By: William Olaleye and Ayoolajesu Ojo
Thirteen days to the set deadline for payment of fees and one week since the last Congress was indefinitely postponed both the University of Ibadan Students’ Union Executive Council, its Student Representative Council, and other student leaders (including Faculty heads and hall chairs) have remained silent concerning the fee hike and fee discrepancies.
The University of Ibadan, earlier this month, released a memo, announcing the set deadline for school fees payment as June 6th, adding that late payment, which will span from June 9th to June 27th, attracts a fine of twenty thousand naira.
In response to this memo, the executive council and SRC had met several times to seemingly chart a way forward and find a solution.
It was at one of these meetings that a Congress was proposed and approved.
The SRC had moved a motion to hold a congress on the 17th of May, 2025, in order to address these issues.
However, two days to the proposed congress, the executive council had postponed the congress alleging that a set of students had assaulted and harassed three members of the it council and by extension, threatened the safety and security of students who would attend the congress.
The SRC council however through an emergency sitting moved that the Congress would still hold, ordering the executive council to make an immediate release to that effect.
This order was not followed as the executive council only made the release, about an hour and 30 minutes to when the Congress was supposed to hold.
The Congress ended up being postponed due to low turnout from the Student body, effectively quelling the one shot the student body had at dialogue with key stakeholders in the school fee issue.
UCJ spoke to the speaker of the House, Rt. Honourable Shoge Quadri following the postponement of the Congress on May 17 by the SU President, Covenant Odedele.
He stated that another Congress should hold as soon as possible.
“If we’re to hold a Congress again it has to be as soon as possible because we already have a ticking deadline. As things stands, we don’t have enough time…” He stated.
Bearing in mind his words, UCJ again reached out to the Speaker and the President concerning the Congress and their prolonged silence however no response was gotten.
With barely two weeks to payment deadline, as well as the radio silence from student leaders, it is perceived that students might very well be on their own and would have to find their solutions as regards paying their school fees.
