Election into various positions of the Students Union for the 2015 / 2016 academic session at the Federal University of Technology, Akure took a new dimension with the adoption of electronic voting system. The election which held at the Digital Resource Centre of the University on Thursday February 18, 2016 saw students vote candidates of their choice to various positions just by a click on the computer. Their identity cards was verified through a purposely designed card reader after which the voter proceeded to the voting area where they interfaced with programmed computers to cast their votes. After each vote a monitor at the control Centre recorded it and instantaneous tally of contestants score was displayed. The final result was ready as soon as the last student clicked on the computer to register his vote.
Dean, Students’ Affairs, Professor Kayode Alese said what informed the adoption of electronic voting system was because the University needed to showcase its leadership position in the area of cutting edge technology and research. According to him the process was very effective and an improvement on what other Institutions had done in the area of electronic voting. “Though other Institutions have adopted the process, ours is very unique because we made use of card readers. FUTA is the only Institution to have used card readers and we did not record any failure because we designed it in such a way that the contestant registered online and we have the record of registered students of this University”.
Speaking further, he said registered students on the University data base were the only ones allowed to vote thus any unregistered student could not vote as the card reader would have screened them out. “If you don’t have a valid identity card and your name is not on our data base you cannot vote” Alese stated. The don said that FUTA alumni designed the software adopted for the election at no cost. The card readers were customized for the purpose of the election.
Corroborating Alese, Chairman, Electoral Committee, Dr. Olutola Olubanjo commended the electoral process, saying the use of card readers really made the election process free and fair. It has also justified the University’s leadership position in technological advancement. Olubanjo said from start to finish, everything was electronic. “Students were accredited electronically through the use of card readers. Thereafter they proceeded to the voting proper using the computer which displayed the process to the candidates’ agents and security agents’. According to him, “It is a positive departure from the cumbersome old system of pen and paper. In fact it is innovative because no election in Nigeria has been done electronically. We commend management for this and suggest the adoption of the process for subsequent elections like Congregation and elections into offices in the Cooperative Societies”. Agents of the contestants expressed their satisfaction with the process which they claimed was a plus to the University. They also appreciated the management and the electoral committee for the innovation.
The Vice Chancellor Professor Adebiyi Daramola commended the electoral committee and the Students Affairs division for the adoption of the e voting system saying the University has once again validated its leading position in innovation and workable technology that the larger Nigerian society can benefit from.
The result of the election as announced in the presence of agents of contestants and security agents showed Oladele Segun aka Solar emerging President with a vote of 1,970.
Other Officers are:
Afolabi Christiana – Vice President
Olagunju Abayomi – General Secretary
Omidele Sodiq – Public Relations Officer
Olowomuwagun Seun – Director of Sports
Ajayi Richard – Welfare Director
Awoyinfa Opeoluwa – Financial Secretary
Owoseni Abdulhamid – Treasurer
Hamed Aisha – Director of Socials
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