INTERVIEW: “My joy is to ensure a smooth running administration…”- Abraham John Tochi, AASA PRESIDENT.

By Anjolaoluwa Faromo

Welcome to the first official piece under the Interview Category of AASA PRESS publications. Today, this piece features an interview with the President-elect of Archaeology and Anthropology Students Association 2023/2024 academic session. The interview session highlights who he is, what he does and what he intends for this administration.

Below are the excerpts;

PRESS: Good day Sir.
Please can you introduce yourself?
Tochi: I’m Abraham John Tochi. A student of archaeology and anthropology department, of which I am the president. And i’m in 400level
PRESS: Okay Sir. You’re an entrepreneur, yes? What do you do?
Tochi: I own a laundry Business in my name called Tochi Laundromat, I also teach in various secondary schools and Tutorial centers

PRESS: Wow. That seems like a lot.
So, as the president of AASA, student of the department and an entrepreneur, how do you balance your academic and extracurricular activities?
Tochi: It is what I have been doing before I resumed school as an 100level student. Moreover I have people working for me all I need is supervising. I don’t joke with my studies at all, and with God’s help I’m able to balance all without not affecting each other.
PRESS: Hmm, I guess I can call you an hardworking individual.
We’ve heard that people call you “Odogwu.” How true is that, and what’s the story behind it?
Tochi: I don’t know about that oooooo..(chuckles). People can say what they like actually I’m not any odogwu and please no story behind anything. I’m an humble person very free to interact with and also someone that helps anyone who come to me in the best way I can.

PRESS: When you say “help anyone”, in what aspect specifically?
Tochi: Academically and morally and maybe financially but emphasis on “maybe”
PRESS: Oh, “maybe” can be taken as yes, your Excellency..
What kind of family background do you have?
Tochi: A well brought up Christian family, God fearing family. What I am and who I am today is by the word of one man, that is my dad. He directed me well through the way of the lord maybe because he his a pastor though but all thanks to him.
PRESS: That’s beautiful! It’s great to hear that you have a strong spiritual foundation and a supportive family. Your dad’s guidance and leadership have clearly had a profound impact on your life. It’s wonderful that you acknowledge and appreciate his influence. Can you tell me more about how your faith and upbringing have shaped your values and decisions?
Tochi: Just doing the right thing and not hurting anyone seeing everyone same as mine.

PRESS: Nice! Are you in a relationship? Single or married?
Tochi: Lol.. (chuckles) That’s personal to me.. but I’m not married.
PRESS: What are your intentions and goals for the Students Association during this session?
Tochi: Just to have a good and smooth administrative work also I’m there to serve all AASAITES
PRESS: Can you share some specific programs and initiatives you have in mind, and how do you plan to implement them?
Tochi: Looking at financial summit which will be anchored by the Financial Secretary and some other social events. But we are looking at introducing a program called AASA Got Talent. This will be an event that different influencers, will be invited to anchor the program but we are mostly concern about AASAITE to come show off their talents and from there connections might come and prizes will be won as well.
With God by our side I and my team believe this would work out.

PRESS: This sounds Interesting!
For the AASA Got Talent program, what kind of talent and can you give us a name of one of the influencers the students should be expecting?
Tochi: I can’t give you yet just let wait and see.. (chuckles)
PRESS: What changes do you hope to bring to the association, and how will you measure success?
Tochi: Like you all have been seeing there has been some changes in the Exco’s room, and also I’ve been working together with the librarian for some other changes as well. Also, there’s this issue of students not having their package at the end of the session which occurred for the last two sessions and same thing wanted to happen last session under the Kennyjosh-led administration. But with my promises and handwork i’ve strive to rectify that. I guess that’s good news a bit.
Like I said I’m here to serve not just to occupy the office and feel big.

PRESS: Yes, good news indeed. Well done Sir.
Tochi: Yes yes. According to my plan, I want to work with other executives to avoid errors committed by the former administration. I was part of the former administration, although as a general secretary, I know how it went and this was due to the constitution of the department.
By carrying the students of the department along, I can say this is becoming successful. The voice of the students matters.
PRESS: When you say “error”, what do you mean? What kind of errors did the last administration make that you look forward to correcting in your own administration?
Tochi: Actually, I was part of the last administration, but it was not basically under my own administration rather Kennyjosh.
The concern was that the management of the department left the students association to go about things themselves, not dictating for them, as the association was given the privilege to collect dues by themselves. To avoid such, I provided that same avenue with the students paying to the department management, however the students association would have her own account for accountability to take place.

PRESS: Impressive! Concerning the voice of the students matters, was the new agenda of creating students representative council for the department brought by you and has it been created?
Tochi: No, it has not been created and it was not my vision. Some set of people brought the idea to me and I accepted it seeing that it is for the betterment of the association and department. This idea has been wanting to take place from the last two administrations, which has asked them to draft a constitution. This, I also asked them to do, but they have not reached out to me since then.

PRESS: How far are you willing to go to ensure the success of the association, and what sacrifices are you prepared to make?
Tochi: It is not an easy job, but a task that needs to be accomplished. Nobody forced anyone to take on this responsibility, it was voluntary. And I know what I heard concerning this office. My joy is to ensure a smooth running administration, where there would be no complaints, murmuring or side talks anywhere in the department, hence a happy and peaceful tenure. Some of the sacrifices I had made was at the detriment of my studies and work, for example, the first two weeks of resumption was really tasking as I had to attend to presidential duties.
PRESS: Talking about a smooth running administration, do you really think you can make everybody happy and satisfied with your administration?
Tochi: Actually, you can’t make everyone happy, however you can make 99% of the people happy.

