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          Fawas Adedeji  Since the inception of the newly operational Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transport system on April 1st, the crisis of the commuting system has been heating up OAU politely, resulting in long queues, overcrowding, and difficulty accessing transport every day.  Sequel to the two consecutive Congresses held by the Great Ife Students'Union, on the demands for more CNG buses/tricycles, or reinstatement of the Town-Gboro buses by the management, no proactive actions has been taken still, as lectures resume without a clear way forward.  As the recurrent problem of the transport system becomes persistent, the struggle which OAU is known for is not only fiction but also reality. However, the university management claimed that the new system was to make the OAU community an “ideal academic environment,” the GreatIfe students insisted that there should be adequate provision of more transport vehicles in the...

           Adedoyin Onajobi                                Photo Credit: Arteta Media  The Supremacy Cup quarter-finals delivered high-stakes drama across both legs, as teams fought relentlessly for a place in the semi-finals in a round defined by tension, fine margins, and standout performances. Business Administration edged past Accounting in a fiercely contested tie, showing composure when it mattered most. After securing a narrow 1–0 advantage in the first leg through Seanpaul’s penalty, they held firm despite a second-leg response from Accounting, sealing qualification on aggregate and proving their resilience under pressure. The Department of Animal Science also booked their place in the semi-finals, overcoming Philosophy across two legs. Fiyin once again rose to the occasion, finding the net and continuing his impressive scoring streak to guid...

              John Alabi  Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), has become the best STEM university in Nigeria, after defeating the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), at the final round of the 2026 university duel of the STEM Africa. The 2026 Universities Duel, which officially began on Sunday, Feburary 1, brought together over 50 universities, of which only 16 universities, comprising of 14 public and 2 private universities, made it to the main televised stage, where these universities were further divided into four groups of four. In the competition, the team OAU was ably represented by Quayum Alli, a Part 3 student Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Imran Ogungbayi, also a Part 3 student of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, and Adesina Lekan, a Part 4 student of Computer Science with Mathematics. This trio has displayed dazzling performance ever since the commencement of the competition. The university d...

            Ezekiel Ogunniyi & Fawas Adedeji In a bid to accelerate development and improve student welfare, Fajuyi Hall has witnessed the construction and renovation of key facilities, including upgraded water infrastructure and the refurbishment of its entrance signage, reinforcing its identity as the “Hall of Legacy.” For years, inadequate water supply remained a persistent challenge for residents of the hall, with no functional wells as alternative sources. However, this situation has improved following recent renovations by the current Unicus Circus Administration (2024/2025), which restored the water system and refurbished the signage board initially constructed by the Resourceful Hands Administration (2009/2010). Speaking on the development, the Hall Chairman, Opeyemi Awoniyi, revealed that beyond the recent water and signage projects, several other improvements have been carried out since the inception of the current adm...

                Ijeoma Anele  The Ife University Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Students' Association (IFUTSA) of the Faculty of Basic Medical Science, Obafemi Awolowo University, held her "Cardiofit Connect" health outreach, on Wednesday 15 April, at Oduduwa Hall pavement, in a bid to promote wellness within the university community. Speaking on the health outreach, the IFUTSA President, Olayinka Philip, noted that the outreach was primarily set up to create basic health awareness, by checking students' vital health conditions, including their blood pressure, weight, height, to mention a few. He added that the health outreach also encourages the beneficiaries to engage in physical activities like daily exercise, in order to stay physically fit. An independent observation by the ICONS Organization correspondents witnessed students and passerbys, trooping to check their health conditions, while receiving medical...

                  Hikmah Babatunde The OAU Elite 8, comprising of the top four teams from the JOT League, and the first four qualified teams from the quarter-final stage of the Great Ife Football League (GIFL), has officially emerged in the first edition of the JOT Cup tournament, which commenced on Saturday, 11 April.   From the JOT League, the top four teams include Agricultural Engineering (1st position), Computer Science (2nd Position), Electrical and Electronics Engineering (3rd position), and Mathematics (4th position). Similarly, from the Great Ife Football League (GIFL), the qualified teams are Animal Science (1st position), Philosophy (3rd position), Business Administration (quarter-finalist), and Physics, which occupies the open slot to complete the Elite 8.  ‎One unique feature of the JOT Cup is its standard match duration of 45 minutes, which distinguishes it from many other football competit...

                  Blessed Elemikan Great Ife Students' Union, on Tuesday 14 April, held the second Congress of the Rain Semester at Fajuyi Hall Cafe, to further deliberate on recent issues plaguing students, ranging from transportation to academic issues.  The Congress started at 5 p.m. with the Students Union President, David Adelani (Itabi), explaining that the new transport system was what led to the 72-hour lecture boycott. He further stated that negotiations are expected between the Union and the university management soon. Itabi further enjoined students to remain the intellectual fighters whom they have always been; no violence or vandalism should be reported on account of students' demonstrations. Propositions And Submissions When congressmen were granted the opportunity of suggesting solutions to the transport problems, Comrade Natty from the faculty of Administration, proposed that the “town-gboro” buses be returne...

