A REVIEW OF THE FINANCE MINISTER'S MANIFESTO

 

By Christopher Peculiar

Manifestos are declaration of goals and intentions, list of words and promises, used by individuals to communicate their vision and principles. These manifestos intend to proffer solutions to problems faced by students. Also, these manifestos should not just be "mere promises" but one which must be fulfilled.

Momoh Joy Ipemosi, a 400 level student of the Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education ran for the position of the Finance Minister of Queen Elizabeth II Hall for the 2023/24 session, succeeding and in her manifesto with no agenda as she said.

In her manifesto, she highlighted four plans, which served as her mission for the tenure. The plans include:

Financial management.

The first plan under this is Transparent Budgeting where she said “I will establish a transparent and inclusive budgeting process that involves input from residents and relevant stakeholders. Ensuring that budget allocations reflect the needs of students in the hall.”

Although the duties of the financial minister are not seen to the general public as many residents of the hall are quite oblivious of the function of this office, on the question of accountability, what is to be heard of her duties?

Speaking with the Financial minister, her words concerning this promise reads thus “I did so by involving the stakeholders and the assistant hall warden in charge of finance.”

This leaves the question of the involvement of the residents in this plan as she stated in her manifesto and she said that couldn’t be made possible due to the “no package” issue as the economy did not give room for extravagance.

In support of her financial management plan is financial reporting. However, there has been no evidence of this being implemented to date. According to her, the financial reports will be presented during the forthcoming handover ceremony slated for Today, March 18. In fulfilment of this, she was said to have given the financial report.

My Mission

Under this, she made four promises which includes;

1. Improved financial literacy program

She promised to organize an online interactive session twice in a session where residents are empowered with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed financial decisions. As promised, this was held twice. The first on September 1st, 2024 and second on January 24th, 2025.

According to Miss Momoh, the hall's residents were actively engaged online during the program. However, some queenites have reported that they were not aware of the event. When questioned about attendance, Miss Momoh noted, "Yes, but it's more advantageous because those who missed the meeting can still review it in the group."

2. Financial Nuggets

She promised to implement financial nuggets to empower residents with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve financial success.

Quite a number of “nuggets” like this were sent to the WhatsApp community, although not as often as expected based on the goal it should achieve, it is commendable that this was done to the best of her ability showing a keen commitment to reviving the financial status of the student community at large. And when she was asked about the financial nuggets, she said “the financial nuggets are to be shared as at when due.”

3. Open door policy:

In regards to the financial minister’s manifesto, under this mission, she promised to establish an open door policy to encourage students to voice their financial concerns, suggestions and feedbacks which would be done through an online poll. But this policy remains an unfulfilled promise and in her words, this could not be achieved due to the “no package issue”. As the economy sector of the country continually diminishes, the cost of living steadily grows fatter and as Nigerians, all dancing to the same tune, it is quite permissible that this plan fell through.

4. Online Resources

With regard to the online resources, she promised to develop an online collection of financial resources including articles and videos accessible to all residents to support their financial education. When asked if she was able to achieve this, her response was “Yes” but with no evidence of either an article or video to ascertain her claim on its accessibility to all residents of the hall.

FUNDING

Miss Momoh, in her manifesto, made a promise to establish a funding campaign for the hall, largely through alumni contributions highlighting the impact of their contributions on resident experiences. It remains unknown if this promise was indeed fulfilled as the resident community had no idea of this claim. In an interview with the finance minister, on the question on how effective her funding scheme was, she said “It wasn't effective”.

The finance minister was also reminded of her statement during the press night where she said she could feed at least 2 Queenites who reached out to her. She further said that “I have someone that asked for financial assistance and I was of help to her.”

Although the identity of the queenite remains unknown, drawing from her statement, a promise was kept.

Drawing from the words of the financial minister “I am dedicated to serving the best interests of our hostel community by promoting financial responsibility, transparency and empowerment. Through joint efforts, responsible financial management and innovative initiatives…"

In the quest for power, promises are made and the true test of leadership lies not in the promises made, but in the promises kept. Momoh Joy Ipemosi's tenure as Finance Minister of Queen Elizabeth II Hall has been marked by some notable achievements, particularly in the areas of financial literacy and transparency. Her efforts to organize online interactive sessions and share financial nuggets demonstrate a sincere commitment to empowering residents with financial knowledge.

However, there are areas where she fell short of her promises. Such as the failure to establish an open door policy. Similarly , her promise to provide online resources could not be verified due to lack of evidence. The involvement of the resident body in decisions, especially if it was so generously stated in a manifesto, cannot but, be mentioned. Awareness of the general public is one of the highlighted factors that an executive should look into.

Despite these shortcomings, it is clear that Momoh Joy Ipemosi has made a genuine effort to serve the best interests of the Hall community and just like her predecessors, she was able to do more than the barest.

Ultimately, her success can be measured by the impact she has had on the community. While there is room for improvement, her initiatives have undoubtedly contributed to a more financially aware and empowered student body. As she hands over the reins, it's essential to build upon the progress she's made and continue to strive for excellence in financial management and transparency.