Published 28th Nov, 2022

By Segun Ige

Graduates of the 2019/2020 academic set at the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, are yet to be mobilised for the national youth service.

One of the graduates, who asked not to be named, told FIJ that about 90 percent of them were yet to be mobilised in the department.

“At the Department of Mathematical Sciences, we have two courses, industrial math and pure math,” said the graduate. “What we have discovered is while industrial math students are being mobilised, those who took pure math are not.”

He continued: “Our HOD, Dr Adedowole Alimi, who is the level coordinator for pure math, does not want to do anything. Even during ASUU strike, which he claimed was delaying the mobilisation process, students were still mobilised in industrial math, but we were not mobilised. Our HOD would always say he had printed the results and all that was left was just for the ICTAC to sign on it.

“Other departments that are more than 200 have mobilised almost all their students. Only my department… and we are not even up to 120. Some of us are in Lagos and Abuja working, and one of our lecturers told my course mate that if we were not more than 20 to come down to school, our HOD might not listen to us. We don’t know what is delaying our results. The only thing that can delay our result is carry-over courses. But there is no carry-over, or whatsoever.

“The HOD is not willing to listen to our lecturers and our parents. Dr Alimi is a member of ASUU, and that is what we think is delaying our result. Dr Richard Awonusika, who is the level coordinator for industrial math, has been sending his students’ results to the senate for approval and issuing their statements of results.

“I am just tired of staying at home. No one wants to employ us. You can’t just go to any employer that you are still expecting your statement of results. Many people are crying. During the course of this mobilisation, some of my course mates are dead already. I’m serious. Some are presently sick, but we that nothing has happened to, there is no hope yet. The situation is becoming unbearable and I will soon be aged 30.”

A student's complete results, with no outstanding courses

Another graduate said the department told them to wait till the end of the last ASUU strike, and since the strike ended on October 14, nothing had been done towards their mobilisation.

“Because of COVID, we could not graduate in 2020. We defended our projects in August 2021. The HOD said the ASUU strike in February 2022 had been the major delay. Going to two months now since ASUU strike ended, we have been begging and calling him, but he has done nothing. He said he was working on it, and other departments are doing their clearance. We asked him if we should come to school to assist him, he said no. This is second semester and another set will soon be mobilised. Sometimes, he doesn’t even answer our calls,” he said.

“We even spoke with the coordinator for industrial math, Dr Richard Awonusika, to help us to talk to the HOD. He said no, that the HOD was superior to him. Batch A and Batch B have gone for service in industrial math. Students who have not gone for service in industrial are the ones who have carry-over courses, or who have not yet paid their school fees. Some of us in pure math have already cleared our results, and yet, we have not been mobilised. About 10 of us in pure math followed Batch A Stream 2 in early February, but since the strike, everything has totally changed.”

Another graduate told FIJ that the industrial math level coordinator had been actively engaging his students by sending their results to the Information and Communication Technology Application Centre (ICTAC) for signature, even during the ASUU strike.

“Whenever I called the HOD for my NYSC, he would be telling me ‘there is no light in school’. All those stupid excuses. And since he is the HOD, there is nothing we can do,” the graduate said. “We have to abide by everything.”

“He is always giving unreasonable excuses for not having their statements of results; a necessary requirement for our NYSC. Maybe 2024, we will go for service, any time he feels like. All my results are on my portal. I simply do not know what’s delaying my statement of results.

“A course mate of mine in industrial math told me that during the ASUU strike, Dr Awonusika was taking their results for signature to ICTAC. In July, during the ASUU strike, I remember suggesting we could contribute money to buy the HOD fuel, since he was complaining about power, he said no, that he didn’t need our money.”

Meanwhile, FIJ spoke with Alimi, the HOD, on the phone, and he explained that students yet to be mobilised were the ones who did late registration of courses or had outstanding courses.

“We don’t have any problem with mobilising our students. Those who have not been mobilised are the ones who did back registration,” he said. “If their results are ready, we will process them for mobilisation.”

He continued: “Most of these students have one problem or another. It’s either they did back-reg: they didn’t register along with their course mates. And you know, we had been on strike for eight months, so how would I be able to process such a result? So it’s from the school, not me. I’m not holding any student back.

“Some of them in 400 level didn’t register for 300 level. So those that have not graduated now are the ones who didn’t register with their course mates. Some students also have outstanding courses. They think once they did back-reg, their results should be ready just like that.”

Alimi also said that cumulating previously unregistered years with 2021 was not easy and that more recently, the school website had been terribly bad.

“Assuming the Avers is okay, and those in charge process it,” he said, “they will get their results.” “So, last year, they didn’t register along with their colleagues. I’m not the one processing their results.”

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