By: Kelvin Omachonu

In the first part of this series, we delved into the performance of the A Block floor representatives and we revealed the lackadaisical manner with which the A2 and A3 representatives tended to their duties. We also highlighted the brilliant performances of A1 and A4 reps. For the second part of this series, we went to B-block to assess how well the floor representatives have performed. 

B Block, just like A Block, is predominantly filled with freshmen, due to the circumstances that abound this semester. It’s thoughtful and it also shows a sign of responsibility when floor reps tend to issues concerning their members whenever it’s called for. However, that is not the case on virtually all the floors in B Block. While some B Block residents indicated glee with the performance of their floor reps, others were unsatisfied with the way their representatives tended to their matters. Let’s take a look into B-Block constituency.

B1 – HON. ABDULSALAM SARAFADEEN

Among the four floors, Hon. Abdulsalam Sarafadeen of B1 constituency has the least population of students. Nonetheless, the constituents of his floor are convinced by his performance as their representative. The members of B1, predominantly freshmen, indicated their satisfaction. They alluded to the presence of a WhatsApp group for information dissemination and also confirmed that they have not had any major issue since they moved in. From the responses we got, Hon. Abdulsalam has truly been effective in his position, albeit he missed a crucial meeting where the formalities for the upcoming KEFA were arranged.

B2 – HON. EGBOCHE EHIKOWOICHO

Hon. Egboche Ehikowoicho has performed his duties quite honourably; the 200-level student is perhaps the best representative in B Block. Speaking to most members of B2, they stated that Hon. Ehikowoicho performs regular checks on them to ensure that everything runs smoothly. They also admitted that they have a functioning WhatsApp group where information is readily passed through. The freshman also stated that there is a good rapport between them, and he is available whenever they had issues. 

“There was a time I complained about a bunk in front of my room, and he helped us speak to some people to take it away,” Ayomide, a 100-level member of B2 affirms to Hon. Egboche’s diligence. Hon. Egboche was also the only B Block floor representative present in a meeting to arrange formalities for the upcoming KEFA. The honourable has tended to his duties with diligence, and he has shown that he could do more. 

B3 – HON. WALE TOHEEB

“He is a ghost”, David, a 300-level student said when quizzed about his floor rep’s performance. From the responses gotten from the members of B3, they stated that they had never met anyone who introduced himself as a floor representative. 

Hon. Wale hardly spends time on his floor, members of his constituency are also unaware of his existence, and his presence could be classified as bad as Nigeria’s epileptic power supply. His floor members complained about the lack of light in the toilet and bathroom, they also complained that the toilets and bathrooms are not regularly cleaned compared to other floors.

They also confirmed that there has been no communication mechanism on the floor. Due to his absence, we put a call through to him, and he explained that the reason for his continuous absence is because of financial constraints, as he already got a house outside school, and he couldn’t afford to pay for accommodation in the hall. He stated also that he would be in contact with members of his floor soon enough to discuss pressing issues with his floor members.

B4 – HON. SAMUEL OGUNREMI 

Hon. Samuel Ogunremi’s performance is rather lukewarm. While some members of his floor admitted that they were aware of his presence, most of them are oblivious to the fact that he was hardly ever present for them to reach out to. Also, some members of the floor stated that there was a means of communication on the floor, albeit, not functional; most stated that no WhatsApp group was created for the floor. 

Most of them also complained about the constant flooding of the bathroom, but they couldn’t find anyone to complain to. Due to Hon. Ogunremi’s absence, we placed a call through to him, and he admitted that he has been absent for some time due to personal reasons. He also stated that he has been in constant communication with members of his floor.  He said he has spoken to the porters about the issues his floor members already raised, but he hasn’t gotten a favourable response.

In conclusion, while conversing with the floor reps who were AWOL, they stated that it is not in the constitution to always be available on the floor. However, this is a time when one’s flexibility could be a game changer. Despite their absence on their floors, they could make use of online resources to ensure a smooth running of their constituencies. The financial constraints would always be there, but one’s resourcefulness could be vital in bringing about the desired results.