The wind of misuse of public funds has once again blown into the hemisphere of the University of Ibadan. A wind that is accustomed, garnished and nourished with the practice of extravagant spending, exorbitant hall dues, non-delivery of promises made at the podium of manifestoes and incessant and unrepentant wastage of financial and material resources of the hall.
From the crumbling living hall to the hall of shame, the money garnered by you and I have been found in the meaty bowels of our elected leaders. And that is not to say that the offenders were the only individuals that were charged of funds’ misappropriation or embarking on projects without the legislative House’s know-how. Many posit that the leaders that are yet to be brought to book in other halls of residence are yet to be confronted by the legislative House or the legislative house still watches while their cups of coffee gradually become full.
‘I did not eat any money. I have my clique. I cannot be everywhere. Una no dey let person talk’
were examples of preposterous syllables uttered by a member of an Executive Council in one of our halls of residence. Then, the expressions of an alumnus of the University of Ibadan, who had once served in similar capacity as the former comes to mind, he said, ‘In our days, that was an offence worthy of impeachment’. I stated almost swiftly, “Times have changed, sir, we are in the hip-hop age.”
An Italian proverb says thus, public money is like holy water, everyone helps himself to it. That, we believe was sole reason a large percentage of office holders help themselves with a tip of the iceberg. It makes one eyesore to hear of an Executive Council member- that did not pay the ritualistic hall dues- who had the effrontery to inflate the cost of items he was to purchase for the hall via his office cum the funds of the hall’s residents for a monetary advantage to his pocket.
Stealing is not corruption, posits President Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian president, in a media chat some time ago. Hence, who is to blame the young men and women who daily enrich themselves with funds from their respective halls’ accounts?
_Many condemned the ineptitude of the Independence hall legislative house in the first sitting of this academic semester as even some Executive Council members present on that day said that the Honourables just wasted their precious times. However, it was sad that the sitting that held a week later changed the tunes of their songs. Quoting a popular ‘noisemaker’ in the hall, he said, “The second sitting burst their bubbles”
Laws that only threaten, and are not kept, become like the woman who repeatedly verbally chastises her child not to do a thing, yet appropriate sanctions are not in place to make the child deter from such actions. That was one of few cardinal reasons the legislative arm of Independence hall, University of Ibadan on Friday last week felt that if the bad amongst us is spared, there is a tendency for such actions to injure the good amongst us and thus promote futuristic occurrences of such actions. I believe that was one of few reasons the outspoken legislators brought to book four men of the Independence hall Executive Council.
However, that the legislative House carried out this feat didn’t mean that all members of the Legislative house did the needful. A resident of Independence Hall called my attention by pointing at two individuals who were members of the House that didn’t speak at the first and second sitting. In his words, “those guys no talk last week o, them no dey talk again today. Which kain yeye floor rep be these ones.” I informed him that silence could be golden and that their non-communication could be a form of agreement to the legislative house proceedings. I rounded up by telling him that it pays to let your speech be better than silence or be silent.
However, to confirm this, we consented Hon. Zaccheaus, a floor representative acting on behalf of the B4 constituency on his unending silence in the house. He sounded along the lines of, “You don’t talk when there is nothing to say”. And he moved on. Lest I forget, I‘ve been reminded that the other non-speaking honourable seconded a motion at the first sitting. To that, we say, Hon. Damilare, congratulations!
Punished individuals include; Ugochukwu Ekwosimba, the hall’s Administrator General; Patrick Nkem Damian, the hall’s Social and Buttery Commissioner; the Finance Commissioner of the hall and lastly Stanley Okoronkwo, popularly known as Soja who functions as the hall’s Minister for defence.
Though Mr Okoronkwo wasn’t guilty of financial misappropriation, his crimes seem to be more than one when compared with the other culprits. His offences were: His unavailability to be audited by the committee set up by the House; his absence at the first House sitting this semester and lastly his mode of dressing at the sitting he was finally present. House members didn’t take too long of a time to correct the acts displayed by the Independence hall’s defender as before Jack Robinson could be uttered, with a loud thud, the gavel had touched the table that lie doggo in the Speaker’s front. He was indefinitely suspended! ….and the suspensions began. Before the sitting that brought these individuals to book, an ‘open letter’ was circulated in the wee hours of the morning titled ‘Indy hall and the conniving house of thieves’ admonishing the House of the hall to bring these culprits to book: and as it seems some residents of the hall believe that justice has been done.
This is a charge to the numberless individuals that have begun littering the walls of the residential halls in the University of Ibadan with stickers and flyers of quotes, taglines and ‘punch lines’ like ‘Welcome to a new semester, wishing you the best this semester’. Residents of these halls are well aware of your intentions to vie for political posts, and successes in your pursuits are solely what they wish for you. However, it is germane to know the consequences that lay ahead IF/WHEN you take from the hall’s purse.
A word, they say, is enough for the wise.
© INDYPRESS ORGANIZATION 2014
