By Ibrahim Taiwo
Following the audit report submitted by the Audit Committee of the University of Ibadan Students’ Representative Council (UI SRC), which raised controversies regarding financial gross misconducts that concerns the Assistant General Secretary (AGS) of the Students Union, University of Ibadan (UISU), Emmanuel Olawoye, the Disciplinary Committee of the SRC had presented its report during the 8th Emergency Plenary Meeting of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union Students’ Representative Council (UISU SRC), which was held today, Saturday, 8th of November 2025 at the Student Representative Chamber, Kunle Adepeju Building, Students Union Building (SUB).
It is recalled that there have been controversies and allegations against the AGS of the UI’SU, Emmanuel Olawoye, following the conclusion of the Students’ Union Freshers’ Week, which was held between May 11 and 17, 2025.
In reference to this, the case was brought before the Disciplinary Committee of the SRC by the Audit Committee and the Events & Project Monitoring Committee of the SRC. The Audit Report submitted to the SRC raised serious concerns regarding financial discrepancies in the accounts rendered by the AGS during the 7-Day Freshers’ Week Event. The Audit Report revealed several inconsistencies between the amounts approved by the Finance Committee, those recorded by the Events and Projects Monitoring Committee, and those presented by the Assistant General Secretary as expenditure report.
According to the Disciplinary Committee’s report dated 9th of October, 2025, the AGS, Emmanuel Olawoye, was accused of:
- Financial misappropriation and falsification of Records.
- Wilful neglect of duty.
- Breach of the financial regulations of the Union
Furthermore, according to the same Disciplinary Committee’s report, after investigation, the following was arrived at:
- On Day 1, a total sum of ₦523,500 was approved for the day’s activities. The Events and Projects Monitoring Committee, however, reported that ₦239,500 was spent. Upon verification, it was established that the AGS actually spent ₦532,500, out of which ₦9,000 was sourced from his personal pocket to complete payments.
- On Day 2, the Events and Projects Monitoring Committee reported that ₦1,026,200 was spent, but the Committee’s verification revealed that ₦1,154,200 was indeed spent, consistent with the approval of the Finance Committee.
- On Day 3, the Events and Projects Monitoring Committee reported that ₦687,660 was spent, but it was verified that ₦901,210 was actually disbursed in line with approved estimates.
- On Day 4, the Events and Projects Monitoring Committee recorded ₦28,000 as expenditure. However, upon verification, it was found that ₦61,000 was actually spent, including ₦12,000 paid for canopies used during the Variety Night.
- On Day 5, the approved amount was ₦266,750, while the Events and Projects Monitoring Committee reported an expenditure of ₦221,250. The Committee verified that ₦269,250 was spent, with an additional ₦2,500 sourced personally by the AGS to complete payments.
- On Day 6, the Events and Projects Monitoring Committee reported only ₦5,000 as spent. However, after investigation, the Disciplinary Committee established that ₦195,000 was spent on that day’s event.
- On Day 7, the Committee confirmed that the approved sum of ₦1,141,000 was indeed spent for the concluding day of the programme.
Also, the Disciplinary Committee claimed that the discrepancies identified in the Audit Report by the Auditing Committee stemmed primarily from communication failures between the Events and Projects Monitoring Committee and the AGS during the Freshers’ Week programme.
Due to this, the committee cleared the Assistant General Secretary of all financial charges relating to misappropriation and falsification. However, the AGS is found guilty of two procedural breaches for:
- Failure to submit the required financial documents and evidence to the Audit Committee upon his summon
- Failure to establish adequate communication with the Events and Projects Monitoring Committee during the Freshers’ Week event.
Due to these procedural breaches identified by the Disciplinary Committee, the Assistant General Secretary was sanctioned to write “a formal apology letter to both the Audit Committee and the Events and Projects Monitoring Committee for procedural negligence” and pay a “fine of ₦5,000 (Five Thousand Naira) into the Union account within 48 hours timeframe from the time of the adoption of the report by the council”.
