommodation challenges as a means of wealth accumulation, OAU Peeps News Agency can Report.

Dilapidated houses lacking proper maintenance and necessary facilities that qualifies an apartment are been leased out to students in their horrible state at high rates due to the clear fact that they believe no other means of abode for the Students.

Exploitation of students persistently rises as landlords continually increase rents even without any substantial retouch done on these buildings.

Houses with hefty charges are mostly within lagere, Mayfair, Parakin, Asherifa and Ede road as they are closer to the university campus gate.

OAU Peeps News Agency correspondent staying around Mayfair, a suburb area in the city, caught a glimpse of how one of the landlords, reportedly increased an apartment worth #40,000 to #75,000 and later to #80,000  without any prior information to the house inhabitants nor any significant changes on the building, leaving them with the choice of either staying or leaving.

Speaking with an affected student,  Miracle, a 300level Engineering student narrates his ordeal while trying to keep an apartment  earlier rented by his friends.
"We found the place quiet convenient and decided to take the apartment, The plan was to renew the rent which is to expire July when the rent was suddenly increased" he said

According to him, The landlord mentioned  that there is a student who was "willing to pay for the room at the newly stipulated price", miracle is now left with the the choice of either "pay or leave".

"There are people who are ready to pay #120,000 for the room so we are to pay the same amount".
We had to beg the landlord while we also tried, used our right as students before it was finally reduced to #90,000" Miracle added.

A house agent, Mr  Ayo blames the accommodation policy for these ridiculous charges
"Houses are very expensive currently, This is due to the OAU's new accommodation policy, Most students have forceful driven out of campus and are in a rush to get houses,The landlords are aware that this a rush hour"

This News Agency also confirm through series of undercover how caretakers and Student Agents operates.

This set of people (caretakers), while in contact with Students with enthusiasm to secure accommodation, they will charge a thousand naira for 'checkout'. This fee will serve as gratification for them helping the Student to find vacant accommodation.

If (probably) an accommodation is secured, the 'caretakers' will then add their own percentage of service to the Stipulated amount as dictated by the house owner. This percentage is based on total number of caretakers or agents that work out the Student seeking accommodation.

The other way round that is adding salt to the wound of rent is 'Student Agents'.
These set of students will run BCs on OAU based WhatsApp platform amidst other social media hubs, stating to help secure accommodation for the needy.

These student agents will collect a thousand naira from the Student as their bosses do off campus for ' check out'. Most of these students Agents are in affiliation or directly working with those caretakers off campus.

After securing the apartment, the percentage of the student agent adds up to that of the 'caretaker', Making huge the amount the subjects will pay to secure a place to lay  heads.


This same fee hike in rent, not only peculiar to hostels off campus, but also to 'Maintenance'( set of hostels on OAU Campus).

Towards the end of last year, the Association of Campus Journalists, Obafemi Awolowo university, issued a press Release where the school Management is called upon, to immediately intervene in the worsening state of the private hostels on campus, Maintenance Hall despite the continual increase in rent cost.
"...Following the outcry of the occupants of maintenance hostels about the horrible state of the pocket-tearing hostels which are owned by the management and private individuals and in a bid to find a lasting solution to the inhumane treatment, some occupants of the hostel have deem it fit to relay their horrendous experience with ACJ's representatives. A few number of them narrated their ordeals anonymously because of the fear of victimization by the caretakers of the hostel. An occupants of De Gold hostel has this to say "despite the incessant increment in the hostel fee, that's from N75,000 to N95,000 and now N105,000, though its two persons in a room, there is no maintenance, our fans are not working since we packed in, The WC toilets are not working perfectly, The net has been torn which gives room for mosquitoes of different types into the room"

Another part of The Press Release reads:
Another occupant from Bever hostel says ; "the hostel fee which was initially N75,000 is now N85,000 yet there is no maintenance, The bed is bad to the extent that a laptop was destroyed, though N10,000 was given after we lodged complaints , but the owner later spent additional N15,000 to repair it and up till now, no measure has been taken to avoid such scenario from repeating itself. The table meant for reading and dinning is not in a good state, toilets pipe has broken which makes the place to be polluted, lastly we've been warned to pay before resumption hence we will meet our loads out of the hostel when we resume from the end of the year break"

An occupant also revealed to our correspondent about what she is passing through in the hostel;" there are scorpions in our rooms, and we are being denied access to the owner of the hostel. Construction of Another building is going on in our hostel, and the workers who are mostly male are always passing their night in the same hostel with us instead of them to be given an apartment to pass night outside the hostel that is basically for female students, we used to be disturbed by their noise in the midnight and we are not free to work anyhow as ladies because of the fear of having opposite sex passing night in the same hostel with us." she said. After much investigation to this inhumane issue..."

