OOU GENERAL ASSEMBLY: SUG’S UNCONSTITUTIONAL CONCLUSION “The General gathering of all students shall herein be called the General Assembly (G.A)” – OOUSUG Constitution, Chapter II, Section 13, subsection 2 “The decision of the G.A in such a meeting shall be final.” - OOUSUG Constitution, Chapter II, Section 13, subsection 7 The General Assembly summoned today by the OOUSUG President ended in a shameful way. Since the SUG announced that the GA would hold by 3:30 pm, it was already obvious that they had ulterior motives. Nevertheless, as an organization, we went round the lecture rooms to appeal to students to be present at the GA; it was an appeal that students listened to and stayed for the GA despite the odd time fixed. At the GA however, it became even more obvious that the SUG wasn’t at the GA to listen to what the students want; they were there to deliver their own already prepared script to OOUites for them to act out. Little wonder, the SUG President spoke for more than one hour before declaring the ground open for ‘QUESTION & ANSWER’. What absurdity! A GA is not an interactive session; it is a gathering where the SUG tells students their progress so far and then listen to what the students want and then implement it. It got to a point at the GA where students started shouting ‘TOMORROW! TOMORROW!! TOMORROW!!!’ as a way of telling the SUG to lead them in a peaceful demonstration by Tuesday morning. But then, the SUG General Secretary, Eben, mounted the podium and started chanting Wednesday, a cry that some students also took up. It was shocking therefore when the SUG President announced that students had agreed to protest by Thursday morning. Nowhere in the GA did anybody chant Thursday. So, it became clear that the SUG was determined to act out its already prepared script at all costs in defiance to the will of students. Let us even agree that some students chanted Thursday, common sense should tell you if you have no skeleton in your cupboard that when there are three days being chanted by students, for the GA to take a united and constitutional stand, you must put it to a vote to determine which day has the largest support. The SUG President and his cronies failed to do that and simply announced that an unpopular position allegedly chanted by only members of his executives and their friends is the position of the GA. As an organization that understands what a GA means and knows the deadly precedence the action of the SUG President will set, WE REJECT THE POSITION THE SUG CHOSE. OOU STUDENTS DID NOT COLLECTIVELY CHOOSE THURSDAY AS THE DATE FOR THE PROTEST. THEY CHOSE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. As an organization that will never stand by as injustice reigns, we call on all students to remain vigilant, understand that if they continue to wait for this union, THEY WILL DO NOTHING. After the GA, at the SUG building, while members of CDHR were trying to present our stand to the Union, the OOU SUG President, Ifade Segun ordered the CSO to bundle CDHR members out of the union building, saying they are hoodlums. Let us ask if it was CDHR members who beat up fellow students at the GA. Let us ask them if it was CDHR members who threatened fellow OOUites with charms and ammunitions. Let us ask them if it’s CDHR members that have been threatening fire and brimstone. Those who have been in the system for sometime will remember that during Omojay’s regime, it was the same Ifade Segun who led students to chase Omojay out of the Union building and locked up the building. Did Omojay ask anybody to bundle him out? We will remember that at the GA summoned by Omojay, Ifade Segun was both a senator of the OOU SHS and an OOU SUG Presidential aspirant, yet against all odds, he was allowed to speak. Why then will he say that an alleged aspirant for a post in OOU SUG should not talk? During Omojay’s GA, Omojay had not talked for up to 30 minutes when Ifade Segun mounted the podium and hijacked the GA. Did anybody hijack anything from him? We ask OOUites to be wary of whatever word that comes out from the mouths of the executives of this OOU SUG; the only constituency they represent is the constituency of their self-will and not that of the generality of OOUites. As an organization, we will consult and meet tomorrow and will make our stand known to OOU Students. Whatever decision we are going to take will be as a result of the real positions taken by OOU Students at the GA and not the already prepared and fabricated one from the OOU SUG. As for those standing behind the OOU SUG President and egging him on with the assurance that they will fight anybody that goes against his will and making threats, INSHA ALLAH, THEY WILL BE PRESENTED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE TRUE THEIR THREATS. WHETHER ITS DEATH OR ARREST, WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PREPARED FOR THEM. THOSE WHO WILL WAIT WILL WAIT AND THOSE WHO WILL RUN WILL RUN. THAT DAY IS ALMOST HERE AND WE SHALL SEE. IF THEY CAN WAIT, WE WILL SEE, IF THEY WILL RUN, WE WILL SEE. We will communicate the next line of action to OOUites. Until then, remain conscious, prepared and unafaraid! James Ogunjimi CDHR Coordinator
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 18:57:13 +0000
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