Ologbon Emerges Winner of AAUASU 2025 Election

By Boluwatife Kehinde

Salami Akeem, popularly known as Ologbon, has emerged as the President-elect of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko Students’ Union (AAUASU) for the 2024/2025 academic sessions, following a tightly contested election.

Ologbon won victoriously with 911 votes, defeating other strong contenders: Elijah Samuel (Cashio) from the Faculty of Science, who secured 577 votes, Ogundaisi Samuel (Peculiar Sam) from the Faculty of Law with 126 votes, and Alfred Mosebolatan Temitope (Attitude) from the Faculty of Education, who polled 62 votes.

Announcing the result, the Chairman of the Students’ Union Electoral Committee (SUEC), Professor Simon Odion, expressed satisfaction with the electoral process, declaring Ologbon the winner as he secured the highest number of votes.

The newly elected president is expected to take on the leadership of the student body and address key concerns affecting the university community.

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AAUA Decides '25: Why Election May Continue– SUEC

By Gbonjubola Olanrewaju 

The Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Students' Union Election scheduled to end at 2:00 pm may be extended due to a high voter turnout.

In an exclusive interview with Echo Media, the AAUA Students’ Union Electoral Committee (SUEC) General Secretary, Olayemi Kayode confirmed that accreditation, which was originally scheduled to end at 2:00 pm, will continue till there are no students at the accreditation centre.

“We are not ending the vote, we are contemplating on ending accreditation by 4 pm. If there’s nobody inside the hall, we will end the accreditation when we have exhausted everyone. But we are still negotiating with the agent. 

According to Olayemi, all students will vote considering the number of students yet to be accredited and vote.

He assured that the election would be conducted despite the long queue.

SUEC noted that the extension will cover the long queues and delays in the voting process.

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AAUA Decides '25: Campaigns Still Persist Despite SUEC Directives

By: Daniel Akinte & Boluwatife Kehinde 

Despite the order of the Students' Union Electoral Commission (SUEC) that all campaign activities should end by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, this act allegedly persists among some candidates.

SUEC had earlier released the directive in its circular signed by its General Secretary, Olayemi Kayode dated Wednesday, 26 February 2025.

Echo Media sighted ongoing campaign activities beside Heritage Building popularly known as FASA LT, along the CBT voting centre.

By this act, some student voters proceeding to exercise their franchise were interrupted from voting for the right candidate of their choice.

The SUEC Gen Sec in an interview with Echo Media said, "Campaign is not allowed during the election, and candidates have been told not to use banners. If they use banners, such a person will be brought to book.

SUEC circular reads,"

*CIRCULAR* 

 *TO: All Students/Aspirants* 

*SUBJECT: End of Campaign Activities.* 

"This is to inform all students and aspirants that all campaign activities for the upcoming elections shall come to an end today, Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 11:59 PM.

"All aspirants are expected to cease all forms of campaigning, including but not limited to, poster pasting, door-to-door campaigns, and social media advertising, after the stipulated time.

"The SUEC urges all students to conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner during and after the elections.

"Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

*Salisu olayemi kayode* 

 *(Pka yemoflex)* 

 *SUEC General Secretary.*"

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Students react As AAUASU Election Continues

By Eniola Akinwumi-Niyi & Olamide Iwala

The students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) have reacted to the ongoing student union election process which started later than the fixed time.

The election which was slated for 9 am started by 10:40 am leaving some students displeased with the whole process.

A 300-level student, Morayomi Oloruntola from Computer Science Department lamented that the environmental was not conducive. 

According to her, “The process has been so disorganized and everywhere has been rowdy, better provisions should have been made for those with health issues like asthma and physical challenges."

Also, a 200-level Biochemistry student, Salami Esther, complained that the clearance process took a while which led to a delay in casting their votes.

On the contrary, Odion Josephine, a 200-Level student of Industrial Chemistry stressed that the election process has been going smoothly with no difficulties.

Similarly, Iyanuoye Adetoun, a 300-Level student of Mass Communication stated that the process was smooth and without stress.

"I was able to generate my password smoothly," she said.

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AAUA Decide "25: technical issues delay election– SUEC Gen Sec

By Ayomide Oguntade

The Adekunle Ajasin University Students' Union election slated for 9:00 am has been delayed due to technical issues.

The General Secretary of the Students' Union Electoral Commission (SUEC), Salisu Olayemi disclosed this in an interview with Echo Media.

Salisu confirmed that "Accreditation has begun at the School's OBJ Hall and the election is starting now".

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AAUA ’22 Championship Finale: Sociology Wins Title After Intense Penalty Shootout

By Boluwatife Kehinde and Daniel Akinte

In the final match of the AAUA '22 Championship, the Department of Sociology at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, secured victory against the Department of Computer Science, winning 3-4 in a penalty shootout.

