AN EXCLUSIVE YET INTENSE INTERVIEW WITH A PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANT OLOKEDE BUKOLA

An exclusive interview with OLOKEDE BUKOLA, a 300 level student of the Department of Political Science,OAU ... We are pleased to have him here with us and we will be sharing our viewers an exclusive yet  drilling Interview with a radical presidential aspirants of Obafemi Awolowo University, Student Union.

Join us in taking you through this thrilling interview of a Paragon, radical,leader, an enthasiast, an humantarian and a political aspirants, He is no other person than OLOKEDE OlUWABUKOLA  aka BUKOLA! ..

 

Holla BUKOLA 🔊🔊

You are welcome To Oduduwa News Interview ; Welcome  to Interview With .....🔥💃

I'm sure we would have a good time, isn't it?😎😃

Aright! Can we start the journey?😍🔥💃

Can you kindly introduce  yourself and all that encompasses you?

BUKOLA: I am Olokede Oluwabukola Olamide, popularly known as BUKOLA. I'm a 300L student of the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University.  

ODUDUWA NEWS: Can we have an insight into your profile?

BUKOLA:I am a student of Political Science. Right from time, my focus has been on how I can deliver a responsible and visionary youthful leadership that would lead to the betterment of wherever I am found and the society at large.

Providence has given me some opportunities to get involved in leadership and I have utilized them to the best of my ability to advance human good. When I was at Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, I was the President of my Fellowship (MFMCF) and to the glory of God, the fellowship building was constructed from the scratch till it was roofed under my watch.

Here at OAU, I was a member of the Constitutional Drafting Committee of the Faculty of Social Sciences Students' Association.

 I am also the current Chairperson of the Constitutional Review Committee of the National Association of Political Science Students, OAU (NAPSS).

 I am the Head of Programs of the Astute Debaters' Club, OAU, and we have a program underway that is popularly known as "The Discourses".

ODUDUWA NEWS:Why did you intend to run for the Great Ife Students' Union President?_

BUKOLA:There is a trend I have seen in the Nigerian educational system and it is one that portends danger. This trend is obvious to every discerning student and those interested in university education in Nigeria. This trend started several years back but all the attempts to arrest this dangerous trend in our educational system have not really yielded immense positive results. Many of us in the university today did not attend public primary and secondary schools and the major reason for this was because of the low quality of education they offer which was as a result of years of neglect and mismanagement on the part of those who were saddled with the responsibility to do so.* 

Even the private secondary schools we all attended,there is no proper regulatory measures put in place to ensure "quality assurance"

The trend currently is that our public universities are already on the path of neglect and mismanagement. The  path that our public secondary schools followed and which consequently made them not to be a point of call for our parents when they wanted to enroll us for primary and secondary school education. The danger of this current trend of our public universities  lead to the collapse of the public university system and this made university education inaccessible to many young people, and the socio-economic status of the majority of our parents cannot afford to send us to private or foreign universities. 

This dangerous trend that I have seen and the realization of the fact that the Students' Union is a viable and formidable tool that could be deployed to arrest this trend made me to step out to seek the mandate from the Great Ife Students to be the President of our dear Union in the coming session.

ODUDUWA NEWS: What is  your perspective on inclusive administration?_

BUKOLA:Due to the complexities of the human challenges and the intractability of some of them, there is a need to involve all stakeholders in the decision-making process. 

Governance_ is different from _government_. Governance is a process of decision-making and implementation. One of the core principle of a good governance is participation. A participatory governance is an inclusive administration where all relevant stakeholders are given the opportunity to make their contributions on how we are being governed and how we can facilitate lasting solutions to our complex and intractable problems. 

I am totally in support of a participatory governance and this would be the kind of administration I would run when I emerge as the President.

I'll ensure that there is adequate participation in the decision-making and implementation process within the Central Executive Council. Also, I'll ensure that there is an appropriate synergy between the Central Executive Council and other organs such as the Students' Representatives Council, the Hall Executives, the Judiciary of the Union.

 Lastly, the Congress shall have significant roles in determining the policies of the Union.

ODUDUWA:What do you intend to do differently for students?_

BUKOLA:As we must know, the university has three major responsibility and they are teaching, research and community service. The aspect that concerns us most as students is teaching because we are a product that is under making, a product which must meet the expectation of the end-users who are employers of labour or users of manpower. 

We have always complained about the unemployability of graduates of Nigerian universities and the blame is majorly put on the students. I have however seen that this is not really true. Our education is structured mostly to give us certificates whether we get the skills and substance or not. 

