Like a Pendulum, the Fate of the Office of the Director of Welfare Services Hangs in Balance

Oluwatayo Ogundare
Dear AFASites,
Do you recall the last election conducted in the Faculty of Arts that brought in the incumbent administration—Team New Era?
You may also remember that Blessing Osuobeni, the sole candidate who contested and won the office of the Director of Welfare Services, was not sworn in during the inauguration of this current administration. Months have passed, and it might surprise you to learn that she is yet to be inaugurated as an executive member of the association. This means her office remains unrecognized by the constitution.
At this point, if this event seems distant or unclear, perhaps revisiting the background story will refresh your memory and provide much-needed context, especially for the freshmen among us.
The 2023/2024 Faculty of Arts election was conducted under a newly reviewed constitution, following a series of amendments made in the previous academic session(2022/2023). The constitution review process introduced notable changes, including the creation of a distinct Welfare Office, thereby separating the roles of the Director of Social and the Director of Welfare Services. This development marked a shift in the faculty’s governance structure, as the revised constitution was adopted to guide the election procedures.However, the new constitution has since faced challenges, as it was revealed during the Faculty Legislative Council (FLC) plenary session that the legal unit of the faculty had yet to officially approve it. As a result, the faculty was instructed to revert to the previous constitution, leaving the status of the newly elected Director of Welfare Services unresolved. Sadly, this unexpected turn of events has raised concerns among students, who now look to the FLC for answers on how the situation will be handled moving forward
Furthermore, in a past interview by AFAS press with the person in question, she revealed that she got to know of issue behind her office which halted her inauguration and she also explained that the sub dean suggested that the faculty legislative council (FLC) should pass the Bill into law so that it can be recognized in the constitution.
Although the FLC didn’t commence the process early because they had not been inaugurated, during the third sitting of the FLC in the first semester, she was called to the House where the Speaker suggested to other Honourable members the need to pass the Bill into law.This prompted Hon. Adedeji Peculiar of the Religious Studies constituency to sponsor the amendment bill on the floor of the House.
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Now, according to the University of Ibadan academic calendar for 2023/2024 session, we’re less than eight (8) weeks to the end of writing the final exams which is tantamount to the fact the incumbent administration has only a few weeks to bow out of office.
Also, According to Chapter Seven, Article 34, section (i) of AFAS Constitution, “Election shall be held not later than the end of the Tenth week of the second semester of every session.” Although this is no longer the norm in AFAS, sooner or later, another election will be conducted, while the issue behind the establishment of the office of the Director of Welfare Services is still entangled. Thus leaving some questions trailing behind: What is the current state of the Bill? Would the Bill have been passed to law before the commencement of the forthcoming election? If passed into law, will the Director of Welfare Services still have the ground to perform her duties before the administration bows out of office? Will there be provision for the office in the election or not? These and other questions are what will be uncovered following the path of this story.
In a conversation with Honorable Yeboah Daniel, the chairperson of the committee working on this Bill, he stresses the fact that the Bill, titled: ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AMENDMENT BILL, is needed at this dire moment, as it looks into the issue of the consistent neglect of the welfarism of AFASites compared to the much more attention given to social events. Thereby putting the welfare of AFASites in jeopardy.
“We believe the Bill is needed at the faculty at this period. The Bill tries to provide solutions to one of the issues we have been facing in the association i.e the issue of the office of the Director of Social and Welfare Services. Over the years, the people that occupy this position in the Association focus more on the social aspects, neglecting the welfarism of AFASites. Looking at the state of the faculty at large, from the buildings, environment, and AFASites themselves, we see that the issue of welfarism has been a big challenge for us.”
He also revealed that the committee started working on the Bill by December after it was passed from second reading. He explained that the committee had to bring in some suggestions into the Bill, and one of which is the creation of a separate welfare and social committee, “they will become standing committees of the association. Meaning that anyone coming into any of those offices will have to create a committee for the office. It’s mandatory for them to execute this irrespective of their vision so that they’ll be able to absolutely take care of the association.”
On the election, he’s hopeful that the Director of Welfare Services will get Inauguration given the progress made so far on the Bill. He’s also of high hope that the House would be able to fast track the Bill so that there’ll be provisions for the office in the forthcoming election. “I think the inauguration of the Director of Welfare Services is feasible considering the time we have presently. If the election comes up in February, we still have time. After the third reading, the Bill leaves the house and gets to the executive council, where the president is to assent to the Bill.” He explained.
He further explained that it has been stated in the Bill that if the Bill is passed before the end of the session, she should be inaugurated. “It’s like an agreement already. Depending on when the Bill is passed and when the tenure ends because tenure comes to an end after dinner. I’m very sure she’ll be inaugurated considering the time frame we still have before the end of this tenure. I’m 80% certain of her inauguration.”
However, there has been a series of speculations from AFASites, including the excos, about the handling of the Bills by the faculty legislative council (AFAS-FLC). When asked for his comment on this, AFAS President, Olamilekan Adeyemi (Mojuba), explained that the Bill faced oppositions from some honourable members during the presentation and first reading stage, attributing this to the lack of dedication given to the passing of the Bill, “some Honourable members at first do not support the establishment of the office in the first reading of the Bill but it was kangaroo… That could be why the majority do not give the required energy to ensure its immediate effect,” he said.
In the defence of the House, Hon. Yeboah Daniel highlighted the reason behind the lengthy time of deliberation. He likened the process of passing a Bill in AFAS-FLC to that of the National Association, Nigeria. It requires a long period of deliberations and considerations to ensure that all interests are equally represented. He also explained that there are intervals in-between the sittings when try deliberate on Bill to give room for inclusivity and corrections before the next reading.
“Just like the National Assembly law making process, the same process also is applied in AFAS FLC. Starting from first reading, to the second reading to the last stage which is assent by the president. A Bill has to pass the test of time. We have to look at it critically and analyse it. It is not something we can rush within a short period of time. Checking Integrity and time, knowing fully well there this is a political space and everything had to be in order,” he said.
Regardless, all eyes are now on the FLC to ensure that this Bill is finalized and passed into law with the President’s approval. This would pave the way for the recognition of the office and the inauguration of the Director of Welfare Services, prioritising the welfare of AFASites.
It is worth noting that during the process of writing this piece, AFAS Press was informed of a planned FLC sitting scheduled for Friday, 10th January, with the third reading of Bills listed as one of the agenda items. Unfortunately, on the scheduled day for the sitting, the Bill could not proceed from the third reading because the sponsor, Hon. Adedeji Peculiar, was absent from the plenary session. Neither did he send any notice of absence to the Clerk, nor did he designate anyone to stand in for him to present the Bill.
Given the significance of this Bill to the office of the Director of Welfare Services and AFASites at large, this raises a pertinent question: Are honourable members truly committed to the affairs of the association, or do they prioritize self-interest over representation? Alternatively, could this be a deliberate delay tactic by the powerhouse of the faculty to prevent the inauguration of the elected candidate and the recognition of the office in the forthcoming elections?
Perhaps time will tell, but only the gullible among us will be oblivious of the fact that time is already urging us to act decisively before it is too late.
Efforts to reach the Speaker, Rt. Hon.
Miqdad Olajide, and Hon. Adedeji Peculiar, proved abortive.