NEWS

AVMS SENATE SUSPENDS EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT, IMPEACHES SENATOR

During the Senate sitting held on Friday, August 2nd, 2019, the Senate Council of Association of Veterinary Medical Students, University of Ibadan (AVMS, UI) indefinitely suspended the Executive President of the association on an allegation of gross misconduct. A senator from DVMV Constituency was also impeached during the Senate sitting held on Friday. This was made known to the members of the association through a report released by the Information Officer of the Senate, Senator Oladeji Deborah. According to the report, the Vice President of the association, Comrade Akinpelu Motolani, was appointed as the Acting Executive President. This resolution by the senate, released at exactly 8:06am August 3rd 2019 on the association’s Whatsapp group page, was immediately denied by the suspended President who explicitly stated that he excused himself from the senate sitting only due to security reasons, not on a motive of misconduct. He also highlighted the shortcomings of the Senate stating that a Senator, Akinniyi Toluwalope of DVM III constituency, showed an unruly and uncalled for attitude to the office of the Executive President but the Senate Council decided to sweep his misdoings under the carpet.

In a response to the uproar created by their earlier release, the Senate Council released an official statement 11:06pm on August 3rd 2019 with the aim of clarification of everything that transpired during the Senate sitting on Friday. According to the official statement, Mr Aleem Abolanle was impeached because the senate council had lost confidence in him. They alleged that Mr Aleem was absent from the first Senate sitting, was late to the second sitting without prior official notice, was absent from the AVMS Congress without prior notification, and was unresponsive to the official query issued to him within and after 24 hours. This, according to the Senate, was a direct infringement to the code of conduct of the Council and there is a constitutional punishment for such act according to the Article II, Section IV, Sub-Section III of the organization’s constitution.

On the suspension of the Executive President, according to the released statement, the issue ensued when the Senate discovered that the organization’s treasure had been kept into a “potentially malicious private account” without proper hinting of the Senate. In reaction to this, Senator Akinniyi Toluwalope expressed the sensitivity of the Executive’s motive leading to a resentful situation that resulted to the President leaving the senate meeting to “clear his head” without coming back again. This action of the President, according to the Senate, is uncalled for and is an act of gross misconduct which led a probe panel to indefinitely suspend the President according to Article III, Section IVa of the association’s constitution.

Some members of the association have called for a Congress, the highest decision-making body of the association, to address these matters.

NAFDAC BANS SNIPER

With suicide cases traced to the use of Sniper rising, many Nigerian citizens are at their wits’ end regarding how to mitigate these tragic occurrences. In a recent fatal incident, a female member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) undergoing the one-year programme in Osogbo, Osun State, was a victim. After an interminable outcry on her needless death, the Federal Health Authority placed a ban on the sale of the product in the open market. The proscription is out of a legitimate concern, and stemming the scourge of suicide among the youth will test the society’s mettle to the limit. 

Until Ayomikun Ademorayo’s death earlier this month, Sniper had gained notoriety as the fastest civil weapon for committing suicide among Nigerians. Widely used as a pesticide in agriculture and in homes as an insecticide because of its efficacy, the major challenge with Sniper is that it is easily accessible: practically anyone could buy it in the open market. Young people are exploiting this. At the weekend, two female undergraduates of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, during a minor quarrel, attacked each other with Sniper.

Even in the University of Ibadan, there have been incidences of Sniper intoxication of some individuals. Therefore, more than the Sniper ban, the three tiers of government, school authorities, the civil society and religious organizations should devise fresh strategies to curb the march of our youths to end their own lives. Educative programmes that discourage suicide should be introduced in schools and workplace.