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By Adetunji Oluwafemi  The Great Ife Students' Union Electoral Commission, constituted for the 2023/24 Academic Session's Great Ife Students' Union Election and headed by Ehondor Matthew Damilola, has been labelled incompetent and time-wasters by the students of Obafemi Awolowo University following the unexpected postponement of the Debate and Press Night scheduled for 6 p.m. today, Monday, 23rd June 2025, at Oduduwa Hall. The highly anticipated debate, which was originally expected to start at 6:00 p.m. based on the released election timetable, left many in awe and regret after it was unexpectedly postponed until tomorrow, Tuesday, 24th June 2025. This accusation of incompetence against the Electoral Commission arose from the fact that aspirants, their supporters, and several other students had already occupied Oduduwa Hall, cheering, gyrating, and canvassing for their candidates, only to wait for hours for the commencement of the debate. Unfortunately, their a...

By Eniola Adeyeye and Adelusi Taiwo "Great Ife is not for thuggery. Great Ife is not for violence. Great Ife is for peace, justice, and all." With these powerful closing words, the Great Ife Students’ Union Electoral Commission and the Election Petitions Committee affirmed their commitment to a peaceful, democratic campus community in a statement released on Wednesday, 18th June 2025, condemning the recent violent attack on Hon. Fatoyinbo Azeez, Chairman of the Union’s Transport Management Committee and other students. READ ALSO: Great Ife Election Season Begins: Campaign Ban Lifted, Official Timetable Released The electoral petition committee assured the student body that they stand firmly with the victims and will not relent until justice is served through proper Union procedures and the university’s regulatory framework. The releases stressed that the Union must remain a citadel of progress, unity, and intellectual engagement, free from violence and intimidatio...

By Kehinde Ayodele  Barely 24 hours after the lifting of the ban on campaigning on Tuesday, June 17, the long-anticipated election timetable was released by the electoral commission. READ ALSO: Electoral Commission and Electoral Petition Commission Appointed Amid SRC Sitting Chaos Based on the released election timetable, the collection of nomination forms is set to take place between June 18 and June 19, the press conference and screening of contestants will occur between June 20 and June 21, the debate for CEC aspirants is scheduled for June 23, CEC manifestos are due on June 24, SRC elections will take place on June 25, CEC elections are set for June 26, and the official collation and announcement of results will occur on June 27. HEC debates and manifestos are scheduled for June 28, HEC elections will take place on June 30, and lastly, the swearing-in of elected candidates will occur after examinations. During its announcement regarding the lifting of th...

By Bukola Fatoba  The Great Ife Students' Representative Council's (SRC) business meeting, held on Sunday, 15th June 2025, at Ajose Lecture Theatre, took an unexpected turn as tensions flared over the appointment of the 2023/24 Academic Session's Students’ Union Electoral Commission, leading to a significant disruption in proceedings. The sitting, convened to resume the recess and proceed with the address of outstanding agenda items from the previous sitting, commenced with the presentation of sessional reports from various halls of residence. This was followed by a debate and subsequent approval of the statements of the reports given by the Hall Chairpersons. These segments proceeded peacefully, without any form of disruption or uproar. Meanwhile, the atmosphere shifted dramatically when the union assembly moved to the appointment of the Electoral Commission, whose responsibilities are to oversee and conduct the forthcoming Students’ Union elections. Disagreeme...

By Adetunji Oluwafemi  The SERAP Accountability Club, Obafemi Awolowo University Chapter (SAC OAU), earlier today held a student-based lecture directed towards student activists and journalists at the Law Lecture Theatre 2 (LLT 2), with the theme centred on the "Freedom of Information" (FOI). The aim was to sensitise participants to their rightful access to public information and how best to maximise such information.  The event featured an interactive session with the invited speaker, who is also the Legal Advisor of SERAP, Barrister Oluwakemi Oni, a comprehensive panel discussion and a poetry rendition by Miracle Oyedokun. READ ALSO: From Placards to Handcuffs: When Protest Clashes with Power During the interactive session, the speaker, Barrister Oluwakemi, the Legal Advisor of SERAP, who joined the event online, centred her presentation on the topic "Your Right to Information to Demand Transparency, Promote Accountability and Fight Against Corruption"...

