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17.10.2021 investigations EXPOSED: AAUA’s Students’ Union Leaders ‘Embezzle’ N1.2m

Published 17th Oct, 2021

By Damilola Olufemi

Obagunwa Oluwasegun, better known as ‘Supreme’, the immediate past president of Adekunle Ajasin University Students’ Union, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, and Amodu Abiola (popularly referred to as Eja Nla), his comrade in the lawmaking arm of the union, who is the immediate past senate president, have been accused of squandering funds meant for the union and the entire students of the school.

Oluwasegun and Abiola were said to have joined hands to defraud the union and squander funds to the tune of N1.2 million.

According to a source in the university, the accused comrades had been engaging in fraudulent acts and embezzlement of funds, and had refused to print, show or tender statements of account since their assumption of office.

Those funds were for the well-being of students and the remuneration of the leadership of the student union, among others, but they were siphoned off for personal use.

It was also reported that over N300,000 meant for some students who represented the institution in the just-concluded National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) debate at the Lagos State University (LASU) was also embezzled. Oluwasegun was said to have told the students that there was no money, while a sum of N180,000 was received by both the students’ union president and the senate president, and an additional N180,000 was requested behind the scene.

AAUASU Doc. 1

The documents obtained by FIJ show that these funds were approved and signed by concerned individuals. A case for this is the approval of N10,000 for each Senate sitting. On the list of items in the document is 90 pieces of doughnut approved for N3,600 and four cartons of soft drinks approved for N6,400, totaling N10,000. However, the senators said they had only received the traditional “bottle of coke and a piece of doughnut” once since taking office.

Also, the budget approved for the office of the financial secretary by the senate president was N80,000, while the one for the public relations officer was N20,000.

In the document received, the ratified and approved budget for the senate president is N182,300, with N45,000 for letterhead. No less than N23,000 was budgeted for TV repair, and another N45,000 as call allocation for EPC members, among others.

AAUASU Document 2

According to another document signed by the senate president and Bello Iyanuoluwa, the chief whip, N45,000 was approved for the maintenance of both students’ union government (SUG) and the senate representative council (SRC)’s official uniforms.

Ratified budget for SRC caucus leaders was N52,000, with N21,000 for the purchase of fans, while washing of curtains and repair of chairs would cost N7,000.

GROSS MISCONDUCT, EMBEZZLEMENT OF FUND

In a petition titled ‘Our Total Dissatisfaction With the Inept Leadership of Comrade Obagunwa Oluwasegun (Supreme) and the Fraudulent Activities That Persisted Throughout the 2019/2020 Students’ Union Regime’, and signed by the executive members against the president and addressed to the dean of students’ affairs of the school, fraudulent act, greed, dishonesty, and day-to-day strange transactions were said to have been perpetrated by the president.

The petition reads in part:

“We are the concerned members of the Students’ Executive Council (SEC) of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko Students’ Union (AAUASU)’s 2019/2020 administration led by Comrade Obagunwa Oluwasegun, popularly known as Supreme. We write you with great and utmost displeasure on notice of a chronic event that is currently rocking the foundation of our union as a result of the crooked and monopolistic styled leadership of Supreme, who is characterized by huge greed, dishonesty and extreme recklessness in saddling the affairs of the over 15,000 AAUA students.”

CLICK TO SEE DOCUMENT

Professor Olugbenga Ige, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution; special adviser to the Ondo State governor on youth and students’ affairs; the Nigerian Police; Director of State Security Service; the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFC); National Association of Nigerian Students NANS, Joint Campus Committee (NANS JCC), Ondo State; NAUS CMC Ondo State; security unit of the school; and those alleged to been involved in the fraudulent acts all got a copy of the petition.

The petition also showed that the executive members of the union had not been operating as a team but a divided house where the devil and corrupt practices resided. Some members got paid while some got little or no funds to run their offices.

The petitioners said funds allocated to the union were approved for unnecessary expenditures such as over N200,000 for a dinner, N182,000 for the senate president, N52,000 naira for the caucus leaders, N76,600 naira for a billboard that would never be constructed, N77,000 for the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), N45,000 for washing of senators’ gowns, N80,000 for the financial secretary and N114,000 for the treasurer. Whereas, the PRO who worked assiduously was given N20,000 for the whole session.

