Despite his poor performance in office, the immediate past House Secretary of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union, Richard Oladeji, has advised his successor, Mathew Jesugbemi, on how to have a successful tenure.
Richard, who lost his bid to become the next Students’ Union President, offered leadership tips to his successor in a statement he released on Saturday, November, 13, titled ‘Dear Jesugbemi’.
“One of the things you should put at the back of your mind is that this office will create a lot of enemies for you, this is not a curse on you but you will realize this in the long run, you will see your own friend turn to your enemy, well the reasons are not far fetched, some feel there is a National cake sited inside the cabinet you will find in your new office, they want you to give water to their soul which is tasty for water(money),” he wrote.
He explained further that his successor must be careful of how he handles demands for business spaces within the Kunle Adepeju building of the union because “some friends will be expecting you to dish out shops or spaces to them as soon as you take the mantle, but the lofty trust(sic) is that there is no more shops or space in SUB if anyone is saying give me here give me there, well be ready to receive a stop-work notice from the physical planning unit. ”
Reflecting on his personal experiences, he also charged his successor to create time to check on people who campaigned for him irrespective of the feasibility of their demands from him.
However, Richard’s advice to his predecessor is a direct contrast to his own performance while in the same office. Virtually all the promises he made before emerging as house secretary were not fulfilled.
As the House Secretary, his primary responsibility was to maintain the SU building, a responsibility he failed to carry out as a detailed UCJUI report indicated. During his tenure, water-logged spots became a normal sight in the interior part of the building. The absence of a restroom also pushed students to create a makeshift spot for urinating, posing serious hazards to the health of students.