It would be recalled that the OAU new accommodation policy was fully applied following the resumption of student for 2017/2018 Academic session .

The policy which  had earlier led to the renovation of hostels after the struggle and forceful eviction of students in the hostels, which led to the incarceration of OAU5 , also drastically limiting the number of students in Halls of residence, which its multiplier effect spread through off campus.

Although the new policy was made to improve school accommodation standard, students outside school campus are compelled to endure the threats of this new policy.

Former Great Ife Students Union President Emerges As President Of African Youth Organization

By Farombi Oluwaseun

The Former President of Great Ife Students Union , Oyekan Ibukun as yesterday emerged as the President of the African Youth Organization.

Dr. IBK as popularly &politically known is a medical student of Obafemi Awolowo University and now the presiding officer of the organization that has a  strong representation and participation of youth in championing social, political and economic development in Africa.

The election which was conducted at the Grand Towers Hotel, Abuja saw the Nigerian representative emerging as the President. The immediate President of the Organization, John Kwame Nkrumah , a Student from Pretoria, South Africa has immediately congratulated  Oyekan Ibukun over his emergence.

Speaking with OAU Peeps News Agency after his emergence, Dr IBK,
he appreciated the council for trusting him by voting in him as the next President. In his words, he further said said ""  This position to me is not a commendation  because the end of a thing is better than the beginning thereof. This position is a call to service to do more and be better in our ways of serving the generality of African Youths. I see this new position as a big responsibility and a test of discipline, diligence and hardwork and with the grace of God and support of the people, I am sure we shall deliver more than our imagination. "".

OAU Peeps News Agency further learnt that the other executives of the organization especially the Vice President will be five which will be elected from  different zones. i.e. West Africa, South Africa, East Africa, North Africa and Central Africa.

African Youth Organization  is a Continental organisation registered in  all regions of Africa; West Africa, South, East, North and Central Africa and operating with more than 35 chapters in Africa.

NANS Meets OAU Management Over Students’ Suspension

The leaders of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Zone D have met the management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, over the suspension of students’ union leaders and union activities.

The NANS’four-man team, led by zonal coordinator, Comrade Lukman Adekitan, was received by the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, and other  principal officers.

Lukman said the meeting focused on reconciling the management and students, with the aim of facilitating the restoration of union activities in the school. He added that NANS pleaded with the school management to recall the students’ leaders suspended last year.

According to NANS coordinator, the meeting yielded positive results and a number of agreements were reached with the school management.

He said: “As NANS leaders in the Southwest, we have responsibility to facilitate reconciliation between students’ leaders and their schools’ management. The objective of this meeting with the OAU management is to settle the differences on ground and pave the way for the reopening of the school portal.

“We urged the management of the school to reinstate students’ leaders that were suspended and restore unionism unconditionally as socio-political tensions on ground diminish to the minimum.”

The Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA), Prof Isiaka Aransi, confirmed the meeting between the management and NANS leaders, but said “no agreement” was made.

CAMPUSLIFE spoke with the school Chief Security Officer, Mr Babatunde Oyatokun, who was at the meeting. He confirmed that the school met with NANS leaders, pointing out that the suspended students would only be recalled if they pledge to be of good conduct.

Oyatokun said: “About five of them (NANS leaders) came and we all had a meeting in the Vice-Chancellor’s office. Everything we discussed had to do with the issues of reinstatement of students’ union activities. We also discussed how the suspended students could be reinstated.

“Management is working on the reinstatement of the students, but if the students would comport themselves when they are reinstated. The VC made it clear to NANS members that before the reinstatement process starts, the affected students must stop all the subversive publications that they are putting on the internet. It is when they stop this that the management will know that they are ready for reinstatement.”

Source

How We Lost Him Due To JOHESU Strike and Inexperience Health Personnels

 Following the death of a final year student of faculty of  pharmacy named Abidoye Yusuf yesterday, a colleague and friend of the late has this to say.

