Unilorite Calls For The Probe of Observation and Malawi Over Financial Misappropriations

A 300 level student of the University of Ilorin, has called for the probe of the President of the Students’ Union, Com. Alao Idris Ibrahim (Observation), and his counterpart in the senate council, Senator Abdul Salaam Mashood Orire (Malawi) over financial misappropriations.

The Student, Mr. Akeukanwo Sulaiman (Al-Qalam) of the Faculty of Communications and Information Sciences, made this call in an open letter dated, Thursday, 9th June 2016 and written to the 56 senators of the senate council of the University.

The letter which was exclusively obtained by Union of Campus Journalists, Unilorin, indicates that it stems from series of observations and aftermath of the senate council sitting that held on Saturday, 28th May 2016 at the college of health sciences.

He called for the probe of the President of the Students’ Union based on the revelations of the committee set up by the senate council to look into the issue of Sweat Shirts, which includes that:

The Sweat Shirt was not the sole idea of the Students’ Union, and a scam. In his words: “Each student paid an amount of N2,000 amounting to about 72 million naira totally, if some people are playing with our money, you will agree with me that they should be crucified”

“Observation received an alert of N200, 000: He questioned the rationale behind the President of the students’ union receiving an alert of N200, 000 from the producers of the Sweat Shirts, and tendering a teller of N100, 000 to the senate council as evidence that he refunded it. He questioned how the producers got the president's account details, if he claims he didn't give it to them, and the reason behind them sending that amount of money to his account if not for some sinister moves.

Thus, he called for the probe of the SU President’s account. “I will implore the Senate council to make a request for the President’s statement of account, right from the day he was sworn in on all of his bank accounts till this present moment” he concluded

Similarly, he called for the probe of the Senate President based on the allegation leveled against him by the SU president that he also collected N10, 000 from the sweat shirt producers. While quoting Observation, who made the allegation on the floor of the house after been indicted of collecting a bribe of N200,000 from the producers: *“Even your senate president is not clean, the senate president collected an amount of N10,000 from the same producer in question, but I don’t have an evidence”.*

Mr. Akeukanwo, in his word, added, “Dearest Senators, I am a realist, you will agree with me that this allegation that was later retracted has its own weight”. He, therefore, called for the probe of the Senate President’s account details too till this present moment.

Furthermore, he accused the Senate President on financial misappropriations with the Senators’ allowances. This stemmed from the fact that, the financial secretary of the Students’ Union, while being questioned during the sitting confirmed to everyone present that his office remits the sitting allowances of senators to the Senate President, who failed to return any excesses to the purse of the union.

“Dearest Senators, where is the remaining 17% that was unaccounted for? Is it with the financial secretary? Is it with the senate president? Who is it with?” the concerned Unilorite queried

He, therefore, called for an emergency sitting of the senate council to look into this issue and others saying, “Dearest senators, if the Students’ Union Social Secretary can go on suspension, no one is above the law.

“At this juncture, I will like you all to invoke Article 14 C item 2 of the constitution thus: One-third of the Senate Council members shall through a signed request mandate the Senate President to summon an emergency meeting”, he submitted.

As at the time of filing this report, UCJ Unilorin confirmed that after about 24 hours of the release of the open letter, there has not been any release/rejoinder whatsoever from the major players mentioned therein. We promise to keep you in touch with the issues as they unfold.

_AbdulGaniy Shehu_

_Reporting:_

_For UCJ UNILORIN_