Students’ Union Clarifies OAU App Controversy, Bedspace Balloting

Students’ Union has issued a clarification on the controversy surrounding the hostel bedspace balloting exercise scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and the use of an application bearing the university’s name.

In a statement dated Thursday, October 29, the Union explained that the controversy began after the university’s official portal reportedly became inaccessible ahead of the scheduled 6:00 p.m. balloting exercise.

According to the statement, the portal became inaccessible around 4:00 p.m. and continued displaying an ‘Error 502’ message until 9:00 p.m. During this period, reports began circulating among students that hostel accommodation could be secured through an application called ‘OAU’ on the Google Play Store.

The statement explained that the Union’s Public Relations Officer, Isaac Oluwagbami, initially suspected that the application was malicious and could be used to compromise students’ phones. He subsequently contacted the Dean of the Division of Student Affairs to verify the application’s authenticity. However, the Dean was reportedly unaware of the application’s existence at the time.

The PRO also approached the Vice-Dean, Professor Olasukanmi, who was equally unaware of the application, according to the statement. The Union explained that the PRO later assumed that the application had been developed by third-party developers without the knowledge of the relevant university authorities.

The statement added that the assumption was influenced by the similarity between the name of Skooltry, the developers of the university’s portal, and that of the developers associated with the application on the Google Play Store. The PRO’s ability to log in and access his personal student information through the app further contributed to his assumption that it had been developed by a third party.

Following these developments, the PRO issued a communication about the application. However, the Union stated that the communication created the impression that the Vice-Dean had authorised the use of the application, whereas he was reportedly unaware of its existence and had not sanctioned its use.

The Union added that the PRO’s communication generated widespread speculation among students, prompting the leadership to issue the clarification to address the concerns and prevent further misunderstanding.

On the status of the bedspaces secured through the application, the statement disclosed that students who had completed the balloting process through the app had their allocations revoked on Wednesday, October 28. It further stated that, as of the time the clarification was issued, no students had been allotted official bedspaces in any university-owned hall of residence.

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Addressing concerns about the application’s legitimacy, the Union maintained that its status remained uncertain, noting that neither the university management nor the ICT authorities had officially approved or declared it invalid, according to the information available to the Union.

The statement also clarified that the decision on whether another hostel balloting exercise would take place rested solely with the Division of Student Affairs and not the Students’ Union. It assured students that any new date would be communicated widely and in advance once officially announced.

The Union urged students to remain calm and use legitimate and recognised channels when participating in the hostel balloting process. It also advised students who did not need university-owned accommodation to refrain from participating and cautioned against engaging in bedspace racketeering.

The statement concluded with an apology from the Union’s Public Relations Officer for his earlier communication. The Union pledged that future communications on sensitive matters would provide adequate clarification to avoid similar misunderstandings.