Aliyu Ibrahim Jidda
The Vice – Chancellor, Federal University of Technology Minna, Prof. Abdullahi Bala, FSSSN has charged the Students Union Electoral Committee Members to remain absolutely neutral and committed towards the conduct of credible election for the up- coming Students Union Government of the University.
The Vice – Chancellor made the call on Monday, 4th October, 2021 during the inauguration ceremony of the newly constituted 2021 Students Union Independent Electoral Committee held at the Senate Chamber, Main Campus, Gidan Kwano, Minna.
Prof. Bala who praised the committee for its conduct of the 2019 Students Union elections, pointed out that the task ahead requires sacrifice and commitments.
He noted that the Management was not fixated to conducting the election in either the first or second semester as both periods have their advantages and disadvantages, but was mainly concerned with following the provisions of the students constitution.
The Vice-Chancellor appreciated the innovations brought to the electoral system by the committee by confining all manifesto and campaigning activities to the campuses and the studio of the University Search FM, rather than the usual rallies that do not give majority of students the opportunity to hear what the candidates are saying.
He added that this will give the electorates, the University community and the host communities opportunity to listen to the debate and have an idea of the policies of the candidates.
On e- voting,Prof. Bala, pointed out that the University is the pacesetter in electronic voting system as others have been coming to the institution to know how the feat was achieved.
Still reposing his confidence on the electronic voting, the Professor of Soil Science alerted that even when one of the Cooperatives in the University encountered hitches during its EXCO election, it was the e- voting system that resolved the problem.
The Chairman of the committee, Prof. Adamu
Kabiru, Director SERVICOM, explained that they have gathered some experiences arising from how elections were conducted in the past years which gave birth to crises in the institution, hence they resolve to maintain the new system which is e- voting. However, the committee shall improve on its previous performance.
The Dean Students Affairs, Dr. Manasseh Auta who first spoke at the inception of the event highlighted that the election ought to have held earlier, but the Covid 19 pandemic interrupted the process.
More so, the management being a management that goes by the rules and regulations decided that elections be held by the first semester, in line with the provisions of the constitution.
The 2021 Electoral Committee comprises staff and students representatives drawn from the various Schools, Departments and Units of the University.
Photos: Elijah Yisa