• Comments on impeachment and suspension of Moremi and Awo hall Chairs respectively
• Comments on accommodation racketeering, blames the school management and federal government
In the light of all that have been happening on OAU campus in recent past, SOCIOSCOPE thought it wise to hear what the PRO of the Students’ Union thinks about it all. This is an excerpt of the interview we had with James Adelu, (aka BOBBY):
SOCIOSCOPE: Permit us to, for the first time, formally congratulate on your election into the office of the PRO of the Students’ Union.
BOBBY: Thank you.
SOCIOSCOPE: Our major reason for coming to this place is just to clarify certain issues concerning some students that collected money from a politician, using the platform of the union, most especially the one that happened recently. According to some sources, you moderated the case and indicated that the person concerned should merely tender an apology letter. Do you think that will go well with the generality of the studentry?
BOBBY: It serves as an utmost disappointment to me as a person. On that particular day, I was coming from class and I saw a helicopter, I never knew that it would have landed on our land. When I got to the mainbowl, I saw the helicopter. I, alongside the Secretary General, was trying to ascertain who brought the helicopter. I put a call to the CSO of the university. Before he appeared, the second-in-command was already with us. Shortly after, the CSO himself arrived. We got different reports from them. One version said the helicopter came as surveillance for Mimiko. The second version said that the helicopter was brought by Segun Oni. And the last one was that it was from Oyinlola. I told them it was not possible for these three people to have brought this single helicopter. And I insisted that the personality of the person must be ascertained. While we were discussing they couldn’t give us the fact and I addressed OAU students. After that, I gave them an ultimatum of two minutes to take away their helicopter. But the CSO told the security operatives around the helicopter not to leave. Immediate, Omisore appeared. I was so disappointed at his appearance and the school rank and file because the CSO did not tell us initially that it was Omisore that brought the helicopter. Before he arrived and wanted to shake hands with me. I had already addressed OAU students. I gave Omisore an ultimatum of two minutes to vacate the campus. Surprising, Omisore did not object to the standing order but while he was leaving some persons were saying that it was this same students that collected N100, 000 from him. I was pissed off because it was democratically ludicrous and ridiculous for some students to have collect money from Omisore.
SOCIOSCOPE: Flowing from all these sir, is it proper to say that there is a communication gap between the office of the PRO and the school authority or are you trying to say you were not aware of Omisore’s pre-entrance into OAU?
BOBBY: While I was trying to ascertain who brought the helicopter. The CSO of the university said Omisore came on the invitation of the faculty of Education. Another person said Omisore came for a meeting in town and immediately he alighted in OAU, he went straight to town. As a union, we had no information about Omisore’s visit either from the school authority or the faculty of Education, knowing fully well that the personality of Omisore like Bayo Ojo, in those days, will never be tolerated by students on their campus.
SOCIOSCOPE: That has been cleared, sir. Now, let’s go back to issue of who collected money, why and how it was collected.
BOBBY: Somebody mentioned Jasper, a graduate of Dramatic Art. As a law student, I could not readily believe unless it had been proven. And that was the reason why I could not announce it that particular day. I summoned Jasper and made it known to him that he collected a sum of N500, 000 from Omisore. Why I mentioned that sum was because I know if an intellectually bankrupt person is being interrogated, the substance of the matter is in most cases exaggerated so that the fact would be easily ascertained. He claimed to have collected the sum of N71, 000. But inasmuch as he had mentioned a certain amount, his act amounts to criminality because at the point of collecting the money, he impersonated a representative of the Students’ Union. It was shown on NTA, Ile Ife, that OAU gave Omisore a thunderous welcome with placards. Jasper claimed to have collected the money on personal platform. But I made him understand that since he was no longer a student, he could have done that outside the OAU community, given what happened in 2007 when Oyinlola claimed to have secured more than thirty thousand votes from OAU campus while students were in their various homes. This is one of the reasons why Saburi and Ogumah were victimized. I asked him to write a letter of disclaimer to be pasted on campus massively and forwarded to the press while also a declaration of a persona non grata on the personality of Omisore is been forwarded by the union. I told that if the letter is not written, the necessary measures will be taken against him. But up till now, I have not seen Jasper. I was too busy to reopen the case because of the symposium.
SOCIOSCOPE: Sir, we noticed that this issue of some union members, both present and out-gone, utilizing the platform of the union to enrich themselves is going out of hand, these days. Because recently, the chairman of the just dissolved security committee, we mean the person of Eluku, also used this same ‘personal’ platform to defraud the union in connivance with … (bobby cuts in) the chairperson of Moremi. Sir, is this not a desecration of the altar of our sacred union by our supposed ‘priest and priestess?’