 HOW IT HAPPENED  

Its a long story, a long sad story. On Monday 14th of May 2018, I just arrived campus from home. While I was in my faculty(pharmacy) catching up with some folks , I received the late Doyen's call . His voice was pale and he told me he was in the school's health center that he needed me to get some stuffs for him. I had just bought them when he called again to inform me he has being rushed to the Obafemi Awolowo Univeristy Teaching Hospital. So i just had to stay where i was(Students Union Building) so the ambulance could pick me up. When i saw him , he looked very weak and he had jaundice in the eyes and skin. He complained of abdominal pain, vomiting , diarrhea, and hematuria.

  We(myself and the nurse at the university health center) had to carry him to the doctors because he had become very weak. The doctors at the hematology clinic of the teaching hospital where he was carried to on seeing him recognized him as he has been regularly attended their clinic and suggested he was carried to SDA(Seventh Day Adventist Hospital) due to  the present JOHESU strike and the fact that he was very dehydrated.   However, they examined his vital signs and asked a whole lot of questions about his condition and the drugs he was on, so they wrote a very long profile on his condition to help the doctors at the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital before he will be transferred. Meanwhile, a gastroenterologist was fetched and he also examined him meticulously so he wrote down his observations too. They(the hematologist and gastroenterologist) both wrote letters of referral addressing any consultant available at Seventh Day Adventist Hospital. All of that took more than an hour at the OAUTHC  and the guy was already complaining that the pain was getting more intense. He was eventually released and was returned to the ambulance. By that time his brother's female friend, Taofeeq already joined us. 

 When we got to Seventh Day Adventist, he was already in serious pain. First off, the casualty ward was overcrowded and smelt of death. Secondly, his National Health Insurance Scheme was rejected. So we had to pay an emergency bill of #2000 and also get some infusions and materials. I was directed to where to pay but they were not going to attend to him until i made the payment. On getting there, the queue was far longer than i thought, so the payment and all took more than 30 minutes. To my utmost shock, the materials to be bought include -IV set, 2 500ml (Normal saline, 5%Dextrose Saline, Ringer's lactate), needle and syringe , and some pairs of gloves amounted to be #5,210 which is overly expensive being conversant with the prices of these stuffs in pharmacies being a pharmacy student.  I paid the emergency bill so he would be attended and eventually we were able to afford the infusions. 

However, the system of procuring drugs was irritatingly bureaucratic and took too much time. When the infusion was brought, one of the nurses who was one of the only 2 people who seemed to care about his state started him on the infusion. Meanwhile, a student doctor had already circled out the tests to be carried out , about 10 of them which amounted to be #15,060. At that time, the nurse from the health centre had to leave because  she had to return the school ambulance So it was clearly we had to wait for his dad who was already coming from Ibadan. I returned to the casualty ward and Late Abidoye Yusuf was already in tears complaining that no doctor would attend to him. I looked around to plead with the doctors(because there was only 1 doctor in that ward) to come check him.  It was that time i was told another test had to be carried out first before the doctor would be able to attend to him. That sounded like nonsense to me as my friend was dying and NOBODY even took time to check the medical profile and letters sent by his doctors in OAUTHC.

 

 The only thing i regret doing is not advising his dad to move him out of that hospital. When he came we paid the fee for the test and they did it in the lab. We were told to come back an hour later for the result. Some minutes later , our friend and colleague, Gafar arrived. It took no time for him to observe and complain about the flaws of the hospital. We went for the result and his PCV was  9%(meanwhile he had a blood transfusion a week before) and also the WBC count was about 48,000+ an extremely high value which indicated an infection. The doctor checked the result and ordered for 3pints of blood.

 There was no donor but the people at the lab pointed to a man they called 'commercial donor'. He was going to sell screened blood to us. So we bought 2 pints, #10000 for the blood and #12000 for the screening. I don’t know if the doctor checked his history at any point but he ordered a nurse to start him on blood. The doctor left work about 5pm and only the student doctor was left in the ward. He was moved to a better ward later in the night, he had been asleep since evening. We stayed with him throughout the night while his dad left for his sister's place to get what he would need the next day. He woke up and he was stable, we talked and joked about some stuffs, then he ate. Only 30 minutes later, the abdominal pain returned and he didn’t leave until he vomited all he ate.  Twice, we had heated discussions with the nurse on duty . The first was when he complained of joint pain, and she injected him with diclofenac.  We told her he had not eaten throughout the day and ulcer was probably while he was on the hospital bed in the first place. The second was when he complained of itching after the blood was given, and the student doctor wrote a prescription of IM hydrocortisone, we told her she was supposed to exercise caution in administering immunodepressants in infections, yet he was eventually injected with it. I even went to the length of asking when a doctor would properly assess his condition and tell us what was wrong. They told us there would be a ward around by morning, and that we should give the doctors our complains  that time. I waited till around 8am when the dad was back, there was no doctor. I had to leave to settle some things in school but my other friend Gafar waited till around 10:30 , yet no doctor. It was when i was back in the night that i was told the doctors came in the evening. They had reviewed his case, moved him to another ward, ordered 2 more pints of blood, some antibiotics and antacids .But yet, nothing was said about his state or what caused it. He was half asleep that time and only spoke briefly. I left , sadly that was the last time i was going to see him. In the night, i was told he was on oxygen and his stomach was swollen while he was continually given pentacozine and diclofenac injections at intervals.

