Manifesto Review: A Scorecard on the Students' Union President's Achievements and Unfulfilled Promises

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 of a borehole in Awolowo Hall of Residence. The current administration has also sponsored the school fees of certain students. Also, on Thursday, June 5, the Union executives played a role in securing the release of the two OAU students who were arrested during Nyesom Wike's event. There are possibly other achievements that are not captured within the scope of this report. Nonetheless, there are still elements of the President's manifesto that have not yet been fulfilled.

A picture of the borehole construction facilitated by the Students' Union.

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Omoboriowo Isaac's Manifesto 

ALWAYS-ON LIGHTING 

Omoboriowo Damilola Isaac, in one of his campaign promises, proposed the ALWAYS-ON LIGHTING initiative. He pledged to provide solar-powered bulbs for all hostels and academic areas to mitigate the impact of electricity outages, especially during exams and tests. As of now, just two weeks before the end of his tenure, this promise remains unfulfilled.

"No solar-powered bulb in my hostel," stated one resident of the ETF Hall of Residence. In an interview, he explained how the initial solar panel installed by the school authorities in ETF Hall is no longer effective. "Even though it didn't really affect me, the solar panel was useful and helped us cope with the national grid issues during those times, and hearing that it is no longer effective saddens me," he expressed.

"The solar panel in Alumni supplies light in the common room, reading room, and portal's lodge during outages, and it also serves the purpose of charging. It was not installed by Dr Bush—perhaps there is some misinformation—but I've been staying in this hall since my first year, and this solar panel has been in place for quite some time. From what I saw written on it, it is a project from the Alumni body," said the students' executive of Alumni Hall of Residence. In an interview with her, she clarified that she had not heard about any solar-powered bulb project undertaken by the Student Union President.

In an interview with one of the residents of Akintola Hall, she voiced her frustration over the lack of proper lighting when they study in the common room. She said, "There's no solar bulb installed in our reading room. In fact, there's a reading room without light or any form of electricity. It's just there... we can't use it to read at night. I wonder what a hostel is without a good reading room. The other reading room that has light is infested with bedbugs."

Reading room in Akintola Hall 

Furthermore, in an interview with one of the hall supervisors, who discussed the solar panel that stopped working a month ago and has not been repaired despite numerous complaints. In the interview, he said, "The solar panel was initially supposed to provide light for the common room as well, but the reason it is not functioning there is that it keeps being damaged by high-energy appliances like irons and hotplates. So, the solar power was only directed to the portal's lodge, where it was available for students during power outages. However, the solar system is no longer operational because the battery has been depleted for more than a month, and despite all our complaints, nothing has been done. Instead, they keep postponing the promise to come and fix it. Whenever there is a power outage, everywhere is plunged into darkness because the solar that was meant to serve us is down, and no one is available to repair it."

However, no measurable progress has been made toward implementing this initiative. There have been no visible installations, consultations with campus facilities management, or even official updates regarding the issue. Despite being one of the most prominent promises made by the current President of the Students' Union, there are no signs of its fulfilment in the hostels or lecture theatres in the academic area.

Interviewing a student who experienced a power outage in the academy area during an overnight reading, she expressed how she was unable to achieve her initial reason for coming to campus that day. "Even though I had prepared both my body and soul to read and cover a lot of outlines, about 30 minutes into my serious studying, the NEPA did what they do best and cut the power. I thought I would rest for a while until they restored the electricity, but to my surprise—and actually not surprised, because this wasn't the first time such an incident had occurred—the power wasn’t restored until the following morning. That is how an overnight study session turned into a night of unintended sleep."

"Sometimes, before leaving my hostel for campus, I ask myself: are you sure there will be power on campus? Because whenever I'm on campus and there's a power outage, I find it hard to read. There was a day I had to use the streetlight at Motion Ground to read because I had a test the next day and there was an outage, so I had no choice but to find an alternative, even though we were promised reliable lighting. Well, all is well," another student expressed in a session.

WATER 'O CLOCK INITIATIVE 

The Students' Union facilitated the construction of a borehole in Awolowo hall. Nonetheless, this act has not been extended to other halls of residence. Omoboriowo Isaac, in his campaign, stated, "In collaboration with the DSA and hall wardens, we will ensure water is pumped into hostels at least twice daily at specific times. This will reduce the inconsistent water supply, making it easier for students to access water for their needs."

Students in some halls of residence have been complaining about the inconsistency of the water supply, claiming that it is part of the promises made to them by the current president to provide a reliable water supply.

In an interview with a resident of Fajuyi Hall of Residence, he said that one of the challenges faced by Fajuyi residents is the inconsistency of water: "Now, not having water is no longer a matter of hours but days. The last time we had water in this hostel was nearly three days ago. The money we use to buy water for cooking alone could be used for other facilities." He further explained how the shortage of water makes it difficult for them to carry out their day-to-day activities. He said, "Some people keep missing classes because there is no water to take a bath before class, and it also affects other matters, such as the cleanliness of the toilets. Even the mosques have no water for us to fetch."

