Bob Etheridge says, “Public office is supposed to be a public trust, which is a clear sign of the rampant corruption at the highest levels of the Republican leadership.”
The Students’ Union is a student organization situated in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students’ union is often accorded its building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizational activities, representation, and academic support of the membership.
Students’ Union bodies are being run by the students, independent of the educational facility, with the aim of a variety provision of services and representation of students both within the institution and externally.
In Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo state, students have been wondering if the assertion is applied or just a fallacy from scholars, as the current students union leaders led by Comrade Obagunwa Oluwasegun, politically known as Supreme has to keep lingering questions in their hearts, ‘Is this the same person who solicited for our mandate or another person entirely?’.
Many Students have compared and contrast the administration with the current regime in Nigeria where the number one citizen keep mute over everything and later come up with the popular saying ‘I am shocked’ after many things have been spoilt beyond amendment.
Obagunwa Oluwasegun and his counterparts assumed office on February 17, 2020, with an attractive inauguration speech promising heaven on earth in front of thousands of students of the institution who twirled to given freedom to killers but holding the innocent agitating for their right accountable for what the Constitution does not justify.
Many acquisitions fingers have been pointed to the current administration from diverting from their manifestos and inaugural promises, which has turned blatant lies from the pit of hell.
On Tuesday 21st of July, 2021, Supreme and his counterpart were accused of not being present at the peaceful protest held against trucks plying through the community despite the incessant accidents trailers have caused so far, which has claimed several lives.
Nevertheless, the administration was alleged of informing and summoned men of armies forces to arrest and deal with students who were protesting peacefully for their lives, tagged ‘SAY NO TO HEAVY TRUCKS IN AKUNGBA’.
If the Supreme-led administration has forgotten January 23rd, 2021, I will remind them that the day was the saddest ever in the history of AAUA, where many lives were lost to the cold hands of death, especially the immediate past president of the union.
The students at the protest scene gave kudos to their fallen heroes and tagged supreme ‘worst president ever.
IIn the same vein, AAUA INSIDER, on July 6, 2021, reported that ‘Supreme must go, A ‘sane incumbent SU president will agitate for the election that will bring newly elected executives ‘ after he was accused by a student of turning the office to ibi ni ma ku si, after one year of ruling.
In his reaction, Obagunwa Oluwasegun Daniel also known as Supreme said no incumbent SU president will be agitating for an election that will take him out of office.
Supreme made it known in a WhatsApp message in response to some student stakeholders that are agitating for the Union’s election. Some students are now agitating that the current president of the union should leave the office with the hashtag #SupremeMustGo.
Comrade Obagunwa Oluwasegun is another version of the current president of the country, if not worse when it comes to addressing or speaking to the people that elected you into office. What happened to ‘government of the people, by the people and for the people’ given by Abraham Lincoln?
Students at many points in time have demanded congresses and press conferences as a platform for the president to listen to their yearnings, but Supreme feels he knows what all the students want.
The welfare director and general secretary of the union were reinstated back to the office without making it known if they carried out the student representative council (SRC) order.
Adegreat the social director held the most popular event ‘FACE OF AAUA’ which can be pointed at as the only achievement he achieved during his tenure, by selling tickets to students which is odd and uncalled for.
The student’s welfare is nothing to write home about, yet the administration failed to address it.
Amidst these accusations, the union turned deaf ears by positioning that the accuses fell on their deaf ears, as they failed to communicate to the students whether the accusation is true or misleading.
According to the constitution of the union, a part stated, ‘Solidarity, oneness, pragmatism and equity ‘ are the power embedded on the Students executives councils (SUEC) but failed when the presence of the union is highly needed to lead the war front.
Also, part of the constitution stated that ‘The union through her agencies shall abolish all corrupt practice, abuse of power and shall harness the resources of the union’
However, the reverse was the case in the abovementioned as the administration has been labeled the best power misuse in the history of the university since the students have been chased away from what is going on in the administration like a madman on the street.
Furthermore, the Constitution demanded the financial secretary to record and publish all the expenditures of the union every three months on the notice board but was nowhere to be found.
“Record all financial transactions, prepare and publish all financial reports on notice boards on campus every three months”
Perhaps, supreme and his led administration might have forgotten their promises and I would quickly do justice to that and allow AAUAites to justify if the administration has done well or perform the expected task.
On February 17, 2020, Obagunwa Oluwasegun Daniel also known as Supreme delivered his inaugural speech as the 18th democratically elected president of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko Students’ Union (AAUASU).
We are here today, not for my victory but a celebration of AAUAites desire to equip the union which is the medium for emancipation and development of our university. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God today never to forget the struggle of our heroes past.
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1. Addition of more shuttle buses on campus to reduce waiting time in accessing various infrastructure and lecture halls on campus.
2. Construction of Bus stops from faculty of Social and Management Sciences to the new faculty of Arts which will help eradicate the indiscriminate stopover of the shuttle buses and also protect AAUAItes from the scorching sun of Akungba Akoko.
3. Upgrading of backend registration requests from letter writing to e-application which will reduce delays and invariably reduce errors.
4. Re-introduction of internet service across the campus to aid learning and research among students of AAUA.
5. Extension of power supply on campus. We understand the power supply challenges in the Nation, but we are asking that we have a power supply from 4 pm-6 pm on Wednesday’s-Friday’s stopover to the normal daily supply.
6. State of the lecture halls particularly the LT A and LT B, Law LT and other Tetfund buildings should be renovated to suit a 21st Century University, properly called.
7. A recent applauded development at the bursary in the payment of backend charges, Certificate fees, etc needed to be improved upon, as the use of POS machine with just two bursary staff are not enough to accommodate the huge demands from students, which has caused the majority of our students and alumni to queue up for hours at the Students Affair village. Our administration is recommending that the students be allowed to p, ay into the account and present the payment slip and suit shield be erected at the Students village.
8. Security of our students remains important, and we are asking that the state government lease with t, the University host Community to beef up security in Akungba Akoko.
As we won’t relent until we have achieved all these set goals with the vision of erecting a lasting foundation for effective Students’ Unionism, in AAUA. Hence, we crave the support of the University management and stakeholders in every aspect.
Let me use this medium to congratulate everyone tested at the just concluded poll, we have come thus far, we can continue to come together no matter where our camps belong to make our University the very best.
The question now is, why are the executives running away to address the public which was paramount in a democracy?
Author
Omosola Friday Oke , popularly know as Honour-Pen, a student of mass communication department with optimistic of serving the nation and world with the use of pen. A poet, relationship consultant and human right activist.