How Oyekan Ibukun, Edward And Omisakin Kehinde Looted OAU Students’ Union Fund -By Oluwadarasimi Samuel

Oluwadarasimi Samuel

“Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ And Vanity comes along and asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But Conscience asks the question ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.” – Martin Luther King

The Oyekan Ibukun led administration is one which has been fast driving the Students’ Union of Obafemi Awolowo University into a mess as there have been serial disregard for the rule of law. This was initiated by the President dissolving committees instituted by the parliament, the president also went ahead to suspend the speaker of the Union autonomously. This was all in a bid to have the central executives have full power to carry out activities without being checked by the parliament.

Also, in a testimony by one of the executives, it was affirmed that the Executives have opened a new bank account in the name of the union but have had it out of watch. This account has been used to demand for funds from politicians and have been made fat with donations from national leaders such as Lasun Yusuff (Deputy speaker of the House of representatives), Najeem Salaam (Osun state House of assembly speaker) and Atiku Abubakar (Former Vice President of Nigeria) on their respective visits to the institution. However, this account has been exclusive to few executive officers and has not been able to be checked by the Union’s budgetary and finance committee which is saddled with the responsibility of auditing the Union expenditures.

In another light, the President made to embark on a transportation scheme which involved the purchase of buses with the Union’s fund basically from the dues paid by members of the Union. In an informal press briefing, Students’ Union President reveals his intention to purchase 4 buses with 3 million naira each summing up to 12 million naira from the backlog of Union funds for the union. Thereafter, a sum of 3 million naira was paid into the union account from students’ dues. A whooping (undisclosed sum) was withdrawn from the account. A Toyota Hiace bus surfaced and was called Great Ife Students’ Union bus. Students puzzle the purchase of the bus and condemn the expenditure not being worth 3 million naira. The President reveals that the transaction was not for 3 million naira but will have the amount undisclosed for accountability reasons. President tasks students to make their findings as to how much the bus is really worth. President gets the heat and discloses that the purchase was for 2.5 million naira. Presents receipt of the transaction. Secretary general says dealer told him that the bus was sold for 2.5 million naira. Financial Secretary tells PigeonPost news agency that the bus was purchased for 2.9 million naira. Students puzzle the contradictions and doubt the validity of the receipt, present an invoice for a real car deal. Students visit the address of the car dealer’s office to see no car dealer located at the premise. Mixed reactions rent the air. Financial secretary says the purchase was for 2.5 million naira’ Discredits his statement with the news agency and implores the public to disregard it. President reveals details of the transaction. The money was withdrawn from the Union account, credited into the Fin sec’s personal account and transferred to the dealer’s account in three installments: ₦100,000, ₦1,500,000, ₦900,000 consecutively. The Fin sec’s account had a balance of ₦4,950.38 after the second installment and ₦384,317.88 after the third installment.

While this is an appall of leadership among youths, it brings an appall for what obtains for the future of Nigeria. The acts of the president and his financial secretary have led to calls among students for the probe of the Union by the EFCC. This thus faults the Not Too Young To Run Bill as it means that age is no function of defining salvation for our nation from the pit of fall.