Is The Student Union for Or Against the Student?

On July 11, the students at the University of Ibadan marched out in unison against the fee hike and other things that needed attention from the school management. Ever since the fight, there has been little evidence and assurance on the state of the union on whether there will be a fall in fees. On the 17th of August, it was exactly one month since the student at the University of Ibadan took the street to fight for a cause: fee must fall, one of the outcomes of this action was a commitment from the UI Vice-Chancellor through the Governing Council to review fees and the temporary suspension of fee payments until further notice. 

On the 25th of July, the students at the University of Ibadan demanded a general meeting, which was tagged “A Call for Congress” against the mass action that happened on the 16th and 17th of July. Attached to the letter were 250 signatories, which were addressed to the President, the Students’ Representative Council, the Council of Faculty Presidents, the Council of Hall Chairpersons, and the Union of Campus Journalists, UI. Despite the call, the Student Union President delayed to call for a congress, which meant flouting the Constitution. While there might be reasons why there was a delay, communication on the state of things is needed to assure students of the stance on the Union. The silence from the Union can be mistaken to be irresponsibility of the President to keep to his duties.

On Thursday, the 25th of July, eight students petitioned against the leadership of the Student Union. They petitioned against the student union council and president due to their refusal to call for a general meeting to reevaluate the outcome of the protest. It is also imperative that the call for congress has been long overdue and having letters and petitions sent to the union president does not speak well for a cause that affects the campus community.

A few days after the petition, the student representative council gave the president a deadline to call for a congress and verify the suggestions. Analysing this, it would seem like the students have to speak before the union listens. After a call for Congress was made, it took the Student Representative Council eight days to come up with the conclusion of asking the president to verify the signatories. The same president took less than 48 hours to gather 250 signatories for an election to hold the last session. this can be seen as another misplacement of priorities.

On Friday, the 2nd of August, the congress was postponed despite the confirmation of the signatories and deadline by the Student Representative Council due to the nationwide protest. On the 5th of August, the Student Representative Council wrote to the president, giving him 3 days to come up with a conclusion. As exams are approaching, and the stance of the community is yet to be known on whether there will be a fall or the efforts of the students were futile. This can be seen because of the slack hands of the president in addressing these issues.

28 days after receiving the letter to call for a congress, the UI'SU Executive Council called for a congress and made it a month and a day when the general meeting was held.

Among the issues we face as a community, the most we face is the incompetence of student leaders to effectively discharge their duties and protect the welfare of the students they promised to serve during their campaign. It is worth noting that the student leaders are sometimes not different from the leaders they castigate for the economy and welfare of the country. If the hopes of Uites are dashed by despite the sacrifices made by UI students, then we will hold the Student Union President, his Executive council, the Student Representative Council, and all other crucial leadership bodies that claim to fight for the welfare of the students and claim to prioritize student concerns.