CHAOS OVER NANS SECRETARIAT AS AVENTO ACCUSES DIRECTOR OF BURGLARY

 

  • “NANS SECRETARIAT BELONGS TO ALL NIGERIAN STUDENTS”    -TOJOLA
  • “SOMEONE IS IN CHARGE” – AVENTO
  • ABEFELE CALLED TO WADE INTO THE MATTER
  • “IT’S A DISPUTE BETWEEN TWO BROTHERS” – ‘NIFEMI

The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), University of Ibadan Chapter on Monday, 8th August, 2016 engaged themselves in an imbroglio as its Financial Secretary, Adebayo Azeez (AKA Avento) alleged Tojola Bolaji, the Director of Special Duties of burgling into the Association’s Secretariat located at the Students’ Union Building of the University of Ibadan.

The drama started on Saturday (6th August) according to Avento who said he was supposed to have a meeting with other executive members of the Association at the NANS Secretariat though it was late before he was informed.

“I was not informed earlier. At about past eleven (Saturday morning), I received a call from the NANS Chairman and he said they were already at the NANS Secretariat that they need a(sic!) key to the office. And I told him I was very sick and if he had anyone he could send to me to get the key I’d be glad to give the person despite the fact that I was not informed. And I feel for you to have a meeting in UI, as the NANS representative in UI, I should be informed.

“The NANS Secretariat belongs to all Nigerian students but someone is in charge and that is myself, the Financial Secretary of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).  … When I called him again, he said they already had another venue for the meeting.”

It later happened that the door was broken and when Avento got to know on Sunday 7th August as he claimed, he told Ojo ‘Nifemi, the Students’ Union President that the Secretariat had been burgled. ‘Nifemi doused the tension being generated as an in-house issue as he said he saw the NANS Chairman, Niniola Toheeb; the NANS’ Director of Special Duties, Tojola Bolaji, among other officers of  the Association at the Secretariat at the time the place was said to have been burgled.

BUT HOW DID THE CASE GET TO THE UNIVERSITY SECURITY AGENTS?

“When I got to the building today again, I saw some guys there and I was scared. I was like who could these be at this point in time because it was already late. And with that fear, I had to come to the security post,” Avento said.

For the Director of Special Duties Tojola Bolaji (AKA BJ), it was like a nightmare when he, all of a sudden, saw the security agents of the University in the NANS Secretariat with the NANS’ Financial Secretary behind them pointing accusing fingers at him that he had burgled the office.

“To my surprise, I heard it from his mouth telling them that the office was burgled and (that) I was involved in the burglary. Till now I still don’t understand what’s happening.”

When told Avento accused him of burgling the office on the Saturday, BJ responded: “how would I forcefully enter an office which I’m supposed to have a right to because I’m the Director of Special Duties, National Association of Nigerian Students and that’s the NANS secretariat? And apart from my being the Director, every student of Oyo State is entitled to be in that office because it belongs to the National Association of Nigerian Students. So it’ll be stupid of me to forcefully enter an office I have the right to enter… I’m the Director of Special Duties of NANS and being a UI student, I’m a NANS representative in UI. I have an I.D. Card to that effect.”

What seems to be the bone of contention is the question of who the rightful occupant of the office is. According to Avento, he is an executive officer of the Association as well as a student of the University and by virtue of that; he is the sole representative of NANS in UI. Many others are however of the opinion that the office belongs to NANS as an association and so every Nigerian student has the right to its use. Tojola is of this school of thought. Another person who shares this opinion is the University of Ibadan Students’ Union president, Ojo ‘Nifemi. He mentioned at the Security Post that nobody had the right to chase anyone out of the office as it belongs to all students. When Avento attempted to counter him as he being the only elected officer of NANS from the University, ‘Nifemi was swift to say the office was the property of the Students’ Union, University of Ibadan and as such, the House Secretary of the Union being the custodian of the Union property as well as the president of the Union being the Chief Executive Officer of the Union has the sole right to determine which office belongs to whom and who has the right to what office. He even reminded him that the office could be closed down by the Union!

MUCH ADO ABOUT NANS OFFICE?

It has been suggested by some persons that what Avento is really agitated about is that he, being an elected officer of NANS should be treated with more respect by those who were ‘merely’ appointed as directors. As a result, he is set to put the directors in their proper place by proving to them that he was the real representative of UI at NANS level.

Others opine that the real object of Avento’s grievance was Ninionla Toheeb, the Oyo State chapter’s chairman of the Association. This sentiment was echoed by Tojola and Avento himself. Tojola, while making a statement at the security post, mentioned as parts of the reasons Avento could have absented himself from the Saturday meeting of the Association a hostile relationship with Niniola. This presumption was further made plausible when Avento hinted he went to call the security men because he thought Niniola was the one inside the Secretariat.

IT’S A DISPUTE BETWEEN TWO BROTHERS

The president of the Students’ Union, Ojo Emmanuel ‘Nifemi when asked to comment on the whole farce said it was merely a dispute between two brothers and that the issue was already being resolved. Despite this however, the parties in this imbroglio including the Union President are being expected at the Security post this morning for further interrogation.  Stay tuned as UCJUI is committed to give you updates as events unfold.

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