CAMPUS FILE: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ONGOING UEW VETTING...

A vetting session is meant to get to know the suitability and preparedness of aspirants for such as post if given the node. 

During a vetting process the aspirants is tested of his or her knowhow in the field of pursue, to test aspirants general preparedness to assume such post, to look out for your honesty in responding to questions relating to your documents presented, find out about truths and facts about the aspirants, make supporters and the audience assess the quality of the calibre of candidate vying for such post, get to know the skill and potential of the candidate and finally subject the aspirants to a rigorous session to know how he or she intends to accomplish his/her vision, mission and policy statements.

However, UEW ongoing vetting process has not been anything different.

As it's said when preparation meets opportunity, success becomes the by-product. Which means that once you set your mind to do one thing or the other your advance preparation accounts for it's success or failure. It's so interesting to note that some aspirants never set their house in order before opting to vie for certain position in the University. 

In this article I will cease the opportunity to throw some light on some basic requirements and expectations of the vetting committee and some peculiar questions that run through the vetting process. 

The Chairman for the vetting committee made known that, the aspirants need satisfy the below stated condition to be able to go through a smooth vetting; Which are: 

1. That you satisfy all the conditions as stipulated in the Constitutional Instrument (CI).

*CONDITIONS FOR FILING OF NOMINATIONS

a) All aspirants shall submit pay-in-slips or any other forms of documentary evidence

of payment of SRC, JCRC and Departmental dues.

b) All aspirants including the running mates of a candidate for presidency shall

produce up-to-date results slips and their curriculum vitae (C.Vs.) to the vetting

committee at least five (5) clear days before the first day of vetting. Aspirants shall

submit five (5) copies of their mission and vision statements as well.

c) Two passport –size photographs with red background shall be presented on the

vetting day. This shall be used for the e-voting.

d) It is an offence for any aspirant to start campaigning openly before being declared

qualified by the vetting committee. Any aspirant who violates this provision shall be

automatically disqualified from contesting any position.

e) Nomination forms are strictly for sale.

f) All aspirants shall write to request from the Deputy Registrar, Academic Affairs

Division, through the Dean of Student Affairs for their result slips showing their CGPA

when submitting their forms.

g) ANY ASPIRANT HOLDING ANY POSTION SHALL RESIGN BEFORE PICKING A

NOMINATION AND SHALL SUBMIT TO THE VETTING COMMITTEE, A PROOF OF

ACCEPTANCE OF RESIGNITION

2. That you are very much abreast with laws, instructions and information that have been indicated in the student hand book, SRC constitution and departmental constitution (that is if you are vying for a department portfolio).

3. That your vision and mission statement is written thoroughly to reflect needs of the student populace for that matter the office that you seek to occupy.

4. That information on your Curriculum Vitae (CV) is well written and authenticated/signed.

5. That you meet requirements of the GPA.

6. Be abreast with current affairs, issues and personalities relevant to your office.

7. General questions on leadership.

I want to be very specific to point out areas that really worried the aspirants as revealed by the vetting;

a. Most aspirants did not comply with the CI that task them to produce pay-in-slips or documentary evidence of payment of their school fees, SRC dues, JCRC dues and departmental dues. Most aspirants fell short of this provision hence their disqualification. 

It was interesting to note that some aspirants effected payment of their JCRC and department dues just a few days to their vetting and in other cases others were unable to tender in such document.

Meanwhile the committee was not in the position to accept any excuse and that was very unfortunate.

b. One of the conditions of the CI requested that candidates who were already holding positions, tender in their resignation and subsequently receive acceptance of their resignation before picking up nominations and filing their nominations. But it was very unfortunate that some aspirants were still holding to their positions at the time of the vetting and some also picked up nominations and filed it before tendering in their resignation. It is interesting to note that the committee was more particular about the dates and time such tenderings occurred. And it's unfortunate some were disqualified due to this simple provision.

