Following a statement made by the student union president accusing him of incompetence in his elected role as hall chairperson of Mellanby Hall, Mr Unah Simon John reached out to the UCJ to provide his own statement on the issue.
Remember that yesterday, the UCJ reported that Deboye, during his state of the union presentation in his defence of the union’s apparent lackadaisical response to the electricity issue in Mellanby, the SU president said in an outburst that it is the Mellanby Hall Chair who has not been responsible to his students.
In response to that, Mr Unah Simon John, reached out to the UCJ with the following statement:
In light of the recent statements released by the Students’ Union President regarding the prolonged power outage in Kenneth Mellanby Hall, I find it necessary to set the record straight and present the true position of events. The claim suggesting that I, as the Hall Chairperson, “has not been responsible to the students” or failed in my responsibilities is both misleading and unfair. Such assertions do not reflect the reality of what transpired during this crisis.
For over three weeks, students across the University of Ibadan, most notably residents of Mellanby and Tedder Halls, endured severe electricity and water shortages following the breakdown of the transformer serving both halls. This damage plunged our residences into darkness, forcing students into a daily struggle for basic welfare, water, and charging points.
During this critical period, the conduct of the Students’ Union President was characterised by complete negligence. At no point did he demonstrate the urgency expected of his office. He did not visit the affected halls to personally assess the situation, nor did he make any meaningful welfare visits to Kenneth Mellanby Hall. There was no practical leadership and no presence where it mattered most. Instead, while students faced extreme frustration, the Union President was comfortably in his office recording dance videos for TikTok. At a time that demanded sacrifice, he appeared more concerned with content creation than crisis management.
Furthermore, the Union President did not personally visit the transformer site until he was directly confronted in his office and urged to take action. During my engagements with the Director of Maintenance and other university authorities, it became evident that the Students’ Union had made no meaningful intervention or consistent follow-up to facilitate a solution.In stark contrast, the Hall Executive Council, Stakeholders and I were actively working behind the scenes to provide relief and maintain order. We were neither silent nor absent. We remained engaged with relevant stakeholders, including the maintenance unit and TIFASE, the Students’ Union House Secretary, making repeated visits to ensure the issue received attention. These were practical interventions, not mere public statements.
Specifically, the Executive Council of Kenneth Mellanby Hall solely provided water supply and generator support. We ensured residents had access to charging facilities three times daily, a measure that remains in place to this date. Important updates were regularly passed across to Mellabites to keep everyone informed of these ongoing developments.
It is, therefore, both dishonest and shameless for someone who showed such reluctance in addressing the situation to now turn around and point fingers at me. Rather than pointing fingers, he should accept his own failure in leadership. Public accountability must be built on truth, not convenient narratives. I have stood firmly with the students throughout this crisis and taken responsibility where it mattered most. The welfare of students must be protected through visible action and responsible leadership, not empty assumptions.
Unah Simon John (D-Charming)
73rd Hall Chairman Kenneth Mellanby Hall, Council of Hall chairperson,
University of Ibadan.(sic).
Additionally, he included chat evidence showing that he and his executives have been in communication with Mellanbites on the issue. Also, a view-once message was sent on WhatsApp showing his correspondence with the Dean of Students which was later ascertained by the UCJ to have been the Dean’s actual number.
Chat screenshots obtained by the UCJ
In light of these and other outlandish statements made by the SU president yesterday during his State of the Union address, Uites on various platforms have been left questioning his good judgment and understanding of the responsibility that comes with his position.
It is left to be seen what more the days will reveal to us even as we approach this administration’s 100-day mark.
