Editorial: Dear Mojuba, The Press is Not the Author of Confusion!
Readers of last week’s AFAS Press editorial will see how the Press sues for peace in the faculty. The editorial emphasized the urgent need for unity and cooperation among all AFASites to ensure a better and progressive AFAS. The Press, through the editorial, beseeched all stakeholders in the faculty to strive for a paradigm shift from the path of vawulence and gbasgbos politics that AFAS is known for in the University. This shift is essential so that we may begin to tread the path of peace and tranquility, setting a model for other faculty students’ associations.
Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, a “rejoinder” by the association’s President, Olamilekan Adeniyi Mojuba, to a July 20 AFAS Press publication exploring the matters arising from the constitution debacle and the fate of the candidate elected for the position of the association’s Director of Welfare, Osuobeni Blessing, but not inaugurated as an executive, signaled that some individuals are set to foment trouble and create problems with the office they hold in the association for their perceived enemy.
The rejoinder, rightly described as inciting by an honourable member of the FLC, contains many instances where facts are grossly misrepresented; the bulk of which includes an unguided assertion that the AFAS Press release causes confusion among AFASites. This proclamation is deemed injurious and malicious to the press organization and thus requires a response. AFAS Press has, over the years, carried out its journalistic duties with utmost professionalism and adherence to the ethics and codes of journalism. For the ninth consecutive time, the press organization has been adjudged the best faculty press organization in the University of Ibadan. Therefore, the president’s assertion is not only laughable but also unfounded.
While the Press will definitely not be joining issues with the president, or any other person, because it is understandable that the president courts controversies. However, it is imperative to correct the assertions made in the rejoinder by the president. A closer scrutiny of his political trajectories in the University would reveal a litany of controversies that accompanied him. As the Assistant General Secretary of the Faculty in the 2021/2022 session, he had issues with the president of Team Altruism, Emmanuel Akinyoola, who announced his suspension, although it was unconstitutional and botched. Also, as the Assistant General Secretary of the UISU, some disciplinary actions were recommended against him by the Student’s Representative Council (SRC) for overspending the approved budget. As AFAS President-Elect, he was accused of meddling in AFAS FLC elections by actively campaigning for a speakership candidate. Considering all these, one could easily deduce that the president is a controversial personality, a typical politician. However, the Press will not engage him on that path. The purpose of this editorial is to correct the fallacious accusations and claims made by the president in his inciting rejoinder.
The first poser from the president in his rejoinder is that the “Faculty Management unfairly inaugurated executive members while excluding the Welfare Director-elect.” It is not ours to determine if an action is fair or unfair. What the article opined is that as long as all candidates have procured the form from the electoral committee, satisfied all requirements, and, most importantly, secured the mandate of AFASites to serve, it is only right to be inaugurated alongside others.
The president also questioned the validity of the entire executive election. Given that the whole electoral process was run with the ‘new’ constitution, and this constitution was pronounced void and null, which is the same reason the Director of Welfare-elect could not be inaugurated, a thorough legal examination would rule that the whole process is null and void too. The electoral chairperson has affirmed that the FLC asked the committee to conduct the election with the new constitution, which provides for the position of the Director of Welfare. It is only reasonable that any changes or objections should have been made when the electoral committee called for the available positions, not after individuals have expended energy participating in the election.
The president also hinted that there is no new constitution in the association. While there was a pronouncement to this effect during the inauguration of the executives, perhaps the president’s duties at the Union kept him away from the faculty, preventing him from knowing that during the last session, house plenaries were conducted according to the new constitution and that the election that produced him was conducted with the new constitution.
The original article that prompted the rejoinder from the president did not accuse him of anything in either the constitution brouhaha or the fate of the Director of Welfare-elect. It is obvious that the president used the opportunity to get back at the Press and some of his perceived ‘enemies,’ as evident in the rejoinder. However, building on last week’s clarion call for harmony, the AFAS Press reiterates its appeal for unity and cooperation within the association and calls on the president to focus on leading AFAS progressively. One of the president’s promises during the electioneering was to commence the distribution of packages by the first semester. If a large number of AFASites are still yet to receive their packages for last session by this time, what are the chances of that promise being fulfilled? These are the issues that call for the president’s attention instead of chasing after perceived enemies.
The Press stands firm in its commitment to objective journalism and the principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability. It is essential for all AFASites to remember that the Press is not the author of confusion but a beacon of truth and a pillar of democracy within our faculty. The responsibility of moving AFAS forward rests on the shoulders of every stakeholder, and it is through constructive dialogue and collaboration that we can achieve the progress we all desire.
