Excerpts:
Good day Mr President. Let's get a Bio from you. Tell us about yourself.
R.O: My name is Raymond Omorogbe, a final year student of the Department of Animal and Environmental Biology (AEB), Faculty of Life Sciences, by the grace of God the President, Student Union Government, University of Benin.
I'm a Christian I attend a local church in town and it's fellowship in school.
Why did you decide to become President?
R.O: I did not decide to become President, providence brought me to become President, though leadership has been part of me right from time, from primary school I was class monitor in several classes, secondary school I was class prefect, SS2 - Senior Prefect, in the same SS2, I was fellowship President, I went to lecture, I was science club president, Year One and Two, I was class rep, Year Two I was the honourable representing my class in parliament, Year Three I was a second time member of parliament and at the same time a class rep, these we positions I held before I became President.
I decided to become president because some persons are not very good at been followers, not because they do not want to follow but because there are a lot of things that should be done and they cannot correct it by been followers. I felt there were a lot of questions begging for answers by UNIBEN students and I believed that by God's grace I could effect that change, that was why I chose to run, that was why my maxim for the election was, "the change that works is here, let's make it count", because we've heard of changes, changes but the one that works, that was why I chose to run.
You talked about providence, some time last year we saw a program that was a huge success, for many that was the platform that brought you to limelight, so I'm going to ask before "spelling bee" did you know you were going to contest for Presidency?
R.O: Yes I knew!
I conceived the notion of becoming a President in 1st semester 200level, even before then, my dream in year one was to become a faculty governor.
From year one, I've been a teacher, I teach in Gorilla brains, I still do, by virtue of that I have a lot of students in the university of Benin as friends. It was in year two that I decided to widen out, instead of narrowing it to my faculty only, I felt I could achieve more around the school.
So it was not spelling bee or the fame that came with that gave me the desire to run, before then I had a dream already.
Because to some, it was just creative strategic political planning, that eventually paid off.
R.O: To be frank and sincere, when you have good food to sell to people to eat, until you present it to people nobody can ascertain whether it is sweet or not, you are the only one that can tell and then you cannot be the judge of your own food, so there was a need for exposure. Take away the fact that I teach English and I was fit for the position of an anchor, there was still need to show case to UNIBEN students a persona, that probably they may like to look into if possible becoming their president.
So, we've been looking for this opportunity since, so let's give you a word to spell?
R.O: Well, if it's something that I can spell, I would, but if isn't, I'd just say I can't, because I'm not a fountain of knowledge.
*Laughter*
Oya josh give him a wicked word to spell..
*Laughter*
R.O: Maybe that should come at the end of the interview.
Would you say you've achieved the reasons that motivated you to become President?
R.O: Well, no achievement is complete, I'd say by the grace of God, my campaign promises I have been able to keep them, maybe not exactly all but more than 70% of my campaign promises and my wishes for UNIBEN Students, we have been able to meet them.
How you describe your stay in office?
R.O: It has been tough, it has been stressful, you do not have a private life anywhere, whether in Benin or in Delta, as a matter of fact I travelled to Delta yesterday and I saw somebody shouting "Presido!!" and I was shocked, I was dressed casually and looking very funny and people were saying - "that's our SUG President ", I was scared.
*Laughter*
So office in one year has been challenging, it has been breath taking, but by the grace of God, it has been worth it.
How have you been able to differentiate your official life from your private life?
R.O: Like I said, I have hardly had a private life, It has been tough, I have lived more of official life all my time in office, because I receive calls and problems every now and then, both day and night, sometimes 2am. As a matter of fact I went to bail somebody from the police station around after 12am and we left there past 2 in the morning; on one occasion there was an attempted rape incident in Faculty [social sciences, arts & management sciences area], I was preparing for exams the next day, I deserted my books and we ran there and the mob were going to mob him to death, we were able to rescue the boy who was caught. I was going to take him to crime office but they insisted he must stay in the boot of my car, and they forced him inside and I took him.
So a lot of times, I don't really have private life, the only time I can say I have a private life is when I go home sometimes to meet my mum, siblings and family and maybe I when I go to church.
Aside the lack of a private life, which other challenges would you say you faced in office?
R.O: Well, the challenges were much, challenges from my executives, because I am not just the union, we always disagree to agree, most times, they will be like - "No, No, Presido we nor go gree", and this is what I always tell them - couples will live together for years and still quarrel, we are ten of us, from different backgrounds, different ideologies and styles of life, we've just been together for five months or more, we are bound to have disagreements, and sometimes they agree with me, so I had challenges from my executives but we always conquered our challenges.
