The Immediate past UI Students’ Union Vice President, Owadayo Olabisi, has asserted that she, alongside members of the now-defunct Covenant Odedele-led Students’ Executive Committee, championed what she described as “student-friendly policies” at the University of Ibadan, IndyPress reports.
Ms Owadayo made the claim in a brag post, shared on her LinkedIn account on Thursday, February 12, 2025.
Contrary to her claim, IndyPress recalled that the Covenant Odedele-led Students’ Executive Committee, branded “Team Auspicious,” did not initiate or ultimately resolve any discernible student-friendly policy.
During the tenure of “Team Auspicious,” policies widely regarded as unfavourable to students took centre stage, including fee increments, conversion of kitchens into hostel rooms, blackout in Alexander Brown Hall of Residence, unprovoked attack on the press, as well as using the union to promote its posture on student loan scheme.
It will also be recalled that during their tenure, two student activists, Aduwo Ayodele and Mide Gbadegesin, were handed four-semester suspensions over their involvement in a peaceful protest held on May 13, 2024, despite widespread condemnation of the disciplinary action by civic groups across the country and members of the University of Ibadan student community.
Moreover, despite her constitutional responsibility to safeguard students’ academic welfare, the former Students’ Union Vice President, Owadayo Olabisi, left critical issues, including clashing lecture timetables and the non-issuance of academic transcripts, unresolved, a lapse that reportedly cost some students scholarships and other academic opportunities.
The former Students’ Union Vice President’s claim that her administration advanced student-friendly policies invites legitimate scrutiny, though such evaluations are rarely conducted due to the absence of a thorough end-of-tenure assessment by the general student community.
Her team, “Team Auspicious,” left office with several pressing concerns either ignored or unresolved, casting doubt on the substance of such claims, while raising questions about the administration’s genuine commitment to students’ welfare during its tenure.
