The mind-boggling question that runs through the mind of anyone that reads the above headline is to probably get an answer to a question running through our minds as well.
Students’ Union Elections are here again and we have seen many contestants vie for various offices. However, the office of the President of the union has garnered more attention due to the number of contestants and the position they currently occupy.
The incumbent Vice President of the Union, Aworanti Salvation, the Public Relations Officer, Ogunperi Taofeek, the Financial Secretary, Abiola Joy, the Assistant Secretary-General, Abdulganiyu Ismail, Honourables representing Faculty of Arts, Adebayo Joseph Omole, Faculty of Education, Olugbade Majeed, Faculty of Environmental Design and Management, Salawu Taiwo, Faculty of Social Sciences, Abidogun Ayomide, NAAS President, Ojo Abass and Mr. Olu Peace a student from the Faculty of Law have declared intentions to vie for the office of the President of the Union.
ACJOAU, in an attempt to answer the question above, interviewed students across faculties in the University to share their opinions on the development.
Ayo-Ogunlusi Tolulope Charles from the Faculty of Arts says he feels the seat comes with a lot of power and some other benefits which are not explicitly stated. In his words, “Recently, a lot of people have shown interest in the apex seat, unlike the previous election. I will rather pose a question on whether the aspirants are after the power or really want to serve the union?”.
Akinola Ayomide from the Faculty of Technology opines that it is because of the power, the prestige, recognition and honor that come with the presidency. “Everybody wants to rule and be treated with respect”.
Omoboriowo Damilola from the Faculty of Clinical Sciences in his opinion stated that it’s just for future recognition and portfolio. According to him, “It is painful that these guys really don’t go there to do real work. They don’t know the weight of the responsibilities they carry, that’s why you see so many people vying for one post. If they actually go there to work, there’ll be few people contesting”.
In the same vein, Adegbohungbe Adewale, from the Faculty of Administration maintains that the seat of the Student Union president has a lot of power, influence, and respect. While stating that there are enough resources to pursue the interest of the student population, the president’s interest, or both, Adewale urged the student to vote wisely, so the benefits of the seats will be harnessed and power will be used justly.
Adeyemi Purity from the Faculty of Pharmacy is also of the opinion that the aura the title confers is something that is eyed by all and sundry and the recent uplift on the face of the union’s building further adds to the competition between aspirants, both those willing to walk the talk and those going there to warm the seats. He also stated, “As they say power resides where men believes it resides, but is it really power, some may argue voraciously, history reveals to us that the trend of “power” that the union has been hewn down in several capacities of acting by the management of the school due to severe alterations in times past”.
Also sharing her viewpoint, Abraham Mary from the Faculty of Education says she is not sure what’s at the peak of the seat presently. “People are not supposed to be so eager to run for president since it is a sacrificial position. Being the president of the Great Ife Union implies that you accept that you’re vulnerable to upholding the interests despite the challenge it may pose,” She expressed.
As a member of the budget and finance committee, she confirmed to have seen union officers present proposals with ludicrous budgets high in millions that they could not defend.
She is afraid that this is the juice at the apex seat of the student union which has spurred the interest of many aspirants, incumbents inclusive. “They may have seen what they enjoyed while at their various seats, fundamentally, it is a position that people fear. Because of the sacrifices. People are no longer making sacrifices, it is now a platform for career building, connection and networking. Unfortunately, some people aim to enrich themselves, as we have seen play out”.
Zakariyah Abdulbaqi from the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences stated that he was very surprised when he saw the sheer number of aspirants even without the ban being lifted. He confirmed that it’s something he never experienced before whether at the departmental or faculty level.
According to him, many contestants do not have anything to offer but they believe if they are presiding over a union like the Great Ife Students’ Union, it’s a matter of class and respect. He further said, “OAU is not a small name in the higher institutions community and to have led the union, to people outside, it’s a remarkable achievement. So yes, everyone just wants names for themselves and insert It in places of interest in the future to have preferential treatments. They’re there for the value of the seat and not out of capacity itself”.
Oseni Abdulmalik from the Faculty of Agriculture says that seeing declaration of intent by some members of the CEC who have not performed well in their current positions, raises questions about their ability to effectively lead and represent the student body. He urged students to assess the qualifications, past performance and proposed plans of each candidate before casting their votes.
Isa Habeeb from EDM is sceptical of anything particular that is in the seat, other than how it’ll look on their CVs. He says ‘’We have about 10 presidential candidates and in my opinion, only two of them are capable of utilizing that office according to its constitutional demands. It is also baffling that we have about 4 of the current CEC members vying for this same office. The most important fact is that the office has been ridiculed, as all and sundry, with no actual administrative experience nor actually care about union members, all hoping to get in’’.
Meanwhile, Bala Ismail from the Faculty of Social Sciences says, “What lies at the pinnacle of any socio-political hierarchy is the ability of whoever occupies the highest political seat to determine who gets what, when, and how. Each aspiring candidate has their own goals and ambition that only the top position of the Union can fulfill, or at least help them in fulfilling them. Whatever comes with the position of the President of the Union will just be a byproduct of whether or not the occupier does well. Fame, recognition, friends, foes, lovers, power, etc. All of these are byproducts of the seat. So it is understandable that the seat will attract lots of candidates”.
Adelakun John Adedayo from the Faculty of Law noted that the reason is due to the power and connections the aspirants, especially the incumbent officials, have perceived come with the apex spot.
“Some of the aspirants know they can use this power and connections to effect a positive change in the school setting that would be in the interest of all and some just want this power and connections for their own mischievous personal interests. This is why students have to scrutinize them well and vote among these aspirants who would wield this power and use the connections that comes with the apex seat for our interest and this is best done by looking at the track record of each candidate and seeing how much selfless service they’ve rendered,” He added.
For Martins, a student from the Faculty of Science, the reason is due to how the outgoing Students’ Union Executives have succeeded in watering down the essence of the union, and have turned the union into more of an ‘’association”, which has made a lot of students no longer understand that there is supposed to be a lot of tasks on the shoulder of the union president.
He buttressed that “what they see is the luxurious life of enjoying an air-conditioned office, moving around with securities, and attending events. I believe this is more reason why we have many contestants aiming for the apex seat, and especially, those who were part of the outgoing administration”.
“Also, for the fact that most students do not even have the right orientation about the union, it becomes much more easier for anyone to just show up and contest since they know that by playing their shady politics of bowing to some god-fathers and negotiating with Faculties, they can easily lead students as they did in the previous election and tell them who to vote for. This is however shameful, but our current reality”.