I had challenges from students because of their demands, I was not able to meet all their demands but I was able to meet a good handful, the last I attended to recently was when they asked students to vacate hall 1 and 2 because of the Medical games, I went to hall 1 first and after a lot of arguments and shouting, we were able to strike a balance, that the blocks that were already free should be given to the visitors, while the students could stay in the remaining blocks, I went to hall 2, and hall 2 girls did not want to hear, they were all screaming - "No! No! No!", so I told them that indeed it was not their fault, management did not make proper arrangements, so after pleading with them that they just needed to accommodate just a few people, they insisted NO, so I had to call the Vice Chancellor that this could not stand and eventually hall 2 girls were allowed to retain their space and all.
So these are some of the challenges, they come all the time.
What would you say are the notable achievements of your administration?
R.O: Well, by God's grace we've had relative peace, by peace I mean certain issues that would ordinarily lead to break down of law and order, we were able to handle them so that they did not escalate, that's one.
Secondly, I'm not a 'programme' driven person, I'm more of an infrastructure driven person, when I got to office, I promised UNIBEN Students that the hostels will not remain the way they were as at when I was entering, and if time would permit, I would tell you because I want students to know what really transpired with the hostel renovation.
By experience, when I was contesting, I stayed in hall 3, block C, room 405, corner D, anybody that has stayed in hostel, knows what it means to stay in the "05's"
*Laughter*
Thank God, you guys have an idea.
Every "05", is close to the bathroom and every "06" is close to the toilet, but the bathroom is so important because every first bathroom is a urinary and corner D is the first space close to the door, so I was sitting strategically and every time urine gushed out of a person and sedimented, the first batch of the smell, got to me first, so I was suffering when I was contesting. I left the comfort of where I was actually staying to come and feel the pulse of the people that I was supposed to lead, so by staying in that place, it was hell, I had to buy air fresher to pour in that particular bathroom once in a while, so that I could breathe in fresh air, so this made the hostel my priority, I was fine tuning while I was contesting, palliative measures to stop the smell and I campaigned with it.
I told them, you use the bathroom when you are pressed, why would one use the bathroom and not leave it clean, it's because water is needed and because these students are staying high up, to go down and get water to pour on the urinary is difficult, so if there was water in the "series", somebody would use the urinary and flush, so the solution was water and a more conducive toilet and bathroom.
I knew this would not happen in one day, I knew that it would be systematic, so I drew up a plan of fixing two toilets in every series as a palliative measure, so that if two toilets are functional, rooms 1-5 could use one, while rooms 6-10, could use the other, because in SUG floor, that's what we do.
I saw that as the first step, water should run in every series by activating the pumping machines again, change the tanks upstairs, and making sure there are bowls in every floor, so that people can use the urinary and flush. That was the plan I had.
As soon as I got to the office I contracted a contractor, [Solo's group of company], Mr Solomon, and I wrote to the PEOs of hall 1,2 and 3, to give me access to do feasibility studies on the toilets facilities in the hostels, this I did, alongside the contractor and he said that to make sure water runs in every series and two functional toilets, that each block would cost 426,000 naira for just two toilets.
When he said this, I went to management meeting with the Vice Chancellor and his team and I presented my proposal, they all praised the idea and I was jumping and shouting, thinking it was going to scale through but just like the National assembly it entered
I wrote again to the PEO of hall 3, to grant me access to snap the ills we suffer with the hostel toilets and I paid the camera man, 3000 naira, [some of these things I will show during the dinner that is coming], I took this pictures to the Vice-Chancellor and he screamed, "Is this what you people are using? human beings cannot stay here!" and I said "Sir, human beings are staying here". It was really disgusting to look at.
And I said - "Sir, something has to be done about this toilets and bathrooms. And he said "Okay! But hope these pictures have not gone to the media?" and I said "No sir!, they are in safe hands", and as a matter of fact to buttress that point, after the management meeting, I handed the pictures over to the Dean of students, the matter was gradually gathering momentum yet it still did not get attention.
This [story] is necessary because some people are saying today that I already heard the Vice-Chancellor manifesto, before he became V.C, that I knew his plan to renovate the hostel, that was why I took the hostel up.
