A Campus Journalist Writes Open Letter To OAU Vice Chancellor

AN OPEN NOTE TO THE VICE CHANCELLOR OF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, PROFESSOR EYITOPE OGUNBODEDE ON THE STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY

By Adejumo Kabir

Dear Sir,

I am delighted to write you this letter which I am certain that your esteemed office will accept in good faith. The elders will say, to whom much is given, much is expected.

1.) I appreciate the decision of the university of management under your leadership to dismiss a lecturer of the institution, Prof. Richard Akindele, who was involved in sex-for-mark scandal with a female student. Indeed, his dismissal has returned the trust of the general public in the certificate OAU awards its students.

2.) Your fatherly role towards the reinstatement of suspended students of the university without making it compulsory for them to sign an undertaking deserves some accolades. We say thank you.

3.) The release of some University buses to convey students from gate to campus daily amidst transportation crisis is indeed a welcome idea. We appreciate Sir.

4.) I indeed thank you again because I remain optimistic that you will read this letter like a conversation between a father and a son. I also remain proud that you will attend to all issues that will be raised in a fatherly manner.

5.) While the university management made a brilliant decision to decongest the hostels, I think it would have been more celebrated if the university put into consideration the number of students its admit yearly.

6.) The university in its last matriculation announced that over 8000 students were admitted. But Sir, this was done amidst learning facilities challenges including lecture theatres, available to them.

7.) Sir, a tour to 1000 seater lecture theatre when students of Faculty of Arts, Law, and Education are taking EGL101, LIT101 and other core courses will amaze you.

8.) Daddy, attending classes here is war and it is strictly survival of the fittest especially in AUD, BOO, and HSLT. The same lecture theatres used by less than 100 students years back.

9.) It disturbs my heart to inform or remind you Sir, that over 1000 students failed CHM101 (a first year chemistry course) and over 100 students in the department of English failed EGL203 (a second year English Language course) during 2015/2016 session plus many of those that failed the courses blamed the poor conditions of learning for their failure.

10.) I stand to be corrected Sir, the delay in release of students results cannot be disconnected from a situation where a single department admits more than 600 students. This delay in release of results has caused more harm than good to students as many have to spend  semester (s) without knowing their fate as regards previous papers written.

11.) Mr. Vice Chancellor Sir, I would not know if you have also noticed that students in different departments on this campus wait for 9 - 11 months before they get mobilised for NYSC which is not like that at other top universities competing with OAU.

12.) I will also like to draw the attention of your honor to denial or better still delay in release of students ID cards. As at the time of writing this to you Sir, none of the students of Obafemi Awolowo University has a valid students' Identity Card.

13.) The ID card palaver has not only made students victims of harassment, but many are denied access to places and vital opportunities outside the campus as there is limit to what we can do in terms registration for external programmes, like scholarship, internship, conference and all that.

14.) While I understand that the university cannot just fold its hands to see students miss several opportunities, I am of the opinion that the university should rather produce ID cards that will serve students for the period of their degree (s) on campus.

16.) Also, I will like to call your attention to a few parts of the academic area on campus which now host refuse dumps, that are not only eyesores but unhealthy. The unusual dumps around the school’s Amphi Theatre, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Administration and First Bank Lecture Theatre.

17.) Mr. Vice Chancellor Sir, the union is our strength and I am pleased to inform you that before writing this letter to you, I already wrote tribute to the bad eggs who made our union a money making organization and our SUB, a boxing ring. Most of them have graduated and thus, there is need to return our union so that the innocent ones do not get punished for the offense of the 'graduated ambassadors of poverty' who gave the key of SU to the management to operate.

18.) Lastly Sir, I thank you for taking note of all observations raised above and remain proud that as a leader with good listening ears, you will put all measures in place to restore total normalcy to our great citadel of learning.

Regards,

Signed

Adejumo Kabir, a student of department of English and an active member of Association of Campus Journalists