MODEL AND EFFICIENT UNILORITES,
There’s been a lot of conversation about transportation on our campus, and rightly so. It affects every one of us, every day.
But beyond the headlines, there are important facts, context, and questions about how we got here, the changes that were made, and what students deserve going forward, more specifically, my vision.
In this video, I address the transportation issue, clarify misconceptions, and speak on the vagueness surrounding the changes to the transport system.
#Unilorin #UnilorinSU
Setting the Record Straight: A Note to My Fellow Unilorites on Service, Stewardship and Our Shared Reality.
MODEL and EFFICIENT Colleagues,
In the last couple of hours, my attention has been drawn to viral comments circulating regarding the video projected at the auditorium during the press night involving myself, my friend, Senator Adeoye, and my secondary school and University class mate, Honorable Simple, featuring the students’ union vehicle.
I am aware of the allegations of insensitivity being circulated even to the extent of alleging that I made the post on my WhatsApp status which was clearly addressed as untrue.
And as someone who believes in transparent leadership, I find it imperative to address this directly and set the record straight.
1. The Context of the Video
First, let me be clear: I am not insensitive to the collective plight of our colleagues, rather, I am wholly and directly concerned and affected. The transportation challenge is not just a policy issue; it is a lived, daily struggle that I have experienced since my 100-level days. I know exactly how draining it is to commute between campus and off-campus under these circumstances and never will I water down its effects on us.
The video in question was recorded while I was on an official, time-sensitive assignment. I had been instructed by the Executive President to urgently check on freshers signing into their hostels last November. I utilized the students’ union vehicle precisely because speed was necessary to ensure our new colleagues were settled.
When I encountered Senator Adeoye and my friend on the road, I picked them up as a simple act of courtesy, a standard practice among colleagues, similar gestures being extended to every other Unilorites from time to time.
My focus was on driving, as I prioritize safety at all times. The laughter captured in the video was not a reaction to our suffering as students; it was a human response to a lighthearted comment from my secondary school classmate who noticed me driving and was shocked because him and thousands other Unilorites have never seen me behind that or any other wheel. I immediately stopped smiling the moment he made that statement however, I could not humanly have left the wheel and start immediate sensitization for someone who has sworn an oath to diligently serve Unilorites and UNILAWRITES specifically and the evidently short video could not have captured my comments. The smile reflected in the video was a response to the statement made by my friend and classmate and not that made by Senator ADEOYE, never will I take with levity, a critical matter that takes away blood, sweat and rigor from the administration which I was wholly invested in.
In fact, the journey was intra-campus specifically to Lagos Male Hostel, Abuja Hostel, Needs Hostel and Zamfara Hostel and not out of campus to warrant any queues.
My record speaks louder than a few seconds of footage: even after my formal resignation as PRO, I was at the parks after the Press Night, working alongside colleagues to ensure students got off campus safely and timely, even walking back to campus from the Dam where I went to coordinate buses to the pack to ensure no one was left behind.
I find it disheartening that numerous vile and incorrect opinions have been intentionally couched and spread in a bid to take Unilorites away from the truth which was clearly set out and laid bare before everyone in the auditorium when this allegation was first raised.
2. My Stewardship as PRO: A Commitment to Results
Regarding claims of underperformance, I stand by my record. The Office of the PRO is a conduit, not an independent source of policy. Its effectiveness depends on the collaboration of the entire executive council. Despite these systemic constraints, I diligently fulfilled my constitutional duties while pushing for innovation.