Cultism No Longer Exists In LASU

Two of the newly elected executives of the Lagos State Universityâ€s Students Union Government, speak with Campus Square on cultism, strikes and their plans for students of the institution

Can you tell us about yourself?

Iâ€m Layiwola Adebayo Ibrahim, popularly known as Lai. Iâ€m a 400 level student of the Department of History and International Studies in the Faculty of Arts. I am the 20th President of the Students†Union Government of the Lagos State University.

What are the challenges so far?

There are lots of challenges but thank God, we have overcome most of the challenges but it is not yet over until it is over. I get a lot of problem from students, police but we intend to solve it through the methodology we intend to use for this administration which is confrontation, negotiation and consultation. But we donâ€t want to use confrontation because our consultation and negotiation are working perfectly.

And the gains?

This is a learning environment and we are learning. We get to know what leadership is all about and not monetary gains but fairness in our administration.

What is your manifesto?

My manifesto is based on the T-9 mode. We have to provide absolute welfare package for the students, especially in the area of accommodation. We are therefore calling on government to provide more hostels for us because this environment is volatile and students have to stay in school for the purpose of security. Another is transport. We need adequate transportation system to move students from the various hostels to school. We want the state government to make BRT buses available to the school and the third one is the platform on which students are made to know what is happening in the society. We intend to organise workshops and symposia, among other things, in this regard. Another one is communication. We have a Communication School and want students to showcase what they have been learning. We also want to have our journal which we have started working on. We are begging the schoolâ€s management and the state government to give us license to start operating LASU Radio. We have the facilities but the license has not been granted. Already, we have The Moderator and The Pen Pusher. The Moderator is going to encompass essay competitions and debates held periodically for students to showcase their talents to the world. Our administration would be the shortest because we donâ€t pray for strike.

Some of your predecessors made similar manifestos but could not really make the impact, what difference would you make?

No one is perfect, although the previous administrations have tried to some extent, we want to improve on what they did.

Do you have any word of advice for the students?

I implore them to shun examination malpractice, violence, vandalism and cultism. They should not also jeopardise their bright future because we are the leaders of tomorrow.

SOCIAL DIRECTOR:

Can you introduce yourself?

I am Jimoh Babatunde Ahmed but popularly called Dular. I am the Social Director of the Students†Union Government of the Lagos State University and a 300 level student of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management in the Faculty of Management Science.

What is your opinion on the recent strike in LASU?

We are not happy about the strike because of the academic calendar. We all felt the impact of the strike in a negative way, but thank God, it has been resolved and we are back on campus. We are really happy that the state government came to terms with the unions and what we are asking is that there should be no more strikes. We want a peaceful academic session.

What about the issue of cultism on the campus?

Gone are those days when things were very terrible. For some years now, we have been having peaceful times in LASU. Although cultism cannot be stopped, it can be reduced. We no longer witness killings in LASU as it has become a thing of the past and LASU now produces useful future leaders. In LASU, there is no burgling of hostels, we are now living in a peaceful environment and we implore those who are still in this act to desist from it.