The Senate of the Union of Campus Journalists, University of Ibadan, on Saturday, impeached the Editor-in-chief of Nigerian Universities Education Students’ Association (NUESA) Press, Oladigbolu Taofik. His membership of UCJUI has also been terminated.

The decision of the Senate was made following an indictment of Mr Oladigbolu by the Senate’s disciplinary committee. Mr Oladigbolu was found guilty of various financial misconducts ranging from misappropriation of funds to budget padding among other activities that can tarnish the image of the Union.

Pursuant to Section 25(3) of the UCJ’s constitution which states that “any member who indulges in any act that may be frowned upon by the union shall be liable to disciplinary actions”, four members of NUESA Press, including three members of its editorial board, had written a 114-page petition to the union’s Senate earlier in the week. The decision to take disciplinary action by the union’s Senate is in line with Section 21 (5) of the UCJ Constitution which allows it “to impeach any officer found guilty of (1) General acts of misconduct capable of bringing disrepute to the union, and (2) Other offences bearing on financial misconduct or dereliction of constitutional duty.”

In an election of 18 votes against one, senators adopted the recommendations of the disciplinary panel which included the impeachment of Mr Oladigbolu as the Editor-in-Chief of NUESA Press, his expulsion from the UCJ UI Guild of Editors, the UCJ UI Senate, and the termination of his membership of UCJ UI.

Following the vote, the UCJ UI President, Mr Oluwatobi Odeyinka, directed that “Mr Oladigbolu must immediately hand over all properties and funds of the press organisation in his possession back to the NUESA Press editorial board with immediate effect.”

“The Editorial board of NUESA Press must within 72 hours appoint an acting Editor-in-chief, as failure to do that will affect the membership of the local press organisation in the UCJ” the President said, adding that “the integrity of campus journalists must be beyond reproach like Julius Ceasar said of his wife. If we demand accountability from others, we must hold ourselves to a higher degree of accountability and integrity.”