Social media has been agog in the past 24 hours over the appointment of over 50 aides to work with newly elected members of the Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) Student Union Government (SUG).

Abasifreke Benson, the union’s president, has attracted the most attention as he alone published a list of 30 aides for himself.

His list contains eight special advisers (SAs) on media and publicity, one special adviser on branding and public relations and a chief press secretary. He also appointed a chief security officer, an aide on royalty matters and another on religious matters.

In a telephone interview with FIJ on Monday night, Benson defended his decision saying, “Just as we have the president appointing aides, and ministers and state governors appointing commissioners too, I screened over 1,200 students to know their needs, and over 85 percent of them had the same issues, so we brought in capable hands to fill in where I wouldn’t always be available.”

He said he needed to make good grades as he was still a student, and he had so many fellow students calling and texting him to ask questions or get his help, so to deal with this problem, he had other people do the work for him.

With his 30 aides, most his responsibilities as president are taken care of, and he also has a special adviser on special duties whom students can contact for any irregular matters.

When FIJ asked Benson what his role as president was if all aides performed optimally, he said if they all performed, it would lift the burden on him and allow him to attend to matters they could not handle and supervise them.

His appointees include a chief of administration and a chief of staff in supervisory roles. This duplication of roles exist across board.

MANY SPOKESPEOPLE FOR TWO OFFICES

“The director of information speaks for the SUG, while my chief press secretary speaks for the president,” Benson told FIJ when asked why he had a spokesperson when there was an elected spokesperson.

FIJ asked if he also spoke for himself and wrote on his behalf. He said, “I write for myself, the press secretary also writes for me, while the director of information writes on any matters concerning the SUG totally.”

FIJ also found that Enwongoabasi Okon, the union’s director of information, also appointed 15 aides, some of which are a chief press secretary, head of media and communications, eight SAs on media and publicity, a personal assistant, a chief of staff and a chief of administration.

Benson defended these appointments by saying the campus is too large and “in the National Assembly we have the Senate and the House of Representatives, but we also have State Houses of Assembly as well.”

This means the office charged with disseminating information to students on behalf of the SUG has no fewer than 10 people doing that job for him, and two people supervising them.

READ ALSO: Death Under Truck: Underrun Protection Can Save Lives on Nigerian Roads, But Law Enforcers Don’t Care

Earlier, Benson had told FIJ there were eight faculties in the institution, and this was why he needed eight SAs on media and publicity to share his messages to their faculties. Okon appointed eight completely different people doing the same thing.

MUCH ADO ABOUT BEAUTY PAGEANTS

During our interview with Benson, the final-year student invited us to sympathise with him over how controversial beauty pageants can be on campus.

He said some contestants may feel aggrieved with the decision-making of departments or faculties and this informed his decision to hire an SSA on royalty matters.

“Sometimes we have beauty pageants in departments and faculties, and some people complain of favouritism or unfair judgement,” Benson told FIJ. “I appointed an SSA on royalty matters to oversee these pageants and supervise so that there can be no bias.”

Benson told FIJ he also had an SA on socials and there was an elected director of social activities who also had his own SA on royalty matters.

FIJ asked why there were so many people overseeing that one social activity, and Benson said each one was assisting the other, similar to what was obtainable in the Nigerian federal system of government.

He, however, maintained that none of the appointees were receiving salaries and they all volunteered to serve.