The Dean of Student Affairs (DSA), Professor Babatunde Idowu and some former Presidents of FUNAAB Students’ Union have reacted to the election of Comrade AdeolaTawakalt Ahmed a.k.a. D’ola as the first female President of the students’ body.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with FUNAAB Bulletin, the DSA, Professor Idowu said he wasn’t surprised by D’ola’s feat because she performed excellently as the Vice-President of National Association of Agricultural Students (NAAS).
He stressed that Ahmed’s victory might not be unconnected with her track record, which must have earned her the confidence of teeming fellow students who elected her.
Professor Idowu who described the historical development in the chequered history of the University as “exciting” charged Ahmed not to be distracted but to remain focused while in office.
Also reacting, former President of Student Union (2009/2010) Exco, Mr.Olayiwola Ogunpayimo a.k.a. Longman said the emergence of a female SUG President “Is a good development. The world is changing and I’m happy that FUNAAB is changing positively with the world. This development implies that our University is not gender bias”.
Ogunpayimo however challenged D’ola to use her good office to prove that what men can do, women can do better”.
Speaking in the same vein, Mr. Semighan Taiwo who succeeded Ogunpayimo in office as President in 2009/2010 said, “It’s a welcome development. It is a positive twist to student Unionism in FUNAAB”.
Also reacting, Mr. Bamigbade Abdulkareem a.k.a. Obama who succeeded Mr. Semighan Taiwo as SUG President after an interregnum of one year (2011/2012) said “I must say that it’s a welcome development especially when international organizations are talking about female inclusion in decision making bodies”.
He added, “The development is very important because there is a need for a change in the focus and prospect of students’ unionism, in order to ensure that leadership goes beyond the level of student unionism”.