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By: Tunde Adebayo.

On Thursday, 17th of December, 2020, the Students’ Representative Council of the Students’ Union Government ; The Polytechnic, Ibadan sat for their last plenary of the year. In this assembly, the House deliberated on a number of pressing issues that includes; the incessant portal crisis, the lethargic state of the budget, appointment of the Students’ Union Judicial Council, and finally the ‘defiant’ indigenous associations and their reluctance to adhere to the SRC bill that caps all indigenous fee to a sum of Five Hundred Naira only (N500).

The House started with the indigenous saga that has been running as far back as March, 2020 (before the COVID-19 break). Also this was the last discuss of the House in it’s sixth plenary. After a report from Senator Itunu, Chairman Finance committee, the House complained about the said associations reluctance to obey and also their failure to act in diplomatically towards the Union in regards to bureaucratic standards. It was also said that the manner at which the fee is collected gives zero room for transparency as it’s a mode of hand-to-hand transaction.

Since it was constitutionally cited that the Students’ Representative Council shall be the supreme policy-making body of the Union, after the Congress in the SUG constitution, section 17, subsection 3. Therefore, they are legally allowed to sanction all affiliated associations (Indigenous Associations are among). Hence, the Senate reached a conclusion to uphold their earlier decision to cap the FIA fees to Five Hundred Naira at most.

They also went further as to slamming a sanction on the association, ordering them to refund all excess (extra charges from the stipulated 500) back to it’s paying members on or before the turn of the year (New Year). This development comes due to the invisible role these associations play.

Furthermore, the House discussed the lethargic budget that has failed to see the light of the day. As these went on, the House was thrown in mild disarray due to the constitutional loopholes that does not specify how budget sitting should be organized. This permits the budget committee monopoly over the subject. Also they talked about the ongoing project by the SUG (A bus stop, opposite Poly Micro-Finance Bank) and how it’s budget has been passed. The Chairman, Budget Committee, Senator Akinpelu Habeeb recited the said project budget to the house and stated that it would be made public on the Students’ Union Board.

Thereafter, the business shifted to the pressing portal crisis that has shown down activities on campus, the lack of course form; Late computation of results; late mobilization, and other data processing management. It was agreed that the Union will refer to the table again with the management. And the seventh plenary of the Students’ Representative Council, The Polytechnic, Ibadan was concluded after the deputy speaker, Senator Yekini Sheriff moved the motion to adjourn the meeting indefinitely.

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