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          Israel Bakare Long live the spirit of the Union! Victoria Ascerta! These are the songs we all know, it is the chants we all have mastered, and rituals we all perform with conviction. Yet perhaps, just perhaps, another slogan deserves a louder ovation: “Long live the Invisible.”  Applause! Applause!! Applause!!! Congratulations are certainly in order for such a well-decorated honour. It is no small feat to remain politically relevant long after elections have packed their bags and moved on. While ordinary students graduate and pursue uncertain futures, the "King Maker" achieve something far greater: permanent residency in the corridors of student politics. Honour, in Ogbafemi politics, belongs to whom it is carefully arranged for. What a beautiful ceremony it is, as some receive votes, others attain office, but the truly accomplished receive awards. How reassuring it is to know that student politics still recognizes excellence, not nec...

            Oluwafemi Adetunji  In what can only be described as a masterclass in unpredictability or perhaps improvisation, the ongoing Great Ife Students’ Union election, particularly for the presidential aspirants, has delivered a storyline rich enough to rival prime-time political drama. At the beginning, it was a simple race between three aspirants; Ikuuboy, Emmanuel, and Iseoluwa, who stepped forward, armed with ambition, slogans, and varying degrees of confidence. Campaign posters adorned walls, WhatsApp statuses became campaign billboards, and manifesto promises flowed like free Wi-Fi that never quite connects. Among them, Iseoluwa appeared particularly determined, he was the first to set the tone by launching his campaign with an imposing banner strategically placed at strategic points on  campus. Yet, his campaign style was methodical: quiet mobilization through class representatives, calculated outreach, and a steady build-u...

            Oluwafemi Adetunji  Going down memory lane, as though it were only yesterday, it all began as a gesture of goodwill: a donation by “Màmá Onínú Ire,” the most highly ranked woman of the nation. A legacy gift to her roots, a symbol of progress rolled into Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) on wheels powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), courtesy of her distinguished alumna.                                                                 Photo Credit: Ezekiel Ogunniyi  The optics were impeccable. The ancient citadel of learning now had modern buses, cleaner energy, and what appeared to be a total transport revolution. Unfortunately, what followed was less of a revolution and more of a rapid evacuation. The first decisive move came swiftly and without hesita...

            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.     ...