UNIZIK inaugurates new Student Union executives

A new set of Student Union Government (SUG) executives have emerged from the 2013/2014 SUG elections at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka.

The elections, which held on Wednesday, saw Ibe Chukwunonso Cico, a chemical engineering student, emerge  president in the election. He polled a total of 193 votes to defeat Humphrey Onyemsiri who got 154 votes.

Agulefo Queen emerged Vice President with 421 votes while Onyebuchi Kelvin was elected Secretary General, unopposed.

Onumajuru Chiama Jane emerged Assistant Secretary General, also unopposed.  Chinwuko Chisom emerged Treasurer, with a total of 313 votes.

Chukwu Kelechi emerged Financial Secretary with a total of 425 votes while Chukwu Clinton was elected  Public Relations Officer with a total of 394. Divine Ezike emerged Director of Socials, with 423 votes.

The new officers have since been inaugurated. The handover ceremony took place Thursday at the council chambers, located within the university’s main campus, Awka.

After the inauguration, the new SUG President, said he would not let  the students of the university down and that he would put in his best to ensure that the SUG cooperates with the school’s management to promote the welfare of students.

It is hoped that the new executives would be able to create a new path of acceptance and responsibility for the Student Union of the school, our correspondent in the university say.

The election however witnessed massive apathy which some students blame on the election law which requires that for a student to vote, he or she must have paid his school fees for the current session.

However, some of the students interviewed said they had lost confidence in the SUG due to what they called the bad performances by the previous SUG administrations, especially the immediate past leadership.

Some of the students interviewed said they would still not have taken part in the voting exercise even if they had paid their  fees.

The students described the immediate past SUG leadership as the worst in the history of the university while some even advised the university management to scrap the union because according to them, the union executives make no impact on fellow students.

Some students however commended the immediate past Public Relations Officer of the union, Ezenwa Obiora, for exceptional performance.

During the regime of the immediate past SUG leadership, the students said they witnessed abnormal increase in transport fares, house rents and on the prices of other goods and services within the university community. An average room at Ifite now costs N100, 000 and above per year.

Some commercial drivers operating within the university community disclosed that the hike in transport fares were caused by unnecessary taxes imposed on them by the SUG. Some landlords disclosed that they expected the SUG to persuade them to reduce rents but that the union didn’t act.

The immediate past SUG President, Hillary Ugwu, is yet to officially respond to complaints of poor performance made against his administration.

Some of these complaints were published on the SUG official blog and on the university’s students Facebook page.

Chukwuemerie Uduchukwu is a political science student at the university.