The match, held at the university sports complex, ended with a score of 0-0 after 60 minutes of regulation time. Both teams faced challenges in converting scoring opportunities. In the second half, Sociology's goalkeeper, Dada Opeyemi, made a significant save that prevented Computer Science from taking the lead.

A refereeing decision in the closing moments of the match resulted in a missed penalty opportunity for Computer Science, leading to additional time. After 33 minutes of extra play, the score remained tied, and the game proceeded to a penalty shootout.

The Sociology team completed the tournament without any losses and demonstrated composure during the shootout. Computer Science's last penalty attempt did not succeed, resulting in a final score of 3-4 in favor of the Sociology team.

The tournament organizers awarded medals to the Departments of History and International Relations and Computer Science, who were recognized as the second and first runners-up, respectively. Certificates were also presented to the tournament's best eleven players.

Individual awards were given to Dada Richard (Best Goalkeeper)from Sociology department,Israel Olamide (Highest Goal Scorer)from History department, and Mayowa Akanbi (Best Player of the Tournament)from Sociology department.

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AAUA Declares Public Holiday for Ondo State Governor’s Inauguration

By Eniola Akinwumi-Niyi 

Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, has declared a public holiday for all staff and students on Monday, February 24, 2025, in recognition of the inauguration of Ondo State Governor, His Excellency Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa.

A circular issued by the University Registrar, Olugbenga Arajulu, on behalf of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Olugbenga E. Ige, states that the decision is in accordance with the state-wide holiday declared by Governor Aiyedatiwa.

The holiday is designated to enable residents of Ondo State to engage in the inauguration activities of the Governor and Deputy Governor, Dr. Olayide Owolabi Adelami.

The Vice-Chancellor announced that the university will be closed for official duties on the specified date, with the exception of staff required for essential duties. Regular academic and administrative activities are set to resume on Tuesday, February 25, 2025.

The Vice-Chancellor acknowledges the appointments of Governor Aiyedatiwa and Deputy Governor Adelami, wishing them success in their tenure.

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AAUA Offers 17 Sports, But Student Participation Remains Low - Coach Lawal

By Boluwatife Kehinde & Daniel Akinte 

The proverb "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" highlights the importance of balancing work and leisure. In response, the school management of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) has implemented extracurricular activities, particularly in sports, for students. However, a lack of awareness among students has resulted in many not fully benefiting from these sports activities.

Lawal Idris is a 200-level Economics Education student who played football at the secondary school level and was a member of the school team said he has encountered challenges in joining the Adekunle Ajasin University school team, primarily related to the balance between academic commitments and participation in sports.

According to Idris, joining the school team has its benefits, but it is mainly suited for those pursuing a career in sports. 

"Though I like football, it is stressful. Now, I just play football for fun because I can't balance it with academics and hustling. I know there are benefits, but those who join such a team are those that have passion as well as pursue a career in that aspect."

Despite this, Idris still participates in sports activities, particularly at the departmental level.

"I don't have time for football again because it's stressful, but for my department, it is my responsibility to participate in departmental sport." Idris says.

Another 200-level student of Computer Science, Adeyeye Peter, expresses concerns about joining the school team, citing the potential for it to distract from academic responsibilities and to negatively impact academic performance.

“I can't join the school team and I see it as a waste of time. Also, it will make me lose focus of the purpose of my coming to school." Peter says.

Expert view

In an interview with Echo Media, AAUA Staff Chief Coach Lawal Surajudeen addressed the issue of unawareness of students to sporting activities available on campus.

The school offers 17 diverse sports activities, including badminton, taekwondo, chess, scrabble, table tennis, tennis, basketball, volleyball, swimming, handball, football, and track and field.

Coach Lawal noted that the lack of participation by students in the school Fresher's Orientation may contribute to a general apathy toward sports.

"Ignorance of students towards sports activities starts when they don't come for orientation because it is during orientation the school orients the students about sports”. 

Claiming that "If you are a sportsman right from your secondary school, at least you must have represented your school in any competition."

The upcoming competitions for the school as stated by coach Lawal include the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Game, scheduled for February 27, 2025, the Nigeria University Game Association (NUGA) in November 2025, and the University Games in Germany on July 16, 2025.

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AAUASU Election: SUEC Announces New Dates for Screening, Debate, and Manifesto Presentations

By Mariam Wahab

The Students' Union Electoral Committee (SUEC) of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) has announced a rescheduling of the screening, debate, and manifesto events for the 2024/2025 Students’ Union election. This decision comes in response to a public holiday declared by the Ondo State government.

A memo signed by the SUEC Chairman, Prof. Simon Odion Ehiabhi, was issued to all concerned parties, announcing the revised dates for the election processes.