## Issues with CV: Some mistakes as committed by aspirants were so basic such as refusal to sign his/her own CV after it's printing or preparation. Others had questions to answer with their names judging from the fact that their certificated names did not tally with the name on the CV. Meaning some indicated their nicknames instead of the certicated names. 

The committee took turns to question aspirants on some information provided in their own CV. For example, there was this question on work experience and positions held and  candidates couldn't answer basic questions of some works they stated they had experience in or some positions they claim they occupied. 

Aspirants were made to mention names of key people they claim they worked with as stated in their CV. For example someone claim to attend a workshop in which he/she has been issued with a certificate yet was unable to state the name of the speaker for that program among others.

c. Issues on vision, mission statements and policy statements. Aspirants were quized to know the originality and feasibility of their mission statements. The committee expects candidates to know off head their visions and mission statements. As subsequent question are asked in that aspect. 

For example the committee expects one who aspires for a NUGS president to be conversant with the mission statement of its mother union, be abreast with their motto, and slogans and what they stand for.

Again aspirants were queried on the fact that their mission statement was poorly written and never reflect the plight of the office they seek to occupy. For example some aspirants who wanted to rise to the highest office of the SRC president had just about two point mission statement that was just ridiculous. 

Committee members pointed out that such an important office needs to capture mission statement on for example: students portal, hostel challenges, WIFI, Vclass, water challenges and so on for that matter indicating just two mission statement speaks to the fact that the aspirant is not ready for the job or don't mean business.

The committee again expects you to state how you intend to achieve your mission statement. Stating how you intend to achieve all these within the short and long term bearing in mind that you have barely 8 months to be in office. So the committee expects you to juxtapose these with your immediate predecessor's mission, what has been stated and what needs to be done and the actual situation on the ground. As a matter of fact, the committee probes to find out as to whether you are on top of issues in addressing the challenges of the office you seek to occupy.

You are also on the other hand not expected to come out with outrageous promises that is never in your scope to ever realize. This is because you need to consider the budget allotted to your office and the other sources of funding to your office before setting out those outrageous mission statement. In order words the committee checks the feasible of outrageous mission statements.

***Information on predecessors, current affairs, school media, general campus information such as new buildings and names or credentials of people those buildings are named after among others. It's so interesting to note that some aspirants almost earned themselves a new name known as 'no idea'. This is because they seem not to have answers for all other matters relating to the University, buildings, motto, slogans, names of predecessors, current affairs etc... This makes it assume that the candidate is not well prepared for the vetting because I bet you it's no joke at all. It really involves a year long good preparation so as you don't make ridicule of yourself and disappoint your expectant supporters.

***On issues of information on student hand book and SRC constitution: Some aspirants demonstration clearly that they had no idea as to very basic laws and resultant effect of breaching those stated laws. For example one aspirants did not know as to whether it was unlawful to engage in trading activities within the campus as a student and went ahead to make mission statement around such illegality. 

Committee members mentions a subject in the hand book or SRC constitution and request that aspire brief that on details of such information as stated. And it's was so unfortunate that some aspirants exhibited their total ignorance on the subject matter.

*** Questions on leadership: In some occasions the committee wanted to know what inspired the candidates to opt for such positions, and what they had differently from the others that makes them fit for such positions. Questions such as how can you manage failure as a leader cropped up. 

Again aspirants were made to: state the difference between a born leader and a made leader, dream and vision etc...

In conclusion, I advise that whoever aspires to occupy a certain position should not wait until the time is so close before putting efforts to gather such information thus ensuring that you have these information at your finger tips.

It takes a while for one to be convesant with all these information. So as I said earlier on in my earlier introductory submission, "when preparation meets opportunity, success becomes inevitably". 

So let all future aspirants start on a good note of early vetting preparation to avoid the embarrassment of unpreparedness and mediocrity and waste of monies used in picking and filing of nominations. My humble submission 🙏

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