Osun Students’ Unionism: A Regular Political Scavenger -By Azeez Ridwan

I was a toddler, maybe babysitting when I used to hear the sonorous music of the State “we are the leaders of tomorrow” wow! Of course! We do say it often and often. Meanwhile, are we truly a leader, sorry! A reader are we! Yes! but a dealer we suit more.

It is beyond every reasonable doubt and a riot against every mental faculty to believe Students of the State of Osun has a body of representative, I mean a single feeding-bottle feeding us. Do we! Of course, there is NAOSS at the National Headquarters in Osogbo, haven’t you burst my brain? Frankly speaking, however, the fact is that NAOSS NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS do not represent our interest in any way.

Let me start with the funniest part, some students of the State of Osun does not even know that there is a mother body of Osun State Students at the National Headquarters in Osogbo saddled with the responsibility of singing their songs to the hearing of the Government of the State of Osun! You don’t believe me! ask a student of Osun State in any institution of higher learning especially, those studying in far North that who is the National President of National Association of Osun State Students to burst my lies, most students don’t know; you will be surprised when they start mentioning the names of their chapter Executives.

The simple meaning of this is that there is no effective representation, they don’t know the National body because it has not been impactful in their Academic expedition. This is what happens when you fail to protect the interest of the people you are elected to protect.

An eye-opener towards understanding my words can be deduced from the fact of a question disturbing my brain, has the National body representing Osun State Students in all institutions of higher learning in Nigeria adequately and satisfactorily represented her subjects? Is a one million dollars question begging for an answer.

For the past 8 years, the leadership of the administration of the National body of Osun State Students had only succeeded in giving excuses as reasons why nothing whether of Bursary, Scholarship or gratuities were been disbursed to Students of the state in different tertiary institutions of the federation after former Governor Aregbesola led administration made payment of Bursary in 2013.

Conversely, the National body has till this moment refuse to give us any convincing reason to break the silence in the account for failure by the Government of the state of Osun to make any move towards the disbursement of Bursary or Scholarship to Students of Institutions of Higher Learning or make any move as well to cushion the effect of nondisbursement.

Meanwhile, some stalwarts may claim as a rejoinder, that the National body is not to be blamed. I laugh when such statements travel through my hearing, yes, of course, they are not to be blamed if that is what you have in your contemplation, but the saltless dish of NAOSS National body has incriminated her beyond every reasonable doubt.

I do say, what had the Osun State Ministry of Education been doing all these days that for donkey years no Scholarship is being issued and will anyone convince me they are not included in the State Budget for the past 8 years.

To this effect, the leadership of the National of Osun State Students is worthy of being declared as personal non-grata for her failure to do the needful over the years, this which some students even see as due to the fact that the National body had been placed on sale and sold to Politicians while lobbying for their respective executive post at the National Headquarters.

To put both flesh and blood to this burning issue, the Students population is tired of playing the same music, let’s change our tones and lyrics, Students are tired and may revolt against the National body for not being up and doing on the disbursement of Bursaries and Scholarships to indigenous Students of Osun State in various Institutions of Higher Learning in Nigeria. They are to be blamed because they are our representatives to the Government.