SUG And Moral Decadence In Tertiary Institutions

 

Kazeem Badmus

STUDENTS Union Governments (SUG) was established in various institutions of higher learning to promote unity, orderliness and smooth relationship between students and school authorities.

Elections into various positions in the student body were always keenly contested with brilliant and brave students emerging winners most often.

However, reverse is the case nowadays as internet fraudsters, notoriously known as ‘Yahoo Boys’, cultists and louts have been showing interest in leading the students and sponsoring candidate for SUG elections in most of the higher institutions. 

The once peaceful student union elections are now turning bloody with candidates wagging war against one another as a result of the infiltration of criminal elements into the SUG.

On Monday, the management of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, suspended the Students’ Union election amid violence which broke out between two different groups.

The institution in a memo signed by the Dean, Students’ Affairs, Dr. Oluyemi Omotosho (Jnr), said it was imperative to put on hold the Students’ Union election due to the violence that trailed the campaigns.

According to the statement: “When the ban on politics was lifted on March 21, 2022, by ISEC, everybody was hoping for a violence-free election until two presidential aspirants, Akeem Kabiru Olawale (Kaybright) and Edward Ayodeji Michael (Edward) commenced their campaigns on March 24, 2022.

“The two groups clashed and violence erupted, leading to serious injuries on many students. A cutlass welding supporter was caught after using the cutlass to injure one student and another student with a gun was apprehended.

“The management reviewed the security challenges in the Federal Polytechnic Ede campuses and Ede community and took the following decisions;

“That the 2021/2022 SUG election is hereby suspended until further notice, when the security challenges improve to prevent the loss of lives and property”.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a student of the institution, Abayomi Kolawole, said students were panicking and they had to scamper for safety during the attack. 

Kolawole disclosed that a SUG aspirant, Kabiru Olawale, an engineering student of the institution who usually receive lecture at the South Campus of the institution came to campaign at the North Campus where another aspirant, Edward Ayodeji and his group were having their lectures.

He added that there was an altercation between the two aspirants which resulted to a clash among members of the two groups in which some of their supporters were injured while some vehicles were destroyed.

It would be recalled that similar event occurred in Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, recently where the management of the institution suspended the Student Union Government.

The suspension was as a result of the violence that characterised the unsuccessful SUG election of the institution.

The institution approved the setup of caretaker Committee which is saddled with the responsibility of overseeing students’ affairs until suspension on SUG is called off.

Speaking with the medium on the sad trend, a Public Affairs analyst, Mr. Usman Rasheed attributed the violence engulfing the SUG elections to moral decadence in the society and do-or-die politics being played by mainstream politicians. 

Rasheed said unlike before where intellectuals and brave students emerge students’ leaders, dullards, cultists and yahoo boys are the ones that are dominating SUG elections in majority of the tertiary institution now.

He said: “It is quite unfortunate that student unionism in our institutions has become violent and a do-or-die affair. 

“Most of those contesting for student leadership positions are criminal elements who want to hide behind the union to perpetrate their heinous act.

“Most of them are yahoo boys and cultists and they want to use SUG official number plates to do whatever they want without anyone challenging them”.