AAUA SEC, SRC IMPEACHMENT SAGA

Comrade Ridwan Oseni, Comrade Adegbeyin Oluwafemi, Comrade Joel Taiwo

Friday Omosola

The Students Executive Council is a body that comprises of ten members and headed by the Union President, who oversees the affairs of the students at large, while the  Students Representative Council is the upper chamber that makes laws and checkmates the activities of the Students Union Government.

The President of the Students Representative Council is the presiding officer of the Senate, whose chief function is to guide and regulate the proceedings in the house. The Senate President is third in the students government line of succession and vested with so much power. He is assisted by the Deputy President of the Senate and other executives.

 In Adekunle Ajasin University, the current Students Union Government executives have been rocked with impeachment and suspensions by the verdicts of the  Students Representative Council, resulting from allegations of his administration and negligence of duties by some of the SEC members

On the 14th of April, 2021, the Students Representative Council of Adekunle Ajasin University, led by Rt Honourable Amodu Abiola (Eja-Nla) held her first second-semester preliminary meeting, where they resolved issues and addressed allegations leveled against some members of the Students' Executive Council.

IMPEACHMENT OF THE WELFARE DIRECTOR.

On 11th March 2021, the Students Representative Council suspended the Students' Union Welfare Director, Comrade Ridwan Oseni Omosola, popularly known as Oscent, for negligence of duties, gross misconduct (unruly behaviour, verbal assault on distinguished senators), and some actions unbecoming of a Student Executive Council (SEC) member. According to SRC, this was against the constitution. 

The Press release reads, " This is to notify all AAUAITES and host community that the Welfare Director of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko Student Union (AAUASU) Com Oseni Ridwan omosola, Politically Known as Oscent has been impeached by the Student Representative Council (SRC) today being the 11th day of March 2021."

"The legislative arm of the union invoked its inherent power under Section 69 of the constitution of the Student Union over the erstwhile Welfare Director's negligence of duties, gross misconduct (unruly behaviour, verbal assault on distinguished senators), and some actions unbecoming of a Student Executive Council (SEC) member".

However, Ridwan Oseni in a letter of apology sent to the house at their second semester first sitting pleaded to be pardoned, stating that such occurrence will not repeat itself. Citing that the welfare of the students is paramount and significant as a reason to be reinstated back to office.

In response, the house set up a committee to look into and examine the actions of the Welfare Director, Ridwan Oseni. Since that development, the welfare director hasn't been reinstated.

AAUATIES WELFARE

Students' welfare includes all the measures that ensure that the needs of students are fulfilled and protected economically, health-wise, and socially.

The general student welfare covers all the works done by the entire school community to support and promote the well-being of students. Each staff member does this as part of their actual duties.

The central goals are to create healthy and safe learning and school environment, safeguard mental health, counter exclusion, and promote well-being in the school community. This means support for the entire school community as well as individual support. The goal is to promote a school culture with a focus on care, consideration, and positive interaction. 

The general student welfare is coordinated by an interdisciplinary student Welfare Director, and his/her efforts are intended to promote students’ learning and balanced development of their lives in general, discover barriers to learning, as well as prevent various problems and discover barriers to learning.

The welfare director  is responsible for the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of the joint student welfare and the general well-being of the educational institution. The students' Welfare Director also promotes the participation of students and custodians in upper secondary school activities.

Now, the big question is, how do we achieve these when the students' Welfare Director is impeached, without an arrangement for a bye-election to elect a new Welfare Director or reinstate Ridwan Oseni back to the office? AAUAites are demanding immediate answers to this question, as well as the way forward  from the Senate President and other members of the house 

SUSPENDED GENERAL SECRETARY

On the 14th of April 2021, at the Students Representative Council meeting presided over by Rt Hon Amodun Abiola, the committee's report on the SUG General Secretary, Comrade Joel Taiwo's offenses was read.  

His offenses include refusing to present his bank statement, which was used to receive donations for the victims involved in the January 23rd accident, failing to give a breakdown of how the donations received were spent, as well as his refusal to paste apology letters as instructed by the SRC for posting a derogatory statement against students of AAUA on his WhatsApp status.

