By: Abdullah Oladejo

The Odedele Covenant-led University of Ibadan Students’ Union Executive Committee has perpetually declined to respond to Press inquiries regarding issues affecting the welfare of the student community it is constitutionally mandated to represent, IndyPress reports.

On several occasions when IndyPress reached out to the Union leadership for comments on matters of student interest, the executives either failed to respond or outrightly declined.

On July 13, 2025, IndyPress reached out to the Students’ Union President, Covenant Odedele, to inquire about the Union’s intervention in the case of two students, Ayodele Aduwo and Mide Gbadegesin, who were about to appear before the University of Ibadan Central Students’ Disciplinary Committee for their participation in placard protest against fee Increment on May 13, 2024, Odedele Covenant, however, declined to comment.

Similarly, on July 21, 2025, when asked about the position of the Union leadership on the conversion of kitchenettes into rooms within the university’s hostels, Odedele again declined to respond.

Earlier, on August 4, 2025, IndyPress reached out to the Students’ Union President concerning the prolonged power outage at the Ayodele Falase Postgraduate Hall of Residence, which had affected the academic and personal welfare of the student residents, but he also refused to provide a statement.

In another instance, on October 22, 2025, the Press contacted the Students’ Union Vice President, Owadayo Olabisi, regarding the case of William Paul, a missing student from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan, but she declined to comment, although IndyPress observed she had earlier posted a broadcast raising alarm about the missing student on her WhatsApp status.

As of the time of filing this report, the missing student has not yet been found officially.

Also, recently, the Press reached out to the Union Vice-President on several occasions regarding the academic welfare of the students, she also declined to grant a comment.

On July 7, 2025, IndyPress also reached out to the Students’ Union House Secretary, Oluwaseun Adeyemi, for clarification on the temporary suspension of water supply within some halls of residence as contained in a memorandum signed by the University Registrar, He, too, declined to respond.

The perpetual refusal of the Students’ Union Executive Committee to engage with the Press on issues  affecting the student body has raised serious concerns about public transparency, accountability, and the Union’s commitment to representing the student welfare.