The Congress of the University of Ilorin (Unilorin) Alumni Association on Sunday extended the tenure of its Steering Committee to pilot the affairs of the association for the next six months.
Prof. David Durosaro, the Chairman, Body of Past Presidents of the association, who presided over the congress, explained that it has approved the nomination of an audit-firm to scrutinise the bank accounts of the association.
According to him, this is due to allegations and counter-allegations bordering on financial impropriety in the running of the old students’ group.
He stated that the elongation of the tenure of Prof. Jeleel Ojuade-led interim committee followed the adoption and ratification of the reports of Facts Finding Committee and Committee on Constitution Review at the congress.
He noted that part of the recommendations of the facts finding committee was that none of the factional executives should be allowed to contest in a fresh election that would usher in a new executive for the alumni body.
Prof. Adegboyega Fawole, who chaired the Facts Finding Committee, said: “When you have two groups fighting over a family affair, there is no way you can resolve it by saying let one continues and let the other step down.
“The easier way, which is best for everybody is to ask the groups to step aside and let some other people come in.
“The Alumni has thousands of membership and all of them are capable of leading this thing,” he said.
On his part, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, the Chairman, Constitution Review of the association, explained further that the existing constitution created some loopholes with no mechanism to solve emerging disagreements in the association.
“In any human organisation, there bound to be disagreement. But it appears that when disagreements occur, there are no mechanisms to resolving them.
“For instance, if there had been mechanism, there wouldn’t be need for the Vice-Chancellor to be putting in place a peace committee. There would have been a machinery.
“For instance, what we have now is that if there is any such in future, the Council of Past Presidents that had now been created, would take up the challenge,” Egbewole said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an electoral committee that was earlier raised at the congress was stepped down while the steering committee was directed to manage the affairs of the association for the next six months preparatory to elect a substantive leadership.