But it's not true! I told the Vice-Chancellor that I was not going to rest on this issue, so I took my team and I said, let us do room to room investigation. We went to hall 2, room by room, we were documenting, problems upon problems, ask hall 2 girls, they saw us, we documented naked wires, some no ceiling, some no louvres, some no nets, rats everywhere, some had no [or half] doors, some were "bunk less", all these things were itemised, we couldn't breathe in hall 2 but human beings were staying there, but then God allows somethings to happen for certain things to be, Rita Awele died, after her death there was an emergency meeting, the Vice-Chancellor had already instructed before then, that something should be done about the hostel, the Director of works was already trying to work on it, in the meeting after she died, I told the Vice-Chancellor that students are angry not just because Awele died, but because of the undue negligence of management to students, and we protested, they thought we were going to scatter everywhere but thankfully we did not, after the protest, there was another meeting and it was after this, that the management released one million naira to the contractor I contracted, to start something, so that students should at least calm down.
If you do the math, you'd find that one million naira should be for two blocks, the contractor started and I said, "start with block C, hall 3, because that's where I came from and he did. The Director [of Works] came and said instead of doing two toilets, just invest the entire sum in this block, instead of two toilets why not do five toilets.
In doing the five toilets the Vice-Chancellor came to visit and he saw the work and said "This Is Beautiful!" and said that it should be replicated in all the hostels.
By virtue of our findings of naked wires, bad windows and all that, he said they should approve for furniture, which is for nets and doors which were bad. That's how they approved for toilets, louvres and everything. When they fixed those nets at first, rats were eating those nets, we came back and said, something had to be done and that's how they introduced wired gauze
This was how the hostel is what it is today, people don't know, all they know is that something is happening.
But I thank God that the Nation newspaper carried it that "The New UNIBEN SUG President promises a face-lift in the hostels", today I believe the same newspaper should carry it that the hostels have been fully renovated.
Hall 1 and hall 2 girls are bathing with showers today and now you can breathe well in the toilets, I entered recently and I could talk and breathe, when it was terrible I still entered when we were investigating then, and today I will still tell you that my office wrote, for management to give us money to buy keys, the keys you see in your toilets today, we locked up all the toilets and shared keys for every room, so that two rooms will use one toilet, to further help maintain the toilet and help their health and sanitary habits, we did that.
But many people, that I will refer to as "beefers", because every politician would always have some, would say "he didn't do anything".
That is for the hostels, during my campaign I asked hall 2 girls, how would you feel if "hotel ebelebs" is transformed into something more beautiful and aesthetic? And they all screamed!
Today like you witnessed yourself, work has started
On the 27th of May 2015, I wrote for that project, when I wrote I contracted an architect, this is why I say I'm more infrastructure driven, because I heard someone say it was not "Raymond's idea" it was "Ifidon's idea" and I laughed. I have a 3D picture of what that place would look like by the time they are done,
After that I went with the project to the Deputy Vice Chancellors to tell you the several steps I took, the D.V.C said this project is a wonderful project and it must come to lime light, [produces a letter to the Dean of students and the architectural plan of the proposed relaxation center]
The quotation I brought as a lame man was 7.5 million naira, and when physical planning did theirs, it was standing at the tune of 9.9 million naira.
The seating capacity is already been constructed and by the grace of God, it's going to accommodate at least 100 persons, the garden is going to have walkways and interlocking tiles, we are going to have fancy lights and all, it's going to be a thing of beauty. This is how far we've gone with that particular project.
The 3rd you must have seen for yourselves are the bus stops round the school. The bus stop project is my office project, by God's grace I created a committee which is referred to as the "Bus stop Renovation and Reconstruction Committee", headed by Honourable Maximus Ebinabome of Microbiology department who has just graduated. He and other members of the different Faculties were the members that constituted the committee. By the grace of God, that project, each cost us about five hundred and fifty thousand naira (550,000) and by God's grace we were able to renovate four. It was not money from school management, school did not give us the money, we sourced for the funds outside. That is why you see Pastor Ize-Iyamu's name there because he was the one that sponsored the bus stop projects for us. But somebody will now say, "it is not Raymond's project, na Ize-Iyamu na imm build am". And then I laugh, if as Ize-Iyamu gave me the money after I had met him, convincing him at different times, he gave me the money and I buy a car, will anybody know? Nobody will know about it. But we did it for UNIBEN students. Today you can go there, sit down, relax, charge your phone and receive your visitors. Yet people still say "he did nothing". Then I can say indeed human beings, you cannot satisfy them.