In treating the issue of unemployable graduates of Nigerian universities, we have to look at the quality of the curriculum, the professional competence of the dispensers of the curriculum (lecturers), the availability of the tools and facilities needed to deliver the curriculum effectively, the mode of assessing, the adequacy of social amenities that are needed by students to have a seamless, stressless academic pursuit.

You would agree with me that there are issues with each of those itemized above. 

The major thing I would do differently for Great Ife Students is ensuring those challenges above are addressed by representing them well and advocating for their interests. We don't just want certificates, we want an education that equips us with the skills and competence that we need to compete effectively in the modern economy so as for us to be self-reliant and productive.

ODUDUWA NEWS: What is your view on student-management relationship?_

BUKOLA:There are critical Stakeholders in the university, like the Federal Government being represented by the Ministry of Education, the Governing Council, the Management under the Vice-Chancellor, the teaching staff, the non-teaching staff, the students and the immediate community where the university is located. 

One of the facts that we need to establish and prove is that, being students does not mean that we are lesser stakeholders of the university. In fact we should be the most important stakeholders of the university because we bear the brunt of whatever consequences that concerns university policies. 

Therefore, the management should not see us an antagonists and we also should not see the management as people who are always ready to sabotage our interests and welfare. We students are stakeholders and we should be treated as such by being involved effectively in the decision-making process. 

Definitely, there would be points of disagreement but this should not degenerate to the point of antagonizing each other to the point of hindering the progress of the university.

ODUDUWA:In the last SU admit, the Union was proscribed due to embezzlement and other misconducts. How do we intend to forestall this?

BUKOLA:Firstly, the leaders of the Union need to watch their actions well so as not to do things that would again dent the image of the Union, or lead, again, to her dismissal. 

Secondly, there is a need for differentials between the leaders of the Union and the the Union itself. For instance, according to political theory and practice, State is relatively permanent but Government is temporary. When a government is not doing well or is corrupt it should be changed through the mechanisms that are provided by the constitution. But this change of government must not affect the permanency of the State.

This is also applicable to the Union: a Student Union leader who is corrupt must be removed from office but the Union must remain.

Lastly, as regards to the issue of embezzlement, there is a need for us as a Union to have public procurement policy in order to ensure due process, probity, value for money, and accountability on the part of the Union leaders. Procurement should be made open and competitive.

ODUDUWA NEWS: Can you sacrifice your studentship for overall interest of the students?_

BUKOLA:This question reminds we aspirants of the need to count the cost well before going to the poll.

In all my endeavors, the first thing I have always done is to sit down and analyse the cost. I have taken steps that have somehow brought delay for me because I chose not to compromise. 

It is actually time that can test the resolve of any of us when it comes to the length we would go in defending the students. 

At the outset, I analysed  the cost of this pursuit and I can say boldly here that I am ready to go any length to defend, protect and promote the interests and welfare of Great Ife students.

ODUDUWA NEWS:What are the mechanisms you intend to put in place to stop student victimization by the management?_

BUKOLA:It is a known fact that violation of fundamental human rights thrives most when people do not know their rights. 

The first thing I would do is to make students know their rights as a member of the Obafemi Awolowo University community. There is Obafemi Awolowo University's  *CODE  OF  CONDUCT  FOR  THE UNIVERSITY  COMMUNITY* made by the senate. Students need to be well acquainted with this for their rights not to be trampled on.

Secondly, there would be a unit in my office that will be responsible for taking complaints of students who are being victimized by the management. This unit will also serve as an investigative panel so as to confirm the substance of the case of victimization. It will have sound students from the Faculty of Law as members.

Lastly, legal assistance would be sought for students who are unjustly victimized by the management.

ODUDUWA NEWS:Lastly, your general words and brief of your manifesto._

Our "shared aspiration" to see OAU as an environment that is conducive and fit for learning can only be achieved through a "shared responsibility" . 

This is not the time to be passive about Union activities. It is 'our' Union. 

As regards to my manifesto, they can be summarized into three: 

 Quality academic system that equips truly and effectively with skills and not just certificates.

 Provision of adequate supporting system like better living conditions in the halls of residence, adequate recreational facilities, better transportation system (especially for those living off-campus), adequate security for those on campus and those living off campus, better health care delivery system.

Good governance. Making our Union participatory, responsive, efficient and effective, governed based on the rule of law and tradition and many more.

Thank you.

Awesome BUKOLA!!! 

I am pretty sure the entirety of OAU will definitely be impressed by your insight and how well you are prepared for this role if given the opportunity. Thank you so much for your response so far. It has been a wonderful time with you!  

Finally !!! 

Yeah, and that is all in the interview with OLOKEDE BUKOLA 💕

Expect a spicy, yet detailed interview in our Next Series💞

Thank you so much for reading so far! You are all a darling!