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Tag: SUG President

  • SUG president, three others suspended

    The students Representatives Council of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, has suspended its Students’ Union President Awodola Oluwaseun Samuel, aka Unique. Samuel was suspended alongside his three lieutenants: Lasisi Ojo Samuel, Ayeni Damilola and Olugbede Promise. They are the assistant general secretary; welfare director and social director respectively.

    The suspension was contained in a memo by the SRC Speaker, Anifowose Temitope, and three other officers.

    The statement said Oluwaseun and three others got the axe following a resolution by two thirds majority of the members, which had 46 in attendance when they voted at the weekend.

    The memo said the former students’ leaders were fired for contravening FUOYESU’s   constitution bordering on extra budgetary spending and misappropriation of the union’s fund to the tune of N1,808,000 approved for the ‘fresher’s night’ an event usually organised for new student as well as its proceeds.

    The memo read in part: ‘The affected executives are kindly advised to submit all the properties of the union in their possession, including their identity cards to the students’ affairs. They are also to desist from parading themselves as members of the executive committee with immediate effect until the council sits to review her decision.” The memo instructed Oluwaseun’s deputy to act as president.

    “The general secretary should take the sole responsibility of the secretariat while the committee of welfare and social should act in stead of the social and welfare secretaries respectively,” the memo added.

    The clerk to SRC Babatunde Sunday alleged that Oluwaseun and the affected executives committed a lot of impeachable offences varying from extra budgetary spending, misappropriation of funds and gross misconduct all in relation to the spending of 1.8million on Fresher’s night.

    “The executive in their own way have violated the constitution when it comes to finance. In the aspect of disbursement of money,” Sunday argued.

    “Constitutionally it’s not in the position of the president to disburse money, it is the duty of the treasury so that there is going to be a correlation between the treasury and financial secretary. Now that the money is coming from the president I don’t think there will be a tally”

    “They are other impeachable offences the house hasn’t touched. Our investigation is restricted to the 1.8million for now.”

    Similarly, the Speaker, Comrade Temitope validated the suspension. He added that there were 46 members in the house and only 5 voted against the suspension. The suspended executives, he said, have been holding on to some sensitive documents that could aid the investigation, adding that the development irked one of the SRC members who raised a motion for their suspension so that the documents could be released.

    Nonetheless, Oluwaseun described the suspension as mere rumour, saying he is yet to be formally served a letter to that effect.

  • UNILORIN students say institution’s charges lowest in Nigeria

    Mr Emmanuel Animashaun, the President, University of Ilorin Students’ Union Government (SUG), on Monday said the institution charges were the lowest in the country.

    Animashaun made this known at a press conference organised by the Union to mark its administration’s first 100 days in office.

    According to him, the students have realised that in spite of the hike in school fees and other charges by other universities, the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) school charges remain the lowest among Nigeria’s universities.

    The university recently increased its tuition fees by 35 per cent, which amounts to about N21, 000.

    The SUG president said that the relationship between the union and the university management was peaceful and constructive.

    He said that this had translated to the peace and the uninterrupted academic session experienced for the past 18 years.

    According to him, the union engages the UNILORIN management with constructive argument to reach conclusions as regards students’ welfare.

    “We wish to publicly reiterate that in our union, we are not rascals but radicals who will always stand our ground in protecting our members, but we do it in constructive and diplomatic ways.”

    Animashaun pledged his commitment to ensuring that the union served as the bridge between the students and the university management.

    “My administration is planning to use its resources primarily for the purpose of activities, programmes and projects that can contribute to all-round education.

    Read Also: Enrolment at NOUN hits 515,000

    “That can also sustain the necessary atmosphere so that eventually we will have contributed to raising giants for our nation and the world at large,’’ he said.

    The SUG president highlighted major areas of breakthrough in the institution as including the alleviation of problems with results, encouraging sports activities and catering for students’ welfare.

    He, especially, noted the renovation of school hostels had attracted zero increment to school charges.

    Animashaun said that as part of his administration’s blueprint, the new Students’ Union Executive Council had embarked on an empowerment programme.

    He said that the programme tagged: “Earn as you Learn’’ was aimed at collaborating with some organisations, which offered to employ some of the students who wished to earn money while still in school.

    The SUG president revealed the efforts he had made to ease the problem of transportation, which had long been an issue on the campus.

    The Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Lateef Ajibade, commended the union for representing the students very well and for cooperating during the meeting on school charges’ increment.

    The dean, who was represented by the Sub-Dean of Student Affairs, Dr Alex Akanmu, charged the students leaders to ensure that the students maintained the university facilities.

    Ajibade urged the students not to relent on their peaceful conduct but to continue to represent the university in good light.

  • Cultists kill one, injure many in UNIUYO

    …As VC annuls SUG election

    The Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), Akwa Ibom State, Prof. Enefiok Essien has annulled the Student Union Election (SUG) over crisis which allegedly led to the death of one student with 10 others seriously wounded.

    Our correspondent gathered that the election was cancelled following violent rival cult group fights at the Town and Annex campuses of the university leading to a disruption of the exercise.

    Elections were said to have been earlier cancelled at the Faculty of Social Sciences’ Polling Unit by the Dean of Student Affairs Dr. Aniekan Brown, due to “irregularities and electoral malpractices”.