Gafar's call woke me the next morning some minutes to 9am, that our friend was gone. I just stood expressionless for some minutes trying to understand the weight of that statement. I got to Seventh Day Adventist in no time and i saw the father in tears. While the clearance was done, we still had to pay #69,000 before the corpse would be released. That fueled enough anger in me, we paid them to kill him. It was insane!!!!!

It is a sad irony that the one (JOHESU) supposedly fighting for us took one of us. It is more sad that our hospitals are deathbeds and are filled with lackadaisical, inexperienced or incompetent hands. He had been in worse conditions and survived. Just in October He was diagnosed of Hepatitis B and Chronic Kidney Disease, yet he was sound and living fine due to proper treatment

Like i said, this is one long sad story. It’s a pity!!

Written by Akanmu Oluwasanya

Part 5 Pharmacy student, OAU

Edited & Truncated by Farombi Oluwaseun

Journalist, OAU.

OAU Students Suffer Chronic Transportation Crisis

By Beloved John

Rising as an effect of the varsity new accommodation policy, students of the Obafemi Awolowo University suffers serious transport defects.


Shortly after resumption, transportation in and out of the school premises becomes daring for students as they  are often seen in large groups queuing while waiting for buses to convey them to their  destinations.


This means have been against the pleasure of students who blames the school authority for such an unfavorable decision.

While expressing his thoughts
Oluwasogo Isreal, a part 3 student of political science Education laments over troubles of movement in the school

In his words, he said "you need to be in school between the hours of 5 to 6 pm to witness things for yourself,
Long queues for  students who have to wait long hours before getting bus, you have to be smart as it is now the survival of the fittest.
 Everyone is rushing while some persons after waiting for so long would not get  bus and then be forced to trek from the campus to the school gate"


Aside the sudden population sprout of student accommodated outside the campus

A law limiting the number of available buses allowed to function on campus have been allegedly set up by the school  administration.
This law stipulate that a restricted number of not more than 100buses are allowed to ply the campus road.

 While some students blames school accommodation others claimed that  this is a reason for the deficiency in road movement.


Amidst this controversial struggle,
Balogun Oladimeji. I. From the department of
Electronics and Electrical Engineering
grouses over the effects of this poor state on the students.


"It has really not been favourable for students, Especially in situations where   students have to struggle everyday to get bus to their various destinations after having a stressful day on campus. This is really not a palatable thing because students needs a  comfortable conditions to ease learning.
This also wastes their time and keeping them behind schedule because they also have a lot of things to attend to in their various hostels after lectures on campus. Students who have early morning lectures now will have to compete for buses to convey to school, making them look untidy afterwards. While in some cases would either miss classes or be late for them"


Although there currently seems to be no change on the struggles and the tedious task of waiting for a fast means of transportation



Mr Ahmed, A campus bus driver  who spoke with an OAU peeps correspondent explained that the transport limitation is an effect of  the school new accomodation policy.
 An increase in the rate of student living off school  campus has raised the numbers of daily bus users.

He however stated  that although there is a rumoured law that stipulates a regulated number of bus drivers per day but added that  regulation has no effect on the current transport crisis stating that it has  have not been properly implemented.

While students await the action of the management towards these movement disabilities.

Mr olarewaju, OAU Public relations officer  while speaking with OAU Peeps News Agency said the university has no relationship with whatever transportation difficulties faced by the students.


"It has nothing to do with the university and i'm not aware of any transportation problem in the school but if there is, it is not the duty of the school to provide transportation for anybody, so the students should individually find their way in and out the campus" he said.


He however added that there is no  policy that stipulates bus movements stating that he is ignorant of such policy because the management  has no affair with movement of students.