The screening is scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, 2025, from 12 PM to 4 PM at the Law Students' Moot Court. The debate will occur on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, from 9 AM to 12 PM at the Students' Relaxation Center, located opposite Obasanjo (OBJ) Hall.

The memo states that the manifesto presentation will take place immediately following the debate, beginning at 12:30 PM at the same venue as the debate.

Explaining the reason for the adjustment, Prof. Ehiabhi explained; “The rescheduling was necessary due to the public holiday declared by the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, and the need for security clearance and CGPA reports from the appropriate university organs, which will only be available on February 25."

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AAUA '22 Championship Finale: Computer Science to Face Sociology

By Boluwatife Kehinde and Daniel Akinte

The Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA) class of 2022 championship is set to conclude with the finals between the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Sociology.

The football competition, consisting of a group of 22 participants, is scheduled to occur at the university's sports complex on Sunday at 4 PM. This competition, which started on January 16, 2025, includes sixteen (16) teams from across the school. 

In an interview with Echo Media, Adebiyi Adegboyega, the coach for the Computer Science 300-level team, stated that the path to the final has been challenging. He noted that the team has played three matches to date, recording one loss.

“There are honorable mentions to be sincere, the run to the final was not an easy one, I would like to say all our matches were tough, the match against Criminology gave us a hard time, but at the same, if I should consider that in this run we have only suffered a loss against mass communication, then I think it's just honorable to say that was the toughest, respect to all our opponents by the way”.

In discussing preparations for the final against their opponent, Adegboyega stated that the team's preparation and confidence in winning the championship "is the same as previous matches: train, train, pray”.

“All my players are in form and out of form. We are as confident as our opponents for the final are; I guess no one will get to the final and then lose confidence; we are all going for the win”.

However, he acknowledged God as the easy maker of their road to the finals. "Let me just add that the journey to the final has been God and teamwork. Everyone has contributed to this moment in the possible way we all can, and we just hope and pray that spirit keeps us on that final.”

Ayokunle Akinyemi, the 300-level Sociology coach, evaluates his team's performance, noting that they have achieved strong results in the competition thus far.

"The Sociology department was the best team so far in the competition, so making it to the finals is a history to our team," he added.

In evaluating the team's performance, he noted that the match against Physics and Electronics presented significant challenges for the Sociologist. 

Ayokunle confirmed that the team is adequately prepared and ready for the upcoming final, as several players who had previously sustained minor injuries have now returned to full availability for the upcoming match.

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AAUA alumnus Saheed Ibrahim wins PhD scholarship in the UK

...his research focuses on misinformation and electoral integrity.

By Emmanuel Oluwadola

An alumnus of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Saheed Ibrahim has won a fully funded PhD scholarship at Birmingham City University, United Kingdom.

Ibrahim who graduated as the Best Graduating Student in Mass Communication at AAUA in 2011 secured one of the two doctoral awards sponsored by Meedan on electoral misinformation and technology-facilitated gender-based violence in the larger world.

His research will focus on the relationship between election integrity and associated forms of misinformation, with the goal of identifying what kinds of misinformation present the greatest risk to the electoral process.

Ibrahim's research interests include developmental storytelling and journalism, health communication, artificial intelligence and digital media, political communication, and media representation of vulnerable groups.

He earned a distinction in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan, while his eight years of media experience has distinguished him with several accolades.

He was the joint winner of the Best Fellow award in the DUBAWA 2024 Fact-Checking Fellowship and was the Runner-Up in the Best Fact-Check category at the fellowship's awards in November 2023. In December 2024, he won the Investigative Reporter of the Year award for the third consecutive time at the Ondo NUJ Professional Awards.

Recently, he emerged as the Best Fellow (joint winner) of the DUBAWA 2024 Fact-checking Fellowship and also emerged Runner Up for the Best Fact-check Award last year in November. In December, he won the Investigative Reporter of the Year Award for the third consecutive time at the Ondo NUJ Professional Awards.

Ibrahim is a G15 member, fact-checking democracy-related information for the Halt Fake Tracker Hub, an initiative of the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), funded by the EUSDGN II project.

He is also a Fellow of the NEXTGEN SRHR Fellowship (2024), the Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking Fellowship (2024), the Mandela Washington Fellowship (2023), and the Communicating Evidence for SRHR Policy and Advocacy Action (C4SPAA) Fellowship (2023). In January 2025, he was selected for YouthRISE Nigeria's Media Fellowship on ethical reporting of substance use in Nigeria.

As a youth and social development advocate, Saheed founded the Centre for Storytelling and Development Initiative, which empowers young Africans and promotes positive African narratives. The initiative has directly trained and mentored over 400 young Nigerians in journalism, communication, leadership, and personal development.

Ibrahim is also a member of the African Narrative Collective, shifting stereotypical and harmful narratives about Africa.

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