IFUMSA Election Debate: Contestants Make Promises, Announce Plans

Ahead of the forthcoming IFUMSA elections, MediVoice News and Literary Club in conjunction with the Electoral Committee held a Debate for all contestants in the election at HSLT B on Thursday. The debate, chaired by panellists from the club and members of the Association of Campus Journalists (ACJOAU), had both medical and non-medical students in attendance.

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Among the candidates who took part in the debate were Mustapha Abiola, who is running for treasurer; Favour Akinyemi, Ajao Timileyin, and Damilola Arowosola, each running for Assistant General Secretary; Amarachi Nwankwo, running for Public Relations Officer; Adeleke Stephen, running for Director Of Sports; Afeez Oladimeji and Oladipupo Ayomipo, running for Welfare Secretary; Ezembu Victoria, running for Vice President; and Temitayo Femi Matthew and Atoyebi Evelyn, running for President.

Favour Akinyemi expressed her desire to create a better future for the Ife Medical Students Association (IFUMSA) as the Assistant General Secretary. She plans to achieve this by introducing a Scholarship Mentorship Scheme, aimed at enlightening IFUMSA members, particularly freshmen, on how to use their academic excellence to secure scholarships

Ajao Timileyin, however, said his aspirations are hinged on a tripod of collaboration for inclusion, continuity and sustainability, and creative innovation. To achieve this, he plans to be proactive, working alongside the welfare and academic committee of each class, as well as the Executives and the IFUMSA care team to cater to the needs of every IFUMSAite.

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On the other hand, Damilola Arowosola aims to improve the academic performance of IFUMSAite and ensure that freshmen are well integrated into the system. She intends to collaborate closely with the immediate seniors of each class, her fellow Executives, and the lecturers to ensure that IFUMsaite has a seamless college experience during her tenure. Additionally, she plans to launch an Academic Excellence Conference, similar to Doctor Plus( A Tech and Medicine program Organized by IFUMSA earlier in the year), to inspire and highlight the academic excellence of IFUMSAite.

Amarachi Nwankwo, whose campaign is hinged on PROficiency, spoke on how she intends to bring IFUMSA closer to IFUMSAites. According to her, she will continue ‘Humans of IFUMSA’ and ‘Leaders of IFUMSA’, as well as maintain an Open Content Policy where every IFUMSAites can have their content published on the association’s social media handles. 

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Stephen Adeleke, the aspirant for the position of Director Of Sport, spoke on encouraging more females in the association’s sporting events. He said he would glean lessons from departmental associations with strong female sporting participation, as well as use an opinion poll to learn the sporting interests of the females. Alongside this, he promised to introduce the IFUMSA Super Cup as well as resurrect the IFUMSA basketball team.

Both contestants vying for the office of Welfare Secretary, Afeez Oladimeji and Oladipupo Ayomipo, agreed that the three most important areas of an IFUMSAite’s life are academic, financial, and mental health. However, they have different ideas on how to improve these areas. Ayomipo plans to establish an Open Door Policy where any IFUMSAite can walk in and discuss their challenges, while Oladimeji proposes Confidential Communication Channels for IFUMSAites to discuss and address their concerns. In addition, Oladimeji aims to start a Gloryland Gym Project and ensure the First Aid Kit of the hostel is stocked to ensure quick response. Ayomipo hopes to begin an initiative where IFUMSAites can get discounted food items and revive the transport system in use at the Gloryland Hall of Residence.

Ezembu Victoria expressed her desire to improve the fundraising ability of the association, as well as the coordination between the Vice President and the IFUMSA Care team. Regarding her plans to enhance the relationship between the Vice-President and IHAC, she stated that she will ensure that IFUMSA executives are represented in more than half of IHAC programs and will tailor IHAC outreaches to meet the needs of IFUMSAite.

At the beginning of the presidential debate, both candidates explained and apologized for being late. When asked about the most pressing challenge facing IFUMSA today, Evelyn stated that ‘the biggest challenge of IFUMSA is that many IFUMSA members do not attend IFUMSA programs. The average IFUMSA member knows very little about how the association is run. On the other hand, Temitayo identified fundraising as the main challenge of the association. He also explained his strategy for addressing it. According to him ‘I will collaborate with other MSAs that have business ventures managed by the MSA and used to generate revenue’.

When asked how he would respond to an exposé from the press arm of the association, exposing his flaws and weaknesses as the president, Temitayo stated, ‘If you do that, I will resign as president. I have a detailed plan for accountability for me and my fellow excos. If the EIC of MediVoice writes an exposé on my flaws, it shows I have failed in my responsibilities, and hence I will resign’.

On the other hand, Evelyn acknowledged that she is not perfect and has flaws as a human being. However, she is committed to doing her best to perform all her responsibilities. When asked what change she plans to implement if elected, she emphasized the need to build cooperation in IFUMSA. She noted that many IFUMSAites are not actively engaged with the association and that IFUMSA is not the Secretariat or the executive, but for everyone. She emphasized that this is not a one-person job and that she plans to collaborate with all members of the executive council to foster cooperation and make the association work better for all.

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During the debate’s closing stages, Temitayo was asked by Hon. Hydrogen, an Honorable of the Tenacious Class, how he plans to increase the participation of IFUMSA members in events organized by NiMSA and FAMSA. In response, Temitayo proposed creating a liaison officer role for IFUMSA within those associations. He also suggested facilitating sponsorships to make it easier for those representing IFUMSA to attend such programs. Additionally, he proposed that IFUMSA could even host such events themselves.