The Palliatives That Never Reached: A Tale of Greed in Yakubu Gowon University’s 9th Assembly

The air at Yakubu Gowon University is thick with disillusionment, a bitter aftertaste left by the just-concluded 9th Assembly administration of our Students’ Union Government (SUG). What should have been a tenure of service has instead unraveled as a saga of corruption and audacious embezzlement, with the latest chapter centered on the Ramadan palliatives donated by Seyi Tinubu, son of Nigeria’s President. Intended as a lifeline for students during and after Eid al-Fitr, these packages—brimming with rice, oil, and essentials—were a gesture of goodwill in a season of need. Yet, as of April 8, 2025, not one student has received a grain, nor has a whisper of an update escaped the lips of the now-defunct 9th Assembly. The question hangs heavy: Has a single hand—or a clique of hands—hijacked this bounty meant for thousands?

Seyi Tinubu’s palliatives arrived with promise, a beacon of relief amid economic hardship and the relentless rains now soaking Abuja. But that promise has been smothered by silence, a silence that speaks volumes of the 9th Assembly’s contempt for the students they swore to serve. This isn’t an isolated misstep; it’s the crescendo of a tenure defined by shadowy dealings and unaccounted funds. The SUG’s constitutional term ended one week after our February 6 matriculation, yet the stench of their misdeeds lingers, with these palliatives as the freshest evidence of betrayal.

I can’t help but contrast this with my own experience. When the Loveworld Global Fellowship’s Give To The Nations (GTN) entrusted me with palliatives to distribute, I teamed up with Hon. Muphasa_DC, and we didn’t stop until every student had their share. We even returned to campus, sacrificing our own portions to ensure no one was overlooked. That was leadership—transparent, selfless, and student-centered. So how has the 9th Assembly chosen to bury Seyi Tinubu’s gift in secrecy at a time when hunger gnaws and prices soar? Why the mute defiance when students need this support more than ever?

The SUG was never meant to be a private banquet for its leaders. We campaigned on a pledge to serve, not to hoard. Those palliatives weren’t delivered for the 9th Assembly to savor alone—they were for the students of Yakubu Gowon University, every last one of us. Yet, whispers abound of former officials, some now alumni awaiting youth service, still clutching power and dipping into resources meant for our welfare. If true, this isn’t just negligence—it’s theft, a fresh embezzlement that mocks the trust we placed in them. Were the bags of rice divided among a select few? Is the oil greasing personal kitchens instead of ours? Without answers, suspicion festers.

The 9th Assembly’s legacy is a hollow shell, propped up by the individual efforts of a few who shone despite the rot. But individual heroics can’t whitewash a collective failure. Where is the accountability for these palliatives? If they’ve been distributed, show us the proof. If they’re stockpiled, name the culprits. The students deserve clarity, not cloak-and-dagger games. As a student servant leader, I refuse to let this fade into the abyss of forgotten scandals. I call on Prof. Patricia Manko Lar, our visionary Vice-Chancellor, to probe this disgrace. I beckon Comr. Anzaku Shedrack,the National Association of Nigerian Students Secretary General and our alumnus, to lend his voice to this fight. And to Seyi Tinubu, I plead: don’t let your kindness be a footnote to corruption—help us reclaim what’s ours.

We elected the SUG to lift us up, not to feast while we starve. The palliatives were for the students—let that promise be honoured, not hijacked. The 9th Assembly’s time is done; their reckoning must begin.