               Blessed Elemikan Amidst the ongoing 72-hour lecture boycott directive of the GreatIfe Students Union, various faculty associations, including FADSA, FOSSSA, FASA, LSS, ESAN, amongst others, have shown solidarity to the union's stands, by issuing public statements urging the students of their association to comply with the Students' Union directives.               PANS OAU Recall that the boycott started on Tuesday,14 April, and is expected to last through Thursday, April 16, such that no academic activities are held on campus, within the stipulated hours.             NASS OAU As it stands, the students association of the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, Administration, Pharmacy, and a few others, have released statements showing support for the Union's boycott and encouraging their members to follow suit.    ...

           Adedoyin   Onajobi                                       Photo Credit: Arteta Media                            The OAU Supremacy Cup matchday 3, took a dramatic turn in the tournament, as teams battled fiercely for qualification, with goals, upsets, and eliminations shaping the next phase of the competition, as the league proceeds to the quarter finals. One of the exhilarating moments in the match witnessed the Department of Animal Science (ANS) football team deliver a fascinating dominant performance, thrashing the Department of Kinesiology and Health Recreation (KHR) football team 5–1, in a one-sided encounter.  In this match, Ajilore (an ANS player) stole the spotlight with a “Hat Trick,” while Fiyin and Ibrahim also found the back of the net to se...

                Adedoyin Onajobi The organiser of the Great Ife Unity Cup, Bambam Hubs, have announced the conclusion of the maiden edition of the tournament's draws, releasing fixtures ahead of the tournament’s kickoff, on Wednesday, 15 April. Unity Cup is a newly introduced football tournament in the university community, set up to foster unity amongst the numerous indigenous associations in the university, with eight different states' indigenous associations, divided into two groups, will compete against each other, in quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final matches. The indigenous associations participating in the maiden edition tournament include; NAOSS (Ogun), NAOSS (Ondo), NAOSS (Osun), FOSSU (Oyo), FESU (Ekiti), NADESSTU (Delta), and FONSA (Northern States).  Representatives of the participating associations were present at the draw, with the exception of the Northern and Delta associations, which we...

               Fawas Adedeji and Michael Olawuyi Following the  “one week observatory mode” review of the new transport policy deliberations at the GreatIfe Students’ Union Congress, held on Friday, 9 April at Fajuyi Hall Cafe, the union has taken proactive actions towards the grievances of the students. The information about the lecture boycott was contained in an official release by the Union, declaring a 72 hour boycott of all lectures, effective from tomorrow, Tuesday, 14 April, as a direct response to the “severe conditions” imposed by the university’s new transport system on its students. There had been critical opprobrium of Union matters on the new transport crisis, its uncertainties and frustrations by the GreatIfe students, before the Union eventually decided to call the management to order to yield to the complaints of the affected students, by providing more adequate transport facilities to cater for the students on an...

            Oluwafemi Adetunji   Few years back, in OAU, the Students’ Union congress serves as a forum where leadership meets accountability, but the OAU of now has become the shadow of itself in this regard.  What unfolded at the congress held on Thursday, 9 April, at Faj Cafe, is nothing, but a carefully improvised theatrical performance, where questions took center stage, but answers remained backstage. As usual, students gathered with expectations, leaders seated with authority, and an agenda anchored on pressing welfare concerns, particularly the new transport system. Surprisingly, as proceedings commenced, it became increasingly evident that the congress would not follow the script of governance, but rather that of theatre. As such, in case you missed it, the first Students'Union Congress for the Rain Semester of the current academic session, is indeed a theatrical play, summarized into two acts with four scenes.     ...

            Adedoyin Onajobi  The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Supremacy Cup, one of the most highly talked-about football tournaments on campus, has again kicked off with strong buzz, with the first match held on Tuesday, 7 April, at the OAU Training Pitch 1 and 2, bringing together sixteen departmental football teams, in a series of competitive fixtures. The tournament, organized by ISCO Sports, is reportedly in its third edition and has continued to gain popularity within the university community, it has garnered significant attention and jubilation on campus, as it is often regarded as one of the biggest football tournaments within the confines of the university. As the new season begins, only sixteen teams are currently in the group stage of the tournament, with all set to clash to qualify into the knockout rounds and emerge the winner of the 2026 supremacy cup.  Early matches have already witnessed intense competition, with s...

               Fawaz Adedeji  Nigeria’s higher education system is a nationwide merger of over 600 public and private institutions, such as universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education. Amidst these, a question lingers on why only federal and state-owned universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education alone are the beneficiaries of NELFUND. Brief History of NELFUND  The Student Loan Act (access to higher education) of 2023, which established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), was enacted in April 4, 2024 under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, in a bid to forestall financial constraints for the Nigerian students, and foster a knowledge-driven economy in the higher learning institutions, through the provision of interest-free loan programme, whose portal surfaced online for applications in May 2024.  According to the reimbursement policy of the loan, beneficiaries ar...

              John Alabi  Team OAU, representing Obafemi Awolowo University in the ongoing 2026 Universities Duel, have secured a spot in the final round of the competition, after defeating the University of Ibadan at the semi-final stage this evening.  Following numerous tense moments, anxiety, and intense academic battles, Team OAU emerged victorious against the University of Ibadan with a breathtaking final result of; (OAU) 101 - 43 (UI).  Universities Duel is an annual competition that features various universities, including federal, state, and private institutions, coming together to test their wits and knowledge in technology, logical reasoning, and they also compete on STEM- related questions which encompasses Mathematics, Data analysis, Verbal Reasoning and General Knowledge, for months, till a final champion emerges. Since its inception, different universities across Nigeria have consistently participated in this h...