The report reads, "The committee is to look into allegations leveled against the Students' Union general secretary which are; Violation of section 34, subsection IV of the students Union constitution and the Violation of section 34, sub VI of the students union constitution."

"In its view, the committee discovered that the General Secretary has neither presented a statement of account and breakdown of expenditures as regards the first offense and that he has refused to paste an apology letter as directed by the students' representatives Council as regards the second offense."

"After the reading, the committee proposed that the General Secretary should be suspended for two months. Pending the time, he will present the statement and breakdown of expenditure, and as well paste the apology letter as earlier directed by the Students Representatives Council."

After hearing the report, the house at large agreed that Comrade Joel Taiwo, popularly known as Joelistic Joel, should be suspended for two months. 

They added that if he failed to present the statement of account and break down of expenditures, and also paste the apology letter across all the notice boards at the end of the stated period, the house will commence his impeachment process with immediate effect. 

Moreover, he has directed to hand over all documents in his care  to the office of the Assistant General Secretary (AGS)

AAUAITES DOCUMENTATION

The General Secretary is the responsible authority of the union administration and apart from the administrative duties, shall carry out the following duties together with the affiliated units; to ensure that the administrative units in the union work efficiently, regularly, and harmoniously. To carry out its duties in line with the provisions of the specified laws and regulations, within the framework of the policies decided by the constitution.

Also, to organize and supervise the activities of the units affiliated with the ‘General Secretariat;  to ensure that the activities are carried out to carry out all bureaucratic and administrative services of the Union through its affiliated units, and to perform similar duties to be assigned by the president.

As at the time of filing this opinion, the students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko are awaiting either the reinstatement or impeachment of the General Secretary, Comrade Joel Taiwo.

 ALLEGATIONS AGAINST PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

It is no longer news that a committee was set up on April 14th, 2021 by the Students Representative Council on the 14th of April to investigate the allegations leveled against the Public Relations Officer, Comrade Adegbeyeni Oluwafemi, politically known as Baryfem.

The Faculty of Education had written to the house, accusing the SUG PRO of mudding the integrity of the faculty, as well as commercializing his WhatsApp status. 

The report reads, "The above-mentioned association writes to report AAUASU PRO Comrade(Barryfem) to the honourable senators, upon what transpired between Barryfem and our associates Liberian (Comrade Peter Pan) who is also a representative for Adult Education 200level Students n faculty of Education.

"On the 9th April 2021, the AAUASU PRO in person of Comrade Barryfem mud the integrity and personality of our dear stakeholders and embarrassed our dear faculty. On that fateful day, he was invoked in a conversation on WhatsApp in the group of class representatives of the institution due to some things discussed that were not sitting right with him. Then he lashed out at the class representativeof the 200 level students of the Department of Adult Education, Comrade Peter Pan, and then he(Barryfem) sent him(Peter Pan) home to faculty and his department, saying that he (Barryfem) is superior and no match to his faculty stakeholders".

In his reaction to the allegations, Comrade Adegbeyeni Oluwafemi ( Barryfem) said he only reacted to the voice note sent to him by Comrade Peter Pan as a normal human being will do. In defense of monetizing his WhatsApp status, he stated that he aimed to ensure that Students got informed, by enlarging the scope of information.

After his appeal, the Senate-house affirmed that Adegbeyeni Oluwafemi (Barryfem) should write a colourful apology letter and paste it across all the notice boards in the school, as well as sign an undertaking

He was also directed to sign a letter agreeing not to commercialize his WhatsApp platform and collect money from students who want to advertise their products.

DUTIES OF THE PRO

The Students' Union Public Relations Officer(PRO) is entrusted with planning publicity strategies, campaigns, writing and producing presentations and press releases. In addition, dealing with enquiries from the public, the press, related organizations; organizing and attending promotional events such as press conferences, open days, exhibitions, tours, and visits.

Now the question is, where are we heading to with the several verdicts given by the SRC of this current SUG administration?