Without sacrificing the truth  for sentiment, the Hon. Gbadebo David-led Legislative Council has failed Katangites, the student residents of the Great Independence Hall of Residence at the University of Ibadan. The 14th Assembly, led by Gbadebo David as the Speaker of the Council, has been nothing short of a  legislative disaster to the hall residents whose welfare  ought to be its legislative priority.  By failing to carry out a number of its legislative obligations with the justice, fairness, and transparency they deserve, the policy-making Council has placed the welfare of Katanga Republic at a detriment.

The Legislative Council, according to  Indy Hall Constitution, is mandated to foster good governance in the hall, serving as a check on the hall’s Executive Council to prevent the imminent abuse of power or any form of administrative misconduct. Unfortunately, the reverse has been the case as the 14th Assembly seems to have lost sight of why it ideally exists.

Easy to guess, the Council seems to be working in complicity with the Executive Council, often at the expense of Katangites’ welfare. This collusion is not opaque, especially to the critical, conscious mind, as it is apparent that the both Councils seem to be more interested in prioritizing the political ambitions of their loyalists across different constituencies than in serving the interests of the inhabitants of the hall.

The Achilles’ heel of the Hon-Gbadebo-led Legislative Council began as early as the first week of the 2024/2025 academic session, when the fresh students within the hall were charged more than what was sanctioned as the Union basic due by the University of Ibadan Students’ Representative Council, the policy-making organ of the University’s student government.

Rather than holding the Peculiar Adedeji-led Executive Council accountable for breaching the binding policy, the Legislative Council failed to impose appropriate disciplinary sanction on the Council, symbolizing legislative negligence and the violations of its constitutional mandate of ensuring check and balance.

Equally concerning is the Council’s inactivity. Last semester, it held only one sitting, which focused majorly on the approval of the executive budget. This infinitesimal engagement with its legislative obligations ignored the series of accommodation challenges faced by residents, such as the struggle in  securing bed spaces, persistent insecurity, and deplorable living conditions which immensely impacted both the academic and personal welfare of Katangites.

Beyond inaction, the Council has also contravened  some of its constitutional duties. Article 7(2) of the Indy Hall Constitution mandates that the Council audit the hall’s finances at least once per semester. Subsection 3 of the same article requires that the audit report be made public within the same period. However, the Audit Committee  of the Council was only inaugurated in the second semester, meaning that no audit report was conducted last semester, raising serious concerns about the Council’s commitment to the provision of the hall’s Constitution and financial transparency.

More recently, the Council has failed to act transparently in the current case involving the alleged  financial misconduct  leveled against the Administrator General of the hall, Peculiar Adedeji. The Legislative Council failed to notify the Press and the public of its legislative sitting held on October 10, 2025. Meanwhile, Article 2 of the hall’s constitution states that the Clerk of the Council “shall, at the request of the Speaker, cause the circulars and agenda for sittings of the Assembly to be sent at least 24 hours before any such sitting.” Yet, the Council held its sitting without public notice, barring public access to its legislative agenda and breaching constitutional protocol.

More troubling is the Council’s refusal, through its  Chief Whip, Honorable Sanusi Kareem, to provide the Disciplinary Committee’s report regarding the allegations of financial misconduct against the Administrator General to the Press. This lack of public transparency undermines public accountability and raises suspicion about a deliberate cover-up.

It would not be sentimental to establish that the last time the hall’s Legislative Council effectively held the hall’s Executive accountable was two sessions ago, during the tenure of the then Administrator General of Indy Hall, Samuel Ogunremi, who was without the entertainment of politics, sanctioned by the hall’s Legislative Council, led by Hon. Samuel Olaoye. The then 12th Assembly  to some extent, lived up to its mandate of serving as a check on the Executive Council. In contrast, the current Legislative Council has failed to act as a watchdog over the Peculiar Adedeji-led Executive Council, betraying student trust

Bulk of  members of the House seem to be more obsessed with  building political capital than addressing the real concerns of Katangites. This is has been made apparent through the plenary sittings, as some of these Honorable members, are shielding the Executive Council, perhaps in exchange for political support in future elections.

Meanwhile, some members of the Executive Council have exhibited gross, administrative  misconduct without being called to the book. For instance, on October 4, 2025, the Social and Buttery Commissioner, Tifase Oluwatimilehin, deliberately interrupted power supply at A-Block over a night party held at the hall’s newly renovated pitch, San Siro Pitch. Despite immense grievances from residents, the Legislative Council has yet to  officially sanction Tifase’s misconduct. When issues like this are ignored, it is the residents who bear the consequences. More concerning, the Council, as it stands, seems unwilling to pursue justice in the matter concerning the Administrator General, seemingly out of loyalty to him. This, of course, is a betrayal of the public trust. While student leaders come and go, the legacies they leave behind, whether positive or negative, have long-lasting impacts on the hall and its inhabitants, the Katangites.

It is on this very basis that Katangites must no longer be spectators in matters affecting their welfare in the hall. The student residents must demand accountability from the Hon. Gbadebo David-led Legislative Council by actively attending legislative sittings and scrutinizing how their welfare is addressed on the floor of the House.

It is important to establish that every student leadership position, whether within the hall, faculty, department, or Students’ Union, is a public office and must be used to serve public interest, which is the interest of the students. The current Legislative Council of the hall has failed in this regard. Hence, it is time Katangites reclaim their voice and hold their representatives accountable.