By: Ageh Success, Ayoolajesu Victoria
IN THIS WHATSAPP INTERVIEW, POSSPRESS SPEAKS WITH THE TREASURER OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS (NAPSS), DUROTOLA ABDULRASHEED ADEBAYO, TO REVIEW HIS MANIFESTO AND EXAMINE HIS PERFORMANCE IN OFFICE.
POSSPRESS: I’m a correspondent from POSSPRESS. Let’s begin with a brief introduction of yourself.
TREASURER: Alright. My name is Durotola Abdulrasheed Adebayo, 300 level Political science. I hold the post of Treasurer.
POSSPRESS: Going straight to the point, in your manifesto you stated accountability and transparency as qualities you will ensure. Can you mention specific measures you have implemented to ensure financial transparency within the association?
TREASURER: To ensure accountability and transparency, I have worked hand in hand with the executive council and most especially the Financial secretary to ensure that there are no discrepancies in our financial statements which we present to the legislative arm each and also with the generality of NAPSSites, I have an open policy which implies that whatever issues they have with the executive council or an issue they wish to know about I am always there to proffer solutions to the best of my office and capabilities. Also, at any departmental event, I am mostly there to ensure what ever item budgeted for is bought and after if there is any monetary excesses available it will be remitted back into the account.
POSSPRESS: According to the constitution, you’re expected to provide monthly financial reports to the Executive Council, Legislature, and Press. How regularly have these reports been shared, and what has been the feedback from stakeholders?
TREASURER: About the financial reports, it has been shared regularly with the executive council and it is presented to the legislature during sittings in which members of press are also present and contribute to such sittings. I have not received any feedback from the stakeholders as we have had less than 5 meetings and our main bone of contention is with the upcoming elections.
POSSPRESS: Presenting financial reports at sittings is not the same thing as providing an official monthly financial report. This is because the official financial report, if well compiled and distributed to the necessary stakeholders, can be better analysed under less pressured conditions compared to sittings which feature various BODs and have way less time for scrutiny.
TREASURER: Sorry can you explain by what you mean “official”
POSSPRESS: That is, it’s supposed to be statutory, a constitutional requirement.
TREASURER: So what you’re saying is the financial report we present at sittings is not “official” and by your words not a constitutional requirement?
POSSPRESS: No, I’m saying that the monthly report should not be neglected simply because of the ones done at the sittings. Both are equally important.
TREASURER: The legislative hold sittings either once or twice a month and the financial report we present is conclusive and well detailed. The soft copy is sent to the legislature via the clerk and I believe he also sends it to the pressman present furthermore hard copies are made available for observers present. If a monthly report was to be prepared after one or more screenings by the legislature who are the representatives of their level, it will contain the same exact details presented and it will cost us as I think Fidelity charges us for getting the statement of account and also the money used for transportation comes from our personal pocket. Since the people present receive a copy of the report they have enough time to look over and over the report.
POSSPRESS: The constitution places the responsibility of ensuring that financial reports reach the press on your office, not the clerk’s. Records from the clerk, the NAPSS president, and members of the press also indicate that some reports were returned to you for corrections and that hard copies were not provided to observers at sittings. Additionally, a single statement of account can be photocopied rather than obtained repeatedly from the bank. Did you explore the option of generating the statement electronically?
TREASURER: All executive correspondence goes from individual executives to the general secretary and then the clerk in the situation that such correspondence would be presented in a sitting, if such correspondence is not sent to the house via the clerk it cannot be presented on the floor of the house. Instances where the financial report is returned back to us is where an executive has an issue with his report or there is a mistake in calculations. Same statement of account? So if we have 3 consecutive sittings, you want us to present one statement of account and its photocopies for the 3 sittings? Banks don’t operate via mail. The only way to get the statement of account is the bank app and for transparency reasons we don’t use the bank app. That’s why we have multiple signatories on the account so an individual cannot make unapproved withdrawals….
POSSPRESS: Your manifesto does not state that financial reports would be provided only upon request. It states that, “He or she shall, in conjunction with the Financial Secretary, submit an up-to-date financial report of the Association to the Executive Council, Legislature, and Press monthly, and at any time it is requested by the congress.” Why was this not implemented as written?
TREASURER: “In conjunction with the financial secretary ” again as I do not have access to the account the financial report is not something I can prepare on a whim and considering the availability of the financial secretary.
POSSPRESS: Moving on to the next question, you proposed Financial Literacy 101 to enhance understanding of finances among NAPSSites. Can you share how this initiative has been rolled out and its impact?
TREASURER: That was supposed to happen via the department tv and in collaboration with the PRO but seeing as there is no PRO and the tv has not been up to full efficiency.
POSSPRESS: There are other ways to pass information across to NAPSSites though apart from the TV. The announcement group is one.
TREASURER: A tv getting close to thousand views compared to 5-10 people spamming class groups. It interferes with whatever information is going around the gc plus they might find it disturbing as I personally have already been harassed over sending information through broadcasts. And for the announcement group, most people don’t open their level groups talk less of the announcements plus if there is just one type of information being passed on there people won’t be eager to open that’s why excos rarely use it. For the record, we get an average of 6 reactions for each post on the group.
POSSPRESS: Your manifesto proposed working with the Financial Secretary to compile a sponsorship directory based on past sponsors and to strengthen the association’s sponsorship base for future administrations. How far has this directory progressed, what impact has it had so far, and do you believe it can be completed before the end of your tenure?
TREASURER: Most past sponsors were either alumni or secured through personal connections and are currently difficult to reach, so the directory remains a work in progress. Given the time constraints, we may only be able to compile details of sponsors from this session and possibly the previous one. As for sponsorship continuity, many current stakeholders are final-year students, and future support will largely depend on the proposals and track records of subsequent administrations.
POSSPRESS: Giving an overview, how do you measure the success of your treasurership against the promises in your manifesto?
TREASURER: Well it has mostly been a rocky road with a lot of unavoidable challenges hampering my treasurership.
POSSPRESS: Finally, based on your experience, what advice would you offer to your successor or peers nurturing aspirations for this same role?
TREASURER: Heavy is the head that bears the crown, any executive position is a lot just make sure there is synergy.
POSSPRESS: Thank you for your time. That will be all.
