BIG PROMISES AND LITTLE PROMISES: AN INDEPTH STUDY IN HALF MEASURES. A REVIEW OF THE VICE HALL CHAIRPERSONS’ MANIFESTO.

By Bibisinuoluwa Agarah 

The outgoing vice hall chairperson, Miss. Aribanusi Oluwanifemi, a student of the Faculty of Agriculture, stood before Queenites and made promises; alluding that all she wanted to do was serve Queenites and if given the opportunity to serve, she had plans for their welfare and growth as students, as individuals and as women.

What became of these promises at the end of her tenure?

Half-baked Half-truths

The vice hall chair promised in her manifesto, that if elected she would ‘organize tutorials…for fresh students and 200 level students for GES, Chemistry and Philosophy every fortnight [two weeks] and mock exams at the end of each semester before semester examinations’. Well, the Royal Academic Board spearheaded by the office of the vice hall-chairperson organized tutorials in Math, Physics, Chemistry, Sociology and GES courses. However, it is worthy of note that the board did this close to the beginning of each semester examination and not fortnightly like she promised. 

A vocational training program and a digital training that was to be centered on web design and graphic design was another point in her manifesto. A vocational training was carried out to teach Queenites some skills like gele tying, yet the plan of a digital training was completely swept under the carpet - although Miss. Aribanusi stated that ‘the various facilitators have been contacted and [have] agreed…’

In her manifesto, she vowed that during her tenure, she would set up an investigative committee called the Queens Hall Complaint Commission (QHCC) that would deal with the complaints of Queenites within and even outside the hall. She said that this committee would comprise floor representatives. However, these representatives were not in a committee. Most floor reps would go to each room on their floor, get the complaints of the Queenites and report them at the porters’ lodge. 

She stated in her manifesto that she would invite professionals to ‘enlighten finalists on the basic, easy and most effective way of writing projects successfully’ and she had met with professionals who were ready to take on the responsibility to teach Queenites. But final year students this session wrote their projects without assistance from this administration which is ironic seeing as it may be a reason that some of them voted her in.

And so, we start to see a trend in Miss. Aribanusi’s manifesto. She had a four-point agenda but only managed to implement two. Those two points, she left half done. She promised tutorials every two weeks and a mock examination at the end of every semester but instead, we got tutorials at the end of each semester. She promised vocational and digital training and once again we got half.

A bargain was struck. An ‘opportunity to serve’ and the office of the vice hall chairperson and in exchange Miss. Aribanusi would be able to implement these plans that promised growth and welfare outlined in her manifesto. Queenites held up their side of the bargain, holding out hope that Miss. Aribanusi would hold up hers.

The Vice Hall Chair fulfilled her constitutional duties as was expected of her but she did not fulfill all of the promises she made to Queenites during her campaign.