By Patrick Ezihe
When the essence of something is unknown, abuse is inevitable. The same can be said of the Students’ Representative Council at the University of Ibadan. Despite the Union Constitution explicitly stating that there shall be a Students’ Representative Council which will represent the aggregate interests of the matriculated student community of the University of Ibadan by formulating favorable policies and serving as a watchdog over the Union Executive Committee, the Council, in recent times, has lost the sight of why it ideally exists.
Over the time, the House has reduced its legislative responsibilities to mere executive budget-cutting, leaving critical concerns unaddressed, often at the detriment of the students.
Perhaps the members of the Council lacked clarity of purpose of student representation before purchasing forms for the election that brought them into office.
From the tenure of Eniola Olatoye Omotunde Olamide, Busoye Matthias, then to the Shoge-led 13th Assembly, the Council seems to have become a mere rumberstamp. It has perpetually been known for making little or no efforts towards challenging the anomalies perpetrated by the Union Executive Committee and shielding the students from unpopular policies formulated by the government and implemented by the University management.
A typical example of this trend ensued during the tenure of the Eniola Olatoye-led 10th Assembly when the Students’ Union Public Relations Officers, Olamilekan Ajibola, fondly known as OMA, erred by accepting the Union funds into personal account. Despite the act being contrary to the Union Constitution, the Council failed to level an appropriate sanction on the defaulter.
Worst still, the 11th Assembly led by Busoye Matthias, for example, watched the then Students’ Union Executive Committee, led by Bolaji Aweda, betray the resolutions of the Union Congress opposing the systemization of fee hike. More troubling, Assembly(11th Assembly), during its swearing-in ceremony, watched the UI3 dragged brutally out of the auditorium by the University’s campus security personnel for just raising placards with the inscription “fees must fall.” More pathetic, none of the honorable members challenged the unsolicited harassment, raising concerns about the betrayal of student trust.
The Students’ Union Representative Council that the Union possesses these days appears to be such that it is more interested in building political portfolios rather than challenging the institutional weapon fashioned against the students. Perhaps our honourable members need to be re-educated on the meaning or essence of student representation. Student representation is a responsibility expected to be administered by student representatives as it is impossible for all students to be in office to project their interests. By purchasing SRC forms and contesting for election, the members of the Council sign a social contract deal to represent student interests, even when it is uncomfortable.
But in reality, the Council has cultivated the culture of maintaining mutism in the face of challenges affecting the students. Chief among the student struggles is the persistent rise in tuition fees. The consequential effects of the increment are not far-fetched. Our female students are now forced sell their ivory eggs as an alternative means of securing their tuition fees. Some students have had to defer their admissions, while some have given up their tertiary education finally.
Moreso, the Council has officially made no attempt to challenge the recent conversion of kitchenettes into living rooms, despite the development being described as a clear dismissal of student dignity. The transportation issue on campus is also left addressed, despite the Transport Committee of the Council being saddled with the responsibility of attending to such concern. Students often decry the non-compliance of the campus transporters with the transportation price list. Yet their complaints often go unheard.
There have also been cases of students being extorted by campus vendors. Despite receiving little stipends from home, students have to struggle with the extortion as these vendors are not challenged by their representatives.
Equally troubling, the Council has often been known for total disregard for punctuality at its sittings. Even in the worst scenario, it has the unpopular antecedent in postponing its sitting due to failure to meet a required quorum, leaving important matters undone.
It is safe to say that what many members of the Council are after is the political dominance of their respective constituencies. They are obsessed with putting their “own” into office without the genuine drive for impactful leadership. Of what use is then the dominance of politics when the genuine impact is far from the students. It is the reason why the Executive Committee of the Union may perpetrate an anomaly and go scott-free because there is no principled SRC to put them to check.
Contrary to the independence of the Union which the critical mass of the student community has always been advocating for, the Council recently approved a legislative bill for the ushering of the UI’SU Judicial Council, waiting for the approval of the management. By waiting for management approval, the Council sends a clear message to the students that it is not independent of making policies that are favourable to them.
The student community cannot also be exonerated from this trend. Followers who refuse to hold power they produce to account will soon be destroyed by the power. Hence, it is high time the students understood that their detachment from the Union is doing more harm than good to their welfare and started holding their representatives accountable. This could start with attending the Council’s sittings to observe how their welfare is being administered on the floor of the House.
Again, Will the UI’SU SRC Repent?
As a new session has begun, the question still remains whether the SRC will repent. Will the Council put an end to its total disregard for punctuality at its sitting? Will the Council fight against the persistent rise in tuition fees? Beyond budget approval, will it hold the Executive Committee of the Union accountable when it errs?
Will it formulate policies that are favorable to the students? It is left to the current Council, led by Oludele John, to either write its name in gold or in the bad history of student unionism.