REGULAR HOSTEL CLEAN-UP

Regular hostel clean-up is another unfulfilled promise made by the Students' Union President. A resident of Akintola Hall of Residence raised a complaint about the unhygienic state of the hostel surroundings. She explained clearly how there is no cleaning routine in the hostel, contrary to the promise made by the President. She said, "We have never done a hostel clean-up except for the one that was organised by the hall warden last semester. The Students' Union President mentioned something about it in his manifesto, but I have not seen anything of the sort done in my hostel. In fact, my hostel stinks. I haven't even heard any of my friends in other hostels talk about any organised hostel clean-up." In his manifesto, he clearly stated, "We will work with the maintenance department to keep hostel environments clean, preventing diseases and ensuring a healthier campus." As it stands, this promise seems to be merely words.

IMPROVED HOSTEL TOILETS

Another major item on the Students' Union President’s manifesto was the renovation and regular maintenance of hostel toilets — a long-standing issue affecting student health, dignity, and daily comfort. During the campaign, the President pledged to “ensure clean, functional, and dignified restroom facilities in all hostels.” In his campaign, he stated, "In partnership with the Hostel Executives and Wardens, we will assign specific toilets to groups of rooms, providing keys to residents and cleaners. This will improve toilet conditions, reduce the burden on cleaners, and enhance hygiene." Unfortunately, none of this has been done.

In a conversation with one of the residents of ETF, he expressed his frustration over the state of their toilets, highlighting the harm the unhealthy toilets cause them. In the interview, he said, "The toilet is in a very bad condition as the doors are without locks, which leads to the toilets being filled with faeces. The bathroom also gets filled with faeces on a daily basis. There is the presence of worms, rats, snakes, etc."

"The state of our toilet is very, very bad, especially in our block, Block 4. Since last semester, our toilet has been taken away from us. Upon complaining to the portal, we were told to share toilets with other blocks (1, 2, 3) all in the name of repairing the toilet pipe." This remark was made by one of the residents of Alumni Hall during an interview session with her.

Furthermore, one of the residents of Fajuyi Hall of residence explained how the students have been coping with an unhygienic environment and how the fresh air in the hostel can be compromised due to the unstable state of the hostel's toilets. "One of the things affecting me, and I know it will be affecting others, is the water supply. The water supply to us is inconsistent; imagine not having water for days! The toilet problem is linked to the shortage of water, causing issues with flushing and making it unusable at times. It is not only irritating but also unhygienic, and this hinders our ability to maintain personal cleanliness. Also, the pipe that connects the sink to the soakaway is leaking. After using the toilet, if there is water, after flushing, everything you flushed instead of going into the soakaway just pours back out because of the leakage in the pipe. Sometimes, one can be in their room, and the odour will waft into your nostrils, making you lose interest in everything else. Imagine out of four toilets assigned to a block, only one is in a good state." Through this interview, he expressed how poor toilet conditions have been affecting him as a student.

In an interview with one of the residents of Akintola Hall of residence, she explained how few toilets are available for a large number of students: "Instead of six toilets, they opened three for 20 rooms," because some blocks, like Block W2 301 to Block W2 310, have no functioning bathrooms or toilets. She also commented on the poor hygiene conditions. "Apart from the low number of toilets available, let's talk about the state of those that are available. Their condition is very bad! The cleaners are not cleaning anything; although they flush, that's the only thing they do. They are just washing the toilets with water, no soap, no Izal, or anything. Even though all this is happening, some students are still not helping the situation by using the toilet, messing it up, and leaving it like that, to the extent that some even defecate in the bathroom, which is detrimental to our health. Though they are doing some renovation, I am not seeing any signs of change. Instead, they seem to be making it worse. Perhaps they want to run water inside, I don’t know, but all I can say presently concerning our toilet is that it is in a very bad state."

AFFORDABLE ESSENTIALS

Omoboriowo Isaac, in his manifesto, stated that "We will establish a Student Union store to offer everyday goods at wholesale prices. This store will make essential items more affordable for students, providing a cost-effective alternative to current vendors and controlling price hikes." However, this is one of the many promises that have yet to be fulfilled.

A student expressed her disappointment in an interview session upon discovering that no Students' Union store had been established as promised by the Student Union President, Omoboriowo Isaac. "Students' Union Superstore?? In this OAU, I have never mistakenly come across it since the beginning of this tenure. I do remember Dr. Bush mentioning it in his manifesto, and it was even one of his promises that caught my attention then. As much as his promises caught my attention, I am disappointed that most of these promises were not addressed, let alone completed."

WE CAN ONLY FULFIL THE ONES THAT ARE POSSIBLE - STUDENTS' UNION PRESIDENT

In an interview with the Students' Union President, Omoboriowo Isaac, regarding the unfulfilled promise of installing solar bulbs, he addressed the issue of having the necessary resources to implement the plans. He informed the correspondent that he had written proposals to various parties, including alumni who promised ten inverters, but no response has been received. He added, "It is not like we have the money somewhere and we did not do it. It's not as though we did not pursue it. We can only fulfil the ones that are possible."

When asked about the reason for the unfulfilled promise of regular hostel clean-ups, he clarified that the hall executives are responsible for these activities and stated, "We reached out to hall wardens and the Dean of Student Affairs to ensure that all of these are being done." He further emphasised that because no complaints have been received, it is assumed that the regular clean-ups are being carried out.

Concerning the Student Union store, he explained, "While we wanted to establish the union stores, there was no available space in the union building. Most of the stores there have been booked by tenants, and it is not as though their rent is due."

He informed The Icons' correspondent that the manifestos were not neglected. He also outlined some of the projects that have been achieved during his tenure: "We have successfully introduced CNG transportation on campus, drilled a borehole in Awo, and we are currently establishing a union library. We have completed three or four projects."