The Great Ife Students’ Union held an emergency congress on 6 February at Aluta Square, addressing and deliberating on issues affecting the Great Ife student body as a whole. The congress commenced at 7:20 pm with an opening prayer led by Congressman Adeyinka, followed by the rendition of the Great Ife Anthem, led by the Students’ Union President, Adelani David Oluwatodimu.
State of the Union
In delivering the State of the Union address, the Students’ Union President, Adelani David, highlighted the accomplishments of the Students’ Union, the challenges it faces, and the issues it has resolved. These include the July 10 remembrance of Africa, ongoing efforts to locate Dorcas—a missing student—rejection of the proposed dress code, campus security concerns, issues regarding Freshmen’s Admissions (with confirmation that freshmen examinations would begin on 9 March), transportation improvements with the introduction of CNG buses, updates on the state of emergency regarding CBT, updates on purchasing gloves for the health centre, renovations of the Students’ Union Building, streetlight challenges, and assurances that classes would not be held during Free Week.
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The President began his speech by discussing an event anchored by the Secretary-General, celebrating the remembrance of Africa and the elimination of cult activities on the OAU campus, which took place on 10 July. He further disclosed the active involvement of the Students’ Union in resolving the case of Dorcas, a student reported missing since July 2024, for whom the Students’ Union has reported the case to the appropriate authorities. However, all efforts made by these authorities to reach and track her have proven unsuccessful, but they remain hopeful of locating her and uncovering the details of the matter.
Additionally, he mentioned that the Union paid a courtesy visit to the university management regarding the situation of final-year students who have one or two courses left to graduate. Further discussions with the Deputy Chancellor of Academics yielded a resolution allowing every student held back by one or two courses the privilege to graduate.
Furthermore, he addressed an allegedly rumoured dress code disseminated by the University Management that circulated across various platforms, which was met with strong opposition from the Students’ Union and was later debunked by the School Management, confirming it did not originate from them. The President asserted that OAU students are known for their freedom of expression, of which dressing is a part.
He also noted that Freshers’ Week was conducted by the office of the Vice President earlier this semester, although many freshmen were not present due to admission issues, as most had yet to complete their admission processes even after classes had commenced. To address this issue, the Students’ Union will endeavour to inform these Freshmen of all the necessary information they need to know.
In highlighting the achievements of the Students’ Union, he mentioned a food distribution initiative spearheaded by the Welfare Officer that benefited 4,000 students. He stated that the Students’ Union is working on examination relief packages for students and Ramadan packages for those fasting during the period. Subsequently, he noted that the Director of Socials facilitated a concert featuring Blaqbone, an alumnus of the university, who performed at the Amphitheatre. Similarly, Asake, another alumnus, also paid a courtesy visit to the Department of Dramatic Arts and OAU in general.
Moreover, the President confirmed that renovations are ongoing at the Students’ Union Building, including improvements to the toilet facilities, which are expected to be completed within a week, along with several other renovations. He added that students would no longer be required to pay the 100 Naira fee for gloves at the health centre before receiving treatment.
Transportation issues were also addressed, with the President announcing that the recent transportation problems faced by students were due to Towngboro buses as a result of the implementation of 80 CNG buses donated by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. These buses are expected to be fully operational by the end of March. As a consequence, the number of town-gboro buses has now been reduced to 200, alleviating transportation issues for students.
Lastly, the President provided updates concerning CBT following discussions with the management. He stated that the Union declared a state of emergency regarding CBT examinations due to numerous complaints from students. However, it was announced that an extension of four weeks has been secured for freshmen before their examinations begin, scheduled for 9 March, although this remains subject to Senate approval.
Furthermore, he stated that, as the students were aware that classes would not be held during the Lecture-free week, all students should cooperate with the union in making these stands.
Updates were also provided on the expected NELFUND refund for students who had paid their school fees before disbursement, as well as ongoing efforts to secure approval for the resumption of student upkeep, which had been halted a month ago due to the OAU Academic Calendar being behind. The school management has sent a letter to Abuja to resolve the issue, and the refund process will commence as soon as possible.
At the end of the deliberations, Congress resolved that the union should follow up on the Senate meeting to formally approve the freshmen calendar extension, whilst the President stated that students should hold him to his word. Regarding the freshmen calendar not being equivalent to that of the stalites, the President noted that their examinations would also conclude in March.
Moreover, students were advised to remain vigilant regarding security matters while preparing for their examinations. They should promptly report incidents and exercise caution during CBT examinations.
The Welfare Officer, Musab, made a motion for adjournment at 7:50 pm, which was seconded by Congressman Oye from the Faculty of Social Sciences, while the President adjourned Congress until further notice.