By  Adetunji Oluwafemi and Ezekiel Oluwajoba The recent peaceful demonstration that led to the arrest of two students from Obafemi Awolowo University on Thursday, June 5, during the visit of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has spread like wildfire, resulting in controversy within the campus community and on various social media platforms. Reports from both campus-based and mainstream media outlets claim that the students were forced out of Oduduwa Hall for raising placards and disrupting the public lecture titled “The Nigeria of Our Dreams,” which was presented by the Minister of the FCT.   The students in question are Oladepo Joshua, a final-year student from the Department of Political Science, and Ejike Kelechi, a 200-level student from the Department of Psychology. In a bid to unravel the cause of the arrest and its aftermath, Icons correspondents engaged one of the students in an exclusive interview. READ ALSO: Rising Worries A...

By Mercy Awa  The zebra crossing, a marked path of black and white lines on the road, is designed to give pedestrians the right of way when crossing. Typically located in high-traffic pedestrian zones, these markings aim to promote road safety. However, on campus, questions are being raised about how effectively the rules surrounding zebra crossings are being followed by both motorists and pedestrians. In interviews with students, varying views were expressed about the level of awareness and compliance with the zebra crossing rules.  READ ALSO: Manifesto Review: A Scorecard on the Students' Union President's Achievements and Unfulfilled Promises Rachael, a student of Foreign Languages, observed that “some drivers wait, but some do not,” attributing this inconsistency to what she described as a general lack of enforcement of road rules in Nigeria. She also noted that students sometimes walk carelessly or slowly across the road while chatting. Despite these challenge...

By Joy Oludele, Eniola Adeyeye and Israel Bakare  Before assuming the office of Students' Union President, Omoboriowo Damilola Isaac, the President of the Great Ife Students' Union, made a series of promises aimed at improving students' lives and addressing pressing campus concerns. These commitments formed the foundation of the campaign manifesto that earned him support from the student body. However, as the term progressed, many of these promises remained unfulfilled, raising questions about leadership effectiveness, planning, and accountability. The fact that the current President as the head of the Central Executives Council (CEC) has achieved some laudable feats cannot be overlooked. Back in August 2024, the Students' Union executives opposed the bus drivers who wanted to increase the bus fares from ₦150 to ₦200. For a while, the Students' Union provided buses to convey students for ₦100. In addition, the President has facilitated the construction o...

By Bukola Fatoba Excitement is building as the Annual Economics Students Conference (AESC), a programme where students are given the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions, analyses, and debates on trending economic issues affecting Nigeria and emerging economies, is set to take place on the 11th and 12th of June 2025 at NACETEM (Local Government Studies) and Oduduwa Hall, respectively. In an exclusive interview with Barnabas Eirekholo, the chairman of the planning committee of the AESC, insight was gained into what attendees can expect from this year's edition (AESC 11.0). Q : Can we meet you?   A : I am Barnabas Eirekholo, a 400-level Economics student here at Obafemi Awolowo University. I currently serve as the Chairman of the Planning Committee for the Annual Economics Students' Conference (AESC). READ ALSO: Library Registration Begins Just Weeks Before End of Session: Authorities Cite Issues with Electronic Launch Q : What is AESC about? A : AESC is a...

By Taiwo Oyedeji  On Monday 2nd June, the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library announced the commencement of sessional registration for library cards. This included issuing new Library Identification Card for freshers and renewal of the cards for stalites. This announcement sparked different reactions among the students as they questioned the registration commencing few weeks to the end of the session. Students, especially the freshers, expressed their frustration with the use of their clearance form in place of their cards and their inability to borrow books due to the inavailability of a renewed borrower’s ticket  READ ALSO: Two Executives from Icons Organization Chosen for AFYMP's Disability and Inclusion Fellowship   Students' Reactions   Tomiwa, a part four student from the Faculty of Agriculture, was shocked with the late announcement and recounted his experience with the library last session after he lost his library card. He explained, “I tried getting ano...

By Deborah Adeyemi  In the early hours of Wednesday, 4th of June 2025, two executives of The Icons Organization, in person of the Editor-in-Chief, Oguntade Adedoyin and the Production Manager, Adetunji Oluwafemi were officially selected as part of the top 20 recipients for the Africa Foundation for Young Media Professionals’ (AFYMP) 2025, a highly competitive Journalism Media Programme.  Adedoyin and Oluwafemi 's selection followed a rigorous screening process that reviewed over 200 applications across the country.  READ ALSO: Health Storytellers Summit: Students Empowered to Raise Awareness Through Storytelling According to AFYMP’s May 19th newsletter, the 20 recipients will attend the in-person and virtual training, continuing in a competitive development track. The fellowship serves as a platform to equip emerging journalists in media innovation and integrity across Africa. AFYMP made the announcement via their official handle on X (formerly Twitter). With...