So these are some of the projects we have embarked on, and by the grace of God, this building you are seeing here (SUG Multi-purpose Hall), if I still had time, this building would have been completed in my time. As I speak to you, the SUG multi-purpose hall, work is going to start soon. I met the Governor himself, he started the project up to what it is now, and I told him to come and finish it. I told Governor Oshiomhole, one on one, "sir come and finish this project, you started it", and as I speak to you he has already sent contractors. The next (SUG) government will come, obviously it is their time that it will be commissioned, beautiful, I do not mind. But they should not come and start taking glory from what they do not know nothing about. The contractors have already come to evaluate the total cost of finishing this project, because that is what Oshiomhole told me, that he will send his people to evaluate what it will cost and send them back to come and finish building it, he wants to commission it before he leaves office.
These are some of the things we put in place. You cannot pass maingate without feeling some bumps in your vehicle. That was not my achievement, that was UNIBEN Students' achievement, we all collectively achieved that. But what if I did not lead that protest after they threatened me that I will not graduate? What if I did not lead it and people went out in anger to go and protest, scatter everywhere, destroy buses, burn vehicles, loot stores, will there be speed breakers at maingate today? At least today lives are safer at maingate. You can cross with ease today. So each time I cross those speed bumpers I tell myself. "Our Legacy" and I am happy.
So by God's grace, I do not want to go farther than this because there are host of things I would have loved to tell you, there are things we have done. [Resisting] student oppression, students that were not supposed to be allowed to remain in their departments especially in medicine; students that had already given up hope that they cannot move to the next level; students that had graduated and were not allowed to practice what they had studied; we went very far, and all these were sacrifices, because I swore to defend the interest of the average University of Benin student. So I can tell myself by the grace of God, I have contributed my quota. Thank you very much.
What would you say is your most embarrassing experience in office?
R.O: My most embarrassing experience in office, was when I went to one of these police stations, Ugbowo Police station to be precise, to bail a student at about past 12am. We had almost completed the bail, when a policeman came. Before he came, other students came at that time of the night from CFI or RCF, either of those two, they seized their truck because of a little accident that happened, and they were happy that I was there. We were just discussing when a policeman came into our discussion. I was like "you people will not kill me, its still night. How can I be solving problem, this one is here now..." we were just talking, interacting. And the policeman said why am I complaining, that is it not my job? I know I was voted in but it is not my job to leave my sleep at night, 1am and be sorting problems. He said I should not complain jor, that it is what I bargained for, whether "na today dem begin dey see union president". I looked at him, and I knew the man was trying to slight me. So I asked who he was and they said he was a policeman, so I said to him "Sir with all due respect what is your problem? You are not supposed to be with us, go and take care of your crime and criminal related issues, we are busy, we are trying to sort out ourselves". He said how dare me talk to him like that, and behold, he slapped me. I had never been slapped since I got to office. And I promised a person that the day anybody lays hands on me, especially a law enforcement agent, I will plank the person's head, I will take the law into my hand that is what I told the person. And I made the statement to that person that evening and the man did it that morning. As soon as he did it, I slapped the living daylight out of him. I felt I misbehaved, but I kept to my word, I do not like my words falling to the ground. I kept to my word because first, he slapped me, he did not respect constituted authority. At least you should respect the office of the President. So when I slapped him in anger, he was surprised that a student could slap him; he got offended and was looking for his gun. I told him look for your gun and make sure you shoot, but be rest assured that your family house, even if it is not in the state, in Ibadan or wherever it is, including you will be burnt to ashes when you are done. Before I knew he ran, and they were looking for him. I told them that they must produce him, and that night was a night I did not want to hear.
Before I knew, UNIBEN students were aware that their President was slapped and the station was already scared. The policemen were already preparing that students will come to march down their fence. Before I knew it, a call was coming to my phone, the DPO was calling, I refused to pick his call. He called through another policeman, the DPO is my friend actually, I then picked his call and he was begging me. He told me I should assume that everything that had happened that night was his fault, I should just allow the bail to be done so we can go. After the embarrassment I got from that place, I left. Students were already at maingate waiting for me, but as a diplomatic person that I am, I cannot risk the lives of my students. If anything happens to anybody they [the police] will say it is accidental discharge, they would have even called them thieves, that they came to invade their police station. So I refused to allow them go beyond there. I think that was the most bitter experience I ever had. But the man was eventually taken away from the station, because of my demand that I do not want to see him because he is not student friendly, because I go to the police station, there is always student issues coming up, so they called the Commissioner of Police and they transferred him away from the station.