PRESS: Alright, final question. What quote or philosophy guides your approach to leadership and life?
Tochi: If you can’t wear it, don’t wear it, but if you think you can wear it, wear it. This is because it is not easy stuff combining politics, academics and the likes and the need to ensure the people you are serving are in a better state. There is a lot of shades to politics, however if you maintain your grounds well, it will work out.
PRESS: Thank you very much for your time. It is well appreciated.

And there you have it AASAITES, straight from the Office of the President. We look forward to great things from this administration, as promised.

BREAKING NEWS!!! AASA PRESIDENT ABRAHAM JOHN TOCHI ANNOUNCES APPROVAL OF 2022/2023 PACKAGE

By Chike Favour

In a statement released earlier this week, the President of the Archaeology and Anthropology Student Association (AASA), Abraham John Tochi, announced that the long-awaited 2022/2023 package has finally been approved.

“Good morning Honorables,” the statement began. “I trust we had a good night’s rest. I am using this medium to inform us that the last session’s package for 2022/2023 has now been approved.”
President Tochi expressed his gratitude to everyone for their patience and belief in his ability to secure the package for the association. “I thank everyone for their patience and for believing in me to work this out for the association,” he said.

According to the statement, disbursement of the package is set to begin by next week. The President concluded his announcement with a rallying cry, “Till we win! Aluta Continua!”

This development is expected to bring relief and excitement to members of the association who have been waiting patiently for news about the release of package. It’s no news that President Tochi’s leadership and efforts have been instrumental in securing this approval, and his dedication to the association’s welfare is evident in this achievement. No doubt there’s always a silver lining in a dark cloud and this could be a pointer to a better administration.

AASA STUDENTS’ REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL: The Need To Hold Power to Account…

By Oderinde Motunrayo

“With great Power comes great Responsibility..”, how then do we hold power to account, if or when it lacks responsibility?

In recent times, murmurs have been going on about how there’s the arising need for power to be held to account, as it concerns the Archaeology and Anthropology Student Association’s administration. Questions have been raised, concerns have been communicated, the student body is yearning for a voice that will ensure that their affairs are duly attended to with all integrity. Hence, the Press has decided to dig into this arising need.

On Tuesday, June 18th, 2024, the Press conducted virtual interviews with some honorable members of the department who are part of different student representative councils across the faculty and department. They are Miss. Solafunmi Alawusa, the Chairperson of AASA Stakeholders, Hon. Ogunsemore Busayo Blessing, the Deputy Speaker of AFAS FLC, and Hon. Aremo David, the Deputy Speaker of FASSA SRC (FSRC).

The topic of discussion was the creation of the SRC and its benefits to the student body. Miss. Solafunmi expressed that the creation of SRC “is a good initiative that would foster the interest of the students.” She explained that the SRC is a “voice and representation of the students.” She elaborated on how the SRC would intervene in student matters, oversee issues such as the “rumor of mismanagement of funds in the department and accountability, package issues, and create a stronger sense of community among students.”
Hon. Busayo attested to this, explaining that the SRC would help ensure checks and balances in the affairs of the executive. She further explained that they will “help regulate laws within an administration” through the guidance of the constitution that is set up. She noted that with the SRC on board, issues concerning packages or fieldwork palaver would become minimal. Hon. Aremo also expressed the importance of creating the SRC arm, emphasizing its usefulness as a voice for the student body.

Questions were raised about the selection process of members for the committee and the feasibility of creating this arm in the department. Hon. Busayo responded that the selection process would be stated in the constructed constitution, while Hon. Aremo explained that the selection process would involve picking representatives across all levels.

While the SRC sounds interesting and effective, the issue of feasibility still lurks in the shadows. Hon. Busayo expressed frustration about the feasibility of the SRC, stating that “it has been pushed for over the years but with no solid result of its creation.” However, Hon. Aremo confidently replied that “yes, it’s feasible” and all that’s needed is for them to tender their plans and constitution to the Head of Department. Before the creation of the SRC, “there must first be the enactment of a constitution” according to Hon. Busayo. The question of how the SRC will be funded was also raised. Hon. Solafunmi explained that the SRC “is liable to a percentage from the dues paid by students.” This method cannot be completely faulted since it’s towards fostering the cause of the student body.

The interview concluded with a question about the tenets of the SRC. Like every arm of government, the SRC has its own code of conduct, which members must follow to maintain discipline among themselves. Hon. Aremo listed some of the tenets, including: “Bowing before the mace when the speaker is on seat before leaving (referred to as ingress and egress); No non-parliamentary words are allowed” He explained that these rules are called standing orders, ensuring discipline among SRC members. Hon. Busayo added that “Accountability, dedication, and transparency” are also crucial codes of the council.

These interviews have hitherto raised awareness about the importance of student involvement in the department’s decision-making process. Creating a Student Representative Council in the department will provide a platform for students to voice their concerns without fear or doubt. This council will represent students’ interests, ensure checks and balances, fair budget allocation, and timely distribution of student packages.

However, the question is; can the SRC stand up to the highest authority? If feasibility is assured, and thus the council is established, can the students trust that indeed power will hitherto be held to account?