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FATSSSA PRESIDENT AND FATSSSA PRESS’ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AT WAR OF WORDS OVER ALLEGED ANTI-PRESS COMMENTS FROM THE PRESIDENT.

                                 

By Achieverbae

GEO, 3OOL

At the Faculty of The Social Sciences Students Association’s House of Representatives Sitting which held on Friday in Rm 036 of the Faculty basement, a heated engagement ensued between the President of the association, Mr Josiah Obong Josiah, and the Editor in Chief of the FATSSSA press Mr Emmanuel Ajiboye. 

The short-lived but heated exchange of words between the two was born out of some comments attributed to the President of the association, in which he was said to have argued against the 1% subvention of the dues which the association’s constitution awards to the Press for the pursuit of her activities. Mr Ajiboye, who was not present at the start of the sitting, came in halfway during one of the President’s presentations to the House. He was recognized by the Speaker after about an hour of presence and when allowed to talk, he directed his questions and inquiries at the President. “Mr Speaker, I will direct my question to the President of the association. For I heard some comments attributed to him, which made to claim―I hope its not true, that he suggested that the 1% subvention meant for the Press should be denied over the allegation that the FATSSSA press has not been functioning, so that the money may be used for better ends. I wish to state very clearly that the press has no obligation to make an account of its stewardship to the president. As a matter of fact, the press is not an executive committee under the president nor answerable to him, neither should the president arrogate to himself the powers to decided who gets what from the union dues, and why. He has no right to confront a constitutional provision.” Mr Ajiboye said. He further urged everyone including the president to respect the discipline of democratic proceedings and be disciplined enough to be responsible for their words, alleging that the he was told the president described the press as unimportant and insignificant.

 The president in his response charged the E-in-C to live up to the same merit of being responsible with his words, claiming that he never made use of the word insignificant or unimportant in describing the press. He however defended his right to accuse the Faculty Press of not functioning, claiming he has the right to make the accusation if not as the president, at least as a student of the faculty, a Fatsssaite. “You are a pressman, it is your job to pepper your words and glamour to them. We are used to that. I am sure my accusation was well echoed by the honourables here present”, the president said.

There were no comments from him whether or not he actually suggested that the press be denied its natural subvention, as the constitution describes. It was here that the Speaker of the FHR Mr Mayowa Adejumo stepped in.  In his own comments he first debunked that anyone made a serious effort at claiming that the press would not get its 1% subvention. “it is a constitutional provision and no one can usurp the constitution. This is just a misunderstanding. The alleged comments were not seriously made. It was just a joke, perhaps the press could like to make the sacrifice of running itself by its own efforts which we would all appreciate (he laughed)”, said the speaker.

 Before he left for an ongoing Pressmen’s training, the E in C, Mr Ajiboye tried to give a quick report of the activities of  the Faculty Press so far to the House, while warning that the bad attitude of disrespecting the press, which he alleged to have been inherited by the current administration would not be tolerated by this generation of pressmen, under his leadership.