There was confusion at the Students’ Union Building of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) last Friday, when students disrupted the proceedings of the Students’ Representatives Council (SRC), the legislative arm of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), whose members were meeting to ratify the union’s N18 million budget. AFEES LASISI (200-Level Political Science) reports.
It was supposed to be a peaceful business, but the parliamentary sitting of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, last Friday, ended in a stalemate. The students engaged their representatives in a brawl, vandalising property in the Students’ Union Building (SUB).
Following the fisticuff, Man O’ War cadets, on the invitation of the union president, Isaac Ibikunle, moved in to stop the scuffle. The cadets cordoned off the SUG Building, denying many students access after the union officials returned for business.
The fight, CAMPUSLIFE gathered, was in reaction to a directive by Ibikunle to deny non-members entrance into the building where the union’s N18 million budget was to be ratified. But students said the order was against the provision of the union’s constitution, which gives non-elected students permission to watch the proceedings of the union.
Section 13 (1) of the constitution states: “Any student and other interested person(s) may attend meetings of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) but only the elected members of that council shall have the right to contribute to the proceedings.”
The students alleged that the union president wanted to bypass established rules to gather his loyalists in the parliament to ratify the budget. The Vice President, Clerk and some key members of the union were said to be absent when Ibikunle presented the budget for ratification.
This did not go down well with occupants of the Obafemi Awolowo Hall, who had initially rejected the budget. The students wanted the president to convene a congress, where students would make input. The students also wanted the reinstatement of eight suspended members of the parliament.
It was gathered that the feud between Ibikunle and his vice, Funmilayo Oladejo, was another factor that led to the disruption of the proceedings.
While Funmilayo’s supporters called for a congress, Ibikunle’s caucus wanted a speedy ratification of the budget for the president to start his programmes.
Some students accused the Vice President of ‘over-ambition’, claiming that she created a group to divide the the Ibikunle-led union. Some others accused Ibikunle of incompetence and said he was into unionism for personal gains.
The General Secretary, Olatayo Shittu, said he was surprised when he saw the Man O’ War cadets denying students their “constitutional rights” to witness the SRC proceedings.
He said: “Although on several occasions, our sittings have been disrupted by students, which might be the reason why the Man O’ War cadets were invited to protect the parliamentarians but students have constitutional right to be present at such meeting.”
Olatayo noted that the budget should have been ratified 14 days after the officials’ inauguration, but he said the delay was caused by disruptions by students.
A student, Sola Ayo, said the directive by the union leaders not to allow students witness the proceedings was against Section 13 (1).
“Looking at the militarisation of the SUB by the union leaders, it means the students are being denied their constitutional rights. We won’t allow them to impose their selfish wishes on the generality of students,” Sola said.
After the cadets took over the union building, members of the parliament returned to ratify the budget.
Ibikunle, reacting to the allegations against him, said he did not order the cadets to shut the gate against any student, saying the budget was for the interest of all.
Ibikunle said: “We wanted to avoid violence; this was why the security men were brought in to ascertain that those coming in are students and not outsider, who do not want us to have peaceful reign by crippling the union’s activities.”
On why he refused to call the congress, Ibikunle said: “I do not believe in congress anymore, because it is either its outcome leads to violence or the campus is closed down outright because of the students’ decision. We cannot afford to go back to the old ways anymore. The parliament has done the right thing in the interest of all students.”
Seun Adewole, a student, said the union officials had always wanted to approve the budget without students’ input because of their intention to loot.
He said: “They are all after their pockets without considering the difficulties students are going through since the reinstatement of the union. Why didn’t they want students to be there if it was not to loot the union’s funds?”
Another student, Tunde Agboola, fingered the Vice President for the crisis, saying: “The union president has been trying his best since he was elected into office. But some students do not want his administration to succeed. Most of the meetings spearheaded by the vice-president have been declared unconstitutional and this tells us that she is an enemy of progress.”
Funmilayo accused the parliament of selective ratification, saying the budget for her office was not approved. She described the outcome of the parliament sittings as daylight robbery on students, saying the president was playing god.
She said: “What Ibikunle and his loyalists in the parliament did on Friday was a daylight robbery on all students and our collective treasure. They selectively approved budgets based on the personal wishes of the president and his co-travellers in the house. Ibikunle is trying to turn himself to a demigod and his actions are against the wishes of the students that elected us to lead them.”
The VP said students must have input in the approval of the budget, advising the union president to call a congress.