BOBBY: The union is not a PDP administration, we are primus intepres. What this means is that if a former PRO of the union in the person of Pastor Kay could be flogged publicly sometime ago as a result of misconduct, it meant nobody is above the law. We are in a perfect community but you will agree with me that there is a high level of political apathy. But I have gone round to announce to students that I will get back to them about what the outcome of this case is.
SOCIOSCOPE: We understand from students that the union so far has been treating cases in secrecy unlike what tradition dictates—that cases should be treated openly, with students contributing since nobody has a monopoly of knowledge and now that shove has become push, any attempt to treat this issue in secrecy could become a catalyst that will spark off unpalatable reactions from them. Do you think the union leaders could stand the wrath of students if it emanates?
BOBBY: When we first moderated the case some students were there, although the number was not encouraging. But now that he has disregarded the order, we need the students to come and witness the case or we parade him to a particular café. The PRO may not even be the one to moderate the case. It might be a comrade with a wealth of experience who would moderate the case and the necessary decisions will be taken by Great Ife students, not the union leader.
SOCIOSCOPE: Mr PRO, can you just define the word ‘comrade’?
BOBBY: When I say comrade I mean a person with a wealth of experience who has served the union with merit. There are some students in their Part V who don’t know anything about the union. For instance, a student came to my office and I asked if I was the vice president of the union, knowing conventionally well that the office of the vice president is reserved for female students.
SOCIOSCOPE: Conventionally?
BOBBY: Ladies are the vice president of the Students’ Union, conventionally. The joy of being a union member is to be conversant with happenings on campus and outside campus.
SOCIOSCOPE: Recently, there was a case of suspension and impeachment of two chairpersons of prominent halls, can just let us in into some of these issues?
BOBBY: Conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it. That is according to Uthman Dan Fodio. I was the first person the Moremi hall chairperson contacted when she was evicted from her room. But all these while, I was totally left in the dark until I was confronted with allegation against her which she also agreed to be true. I am not for fraud and I cannot defend fraud. The parliament passed through the proper channel because all through she was given a fair hearing and she was impeached on the basis of fraud.
SOCIOSCOPE: On the basis of fraud?
BOBBY: Yes, on the basis of fraud.
SOCIOSCOPE: Kudos to the parliament. Now, to the issue of Obafemi Awolowo Hall Chairperson, did the parliament also go through the proper channel before placing him on suspension because it is this same parliament that set up a committee to look into the issue of fraud, a more grave offense than an act of indecorum on the floor of the parliament by one of her members. Is it not a case of using a sledge hammer to kill a fly on the question of the Obafemi Awolowo hall chairperson?
BOBBY: The speaker of the parliament referred the case to the judicial council, the report of the Judicial council is subject to reversal by the parliament. If we believe that the judicial council was wrong to have given three month …
SOCIOSCOPE: What we are saying is that the parliament went expressly to refer an act of indecorum which is graver than fraud to the judicial council. Commonsensically, an act of indecorum is just a minor offence compared to fraud and the parliament couldn’t have resolved the issue of fraud within a day – it set up a committee – but an act of indecorum which could have been resolved within a day was taken to the judicial council without the setting up any committee, is this not an issue of ‘putting the cart before the horse’?
BOBBY: The report on the Moremi hall chair emanated from the school authority but the person who came to give evidence that Bako could have been the one who put off the light of the parliamentary seating happened to be his financial secretary. I don’t want to what transpired between the two of them. The report of the judicial council was that the chairperson of the Awo hall be placed on three months suspension unless it is be upturned by four-fifth of the parliamentarians.
SOCIOSCOPE: Now, where is the hope for appeal according to natural and human laws?
BOBBY: In law, if a judgment is passed by the highest court, it could still reverse itself if one of the parties to the case feels dissatisfied and files a cross-appeal. If the chairman of Awo hall files a cross-appeal, I believe the law chancellor as a law student, a prospective lawyer, would review the case because the judicial council stands as the apex court in this regard.
SOCIOSCOPE: The accommodation racketeering, do you have anything to say about it?
BOBBY: While we condemn the attitude of the students who sold their bed spaces, we need to also look at the cause. Since 1975 till this point in time, there is no new structure put in place. The management keeps on aggravating the situation by admitting more student than they can cope with. The students should learn to be their brothers’ keepers especially the ladies because it is more rampant among them. If the management had deemed it fit to put on new structures, nobody would do racketeering. The management and the federal government should be held responsible because this is a federal government school.
SOCIOSCOPE: Thank very much, Mr PRO, we look forward to talking with you some other time.
BOBBY: Thank you, you are welcome.
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