Sir thank you for throwing more light on that situation. We actually reported this incident, though it was not these detailed, we had to contact few sources to put our report together. During our investigation of this incident, our sources informed us that there is this cordial relationship between the police and the SUG. In fact the source said there were some claims you could have pressed for, like your phone that was damaged, and other things. But you did not want a situation where you will want a favour from the Police and they will make things hard because of this incident. So we want to ask, what is the relationship between the SUG and the Police
R.O: Well, your source gave you correct information.
The relationship between the SUG and the Police is a very strong one, it has to do with rapport for the fact that one or two issues will always take me to the station. There are some I will have to go and help the person out, there are some I will have to put a call across, and they will let the person go. It became necessary that every union president, in fact it is an advice to the next union president, he (or she) should have a one on one rapport with the DPO. There are a lot of issues that are trivial, that some policemen will even want to charge to court. But because you intervene they will let it go. There are a lot of times that the DPO, even the former before this present one, has released students for me, because the crime would either be "you dey pass around 9pm" or "dem carry you for maingate say you be suspected cultist", and then when they find out that you are not a cultist, they will want to bail you with fifty thousand and in the end I'll say "I do not have money sir, he is my friend I know him, let him go". So it became imperative for me to sustain that friendship. And the DPO had never made any request to me, apart from one when the AIG was coming to Benin, he came and requested our presence in police officers mess at GRA, apart from that he had not made any request to me. So on this occasion when they broke my phone, it was the glass screen guard that was broken though, and because of the slap I got a little bruise in my mouth; so when I made my demands that they must replace my phone and treat me, also transfer the man out of the station, they agreed to do these three. I was even the one that told the DPO, I said "No, you can transfer the man but I will take care of myself and my phone". So the thing is, there is need for a cordial relationship, because issues that are not supposed to escalate could escalate because there is no friendship between you and the station. And for the fact that it is the nearest police station to school, you should have a strong rapport with them. That was how we established a strong relationship; if I call the DPO in your presence now he'd be like "Raymond how far" and I'll say "Daddy I dey o, anything for your boy?" I call him 'daddy', and we will just laugh, he may say "Na you be my oga na", he will be calling me his oga. And a lot of issues, I will just call him and say [for instance] "daddy that bus that you people took is our bus o, and we do not have money", and he asks the IPO [investigating police officer] in charge to let it go that we are his people. So that is the nature of the relationship, it has been okay.
Can any of the offices of the SUG from the Presidency down to Welfare, use funds from their office to assist in a faculty project?
R.O: Well the union is not financially autonomous. The union does not even have the funds. The funds that you people pay as SUG dues does not even come to the SUG it goes to the school management. Many people do not know this, and some will say, "Dem [SUG] dey chop our money", but the money is with the school management. And when we need money for anything, we write to them. It is at the discretion of the management to approve anything they want to approve for us. So we do not have financial autonomy. The only money we generate in the SUG is from the rent from our stores downstairs. That is why we are a bit handicapped in matters of finances.
Do you aim to tow a political path?
R.O: Yes. By God's grace I am a teacher by birth. My father is a retired principal, his first son is a retired principal, his second son died as a vice principal. His other sons and daughters are teachers, principals, WAEC examiners, in fact teaching is an instinct in my family, it runs in my family. If you ask people that I have taught, who is Uncle Raymond, they will say he is friendly, he is funny, he plays with all of us. They will say all these things before they say he is a good teacher. So by God's grace, we are in the teaching line, I intend to tow the teaching line, but not as a teacher in secondary school, I will love to lecture anywhere God might take me to. And I will love to be actively involved in politics too.
There is this rumour that as President of the Union, you must have settled 'senior men', either at Ekosodin, BDPA, and so on. It just there that you must have the backing of the 'senior men' before you get to and even when in office.
R.O : It is ....
...... to be continued.
Unibenlawsapress would like to crave your indulgence and assure all our esteemed readers that we've saved the best for the last.
We implore you to keep a date with us, this Tuesday, as we bring you the explosive and concluding part of this eye opening interview!
God bless!
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Interview by gafar, odiri and josh.
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