    It was learnt that angry supporters of one of the candidates who was coasting home to victory, stormed other polling units in other faculties including education, to hijack ballot materials amid gunshots by some suspected cultists.

    Read Also: Police parade eight suspected cultists for murder

    “After the announcement was made by Dr. Brown, students from the polling unit moved to disrupt elections going on at other nearby polling units because of what they viewed as orchestrated plans to stop a non-indigene from emerging as the next SUG President”, Effiong Akpan, a member of the institution’s Faculty of Arts, explained.

    “Ballot boxes and other election materials were destroyed at the Faculty of Arts Polling Unit, Faculty of Education and extended to other polling units including the Faculties of Agriculture, Business Administration, Basic Medicals,” he added.

    According to him, attackers were, however repelled by angry students, who countered the invaders with stones and other missiles.

    At the Annex Campus along Ikpa Road, a student was reportedly stabbed and eventually rushed to the hospital, while another student, who simply identified herself as Mercy of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, complained that “my digital camera was destroyed during the chaos”.

    To restore peace on the campus, the Vice Chancellor, Essien, a professor of Commercial Law, according to the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the institution, Lt. Col. N. F. Efik (rtd), has ordered the cancellation of the disputed SUG poll.

  • The Other Side of SUG

    The Other Side of SUG

    Last weekend, about twenty students’ union leaders under the aegis of Council of South-East SUG Presidents were at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu State to confer the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba with “2016 South-East VC of the Year Award,” as way of fostering good management in Nigerian higher institutions. JAMES OJO, CHERECHUKWU OKOYE (300-Level Mass communication) and Temitope Adigun (200-Level Mass communication) report.

    To many, students’ unionism in Nigeria signalled a chaotic body, often threatening the peace and stability in higher institutions. But, last week Friday, the Council of South-East SUG Presidents’ took an exception.

    They aptly proved that they are also a major stakeholder in promoting good management, peace and stability required for the growth of higher institutions in Nigeria.

    About twenty of them had gathered at the VC’s conference room to honour him as the 2016 South-East Vice-Chancellor of the year award. He was also awarded SUG, South-East Patron.

    The award was an initiative of the Council of Presidents’, south-east zone to appreciate Vice-Chancellor’s who had made meaningful contributions to their various institutions.

    Presenting the award to the VC, the Council’s Chairman, Comrade Chidi Ilogebe said, Prof. Ozumba was voted for the award due to his impacts within and outside UNN since he assumed office.

    Chidi, who is also the SUG President, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC) said, in Ozumba’s two years in office, he has achieved remarkable feats in promoting peace in the country, infrastructure, research and ICT developments in the institution as well as supporting the development of the student body, hence the need for the award.

    He said the election for the award took place at the council’s meeting held in February, which saw twenty-five out of the thirty-five union voted unanimously for the VC.

    He said the Council nominated different VCs’ different higher institutions but Prof. Ozumba has the highest votes.

    He added that the criteria used for the award include: external and internal impacts of the various VC’s in their respective institutions as well as their duration in office.

    His words: “We all know that SUG is meant to champion the welfare of students’ in our various tertiary institutions and also to fight any administration that is against the interest of the students.

    “But this time around, the council has decided to award any administration have done very well within and outside their schools.”

    Receiving the award, the Ozumba said he was amazed by the students’ council decision. He described the award the “most treasured in his career,” adding that it would inspire him to do more. He expressed gratitude for their gestures and assured them of his commitment to enhance the development of student unionism in the institution and in the entire south-east zone.

    The VC also reiterated his administration’s commitment to reposition UNN in Nigerian Universities’ rankings, adding that he would also enhance research development and foster entrepreneurial skills among students of the institution to enable them become globally employed.

    Afterwards, the VC and members of the council deliberated on how to develop students’ unionism in their respective institutions. Most of union leaders who spoke CAMPUSLIFE gathered enjoined the body in the zone and other zones in the country to always sue for peace using diplomatic approaches. They argued that the use of violence is capable of destabilising the country’s educational system.

    Speaking on this, the host SUG President, Comrade Peter Orji in an interview with CAMPUSLIFE, said “I don’t think there is any administration will have interest in victimising its students. It is high time our union leaders do away with violence and avoid their usual confrontational approach to matters.”

    Peter, who described the event as a success however enjoined students’ leaders to “apply wisdom in handling issues.”

    “I feel honoured gracing this event. This is the first time such is happening and I am happy it happened during my tenure as the host SUG President. I think this award will motivate other Vice-Chancellors’ in the south-east and the country to perform better.” He said
    The SUG presidents in attendance are, Com. Ilogebe Chidi, President SUG UNEC (chairman of the Council of SUG south-south-east); Com. Orji Peter Ekene, President SUG UNN; Com. Obi Uche Jude; Com. Onuzulike Victory Chukwubike, President SUG Imo State Polytechnic (IMOPOLY); Edeoga Patricia, President Federal College of Education Chaamutu; Ignatius Amaechi Okoro, President School of Health Ogi River State; Nwanna Chukwu, President SUG Imo State University (IMSU); Amanoh Chinoso Fredrick, President SUG Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT); Princess Chukwuemeka, President SUG Abia State University (ABSU), Nwafor Joshua, President SUG Ebonyi State University (EBSU); Ezeme Jude Thaddeus, President SUG Peace Land College of Education; Offor Chinonso .C., President Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU); Victor C. Ezenagu, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone B PRO amongst others.