AAUASU Document 3

A sum of N100,000 was also illegally withdrawn from the union’s account and labelled “approved budget for a condolence visit to the bereaved”, whereas, the condolence visit refered to was sponsored by the vice-chancellor and not the union.

It was also learnt that relief materials, such as 50 bags of 25kg rice, garri, 50 students’ mattresses, 3000 yards of Ankara and 50 pieces of duvet, donated by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with a politician for students who were victims of a fire incident were hoarded.

Obagunwa and Amodu were also said to have sold some of the appliances they met in the students’ union building. The television meant for the office of the president was also said to have been sold without replacement.

“Specifically, we also bring to your notice that Obagunwa Olusegun personally wrote and got approval for budget for offices and misappropriated the union’s funds, and as a result of this, the financial statements of the union’s account is not made accessible to other members of the Students’ Executive Council or to those who have demanded it,” the petition reads.

“It should be on record that Supreme and Eja Nla received the sum of N180,000 from the vice-chancellor to sponsor NANS debate in which some of our students participated, but the duo concealed the fund and went behind to request for another sum of N180,000 from the students’ union’s account for the same purpose.

“For the record also, executives of the union and other principal officers were not adequately remunerated. Against what was obtainable in the previous administration, where executive members of the union were paid N15,000 as remuneration, Supreme and Eja Nla shamelessly approved N3,000 each as remuneration fee for executives… These and many more are the evils orchestrated by the 2019/2020 administration of Obagunwa Oluwasegun Supreme.”

AAUASU Doc 4

In a chat on a WhatsApp group monitored by this reporter, the president said he spent part of the union’s money on spiritual consultation.

“Well, thank God you wrote it here that the money I collected from you was after the approval of the EPC,” he wrote. “We all know the importance of prayers when things are going wrong. So, at that period, I had to mobilise men of God to pray to avert further evil.

“Then, as for the television, you and I know it had stopped functioning for decades. Sampraise repaired it but it still didn’t work, so I had to dispose it when I got on board, since it was not useful.”

AAUASU Document

THE TREASURER’S RESPONSE

Responding to the petition, Afolabi Emmanuel, who is the union’s treasurer, confirmed the claims that N3,000 was budgeted for each executive member as remuneration.

“That’s very true,” he said, “but later when everybody rejected that budget, I think the president revisited it and changed it to N8,000.”

He also confirmed the withdrawal of N100,000 for a condolece visit, saying the money was used appropriately.

“How can that be illegal?” He asked.

“That N100,000 was approved as well by the SRC before the money was withdrawn from the union’s account. I went with them. And while going, I think we got a lot of petrol, food and some other things. Anyways, I don’t know maybe later in the day, the VC sent money. But that very day we went to Okitipupa, we didn’t receive any fund from the school.”

He also said those who took part in the NANS debate were paid before embarking on the journey. However, a source who was part of the debate representatives said they did not get any funds.

UNION’S STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT CAN’T BE FOUND

FIJ monitored the online conversation between the aggrieved members of the students’ union and the accused union and senate presidents as part of efforts to resolve the crisis. The Zoom meeting had in attendance former students’ union officers, serving executives and some members of the Senate Representatives Council (SRC).

A major demand by a majority of those present was the presentation of a statement of account. It was also mentioned that a demand for the union’s account by the SRC had always brought the house sitting to an end. The statement of account is expected to be presented every three months, but that has not been the case.

One of the participants said in the chat session, “I am still asking, where is the statement of account?”

FORMATION OF A FOUR-MAN COMMITTEE.

The president and the senate president claimed the issue had been resolved, but the aggrieved executive members disagreed. However, the president was unable to stay long in the meeting due to what he called “poor network connection” when it was his turn to address the gathering.

To resolve the crisis, a four-man committee was formed to meet with all aggrieved parties.

One of the participants in the meeting said the accused individuals should be made to face the school authorities instead of resolving the crisis.

Meanwhile, at the time of filing this report, the accused union leaders were yet to give a response to the allegations of fraud against them.

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Published 17th Oct, 2021

By Damilola Olufemi

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