House Secretary aspirants Agunbiade Maleek and Emmanuel O. Akinbusuyi have outlined proposals to address gender-based violence (GBV) and improve the inclusion of students with special needs in the University of Ibadan Students’ Union (UI’SU).
The aspirants spoke at UI’SU Press Night’26, where they were questioned on how they intended to address gender-based violence within the university community and promote the inclusion of students who face difficulties accessing the Students’ Union building.
On inclusion, Maleek proposed working with Heads of Halls of Residence to identify students with special needs who might struggle to access the Union building and find ways to reach them.
Acknowledging the buildings’ accessibility challenges, he said he intended to take the initiative to the students rather than expect them to come to him.
On gender-based violence, Maleek proposed establishing an office where students could report cases. He identified victims’ reluctance to speak up as one of the major challenges in addressing the issue.
Akinbusuyi, on his part, proposed organising orientation programmes to educate students about gender-based violence and encourage them to speak up.
He also said he intended to engage the university’s Gender Mainstreaming Office and refer cases to the appropriate authorities if they escalated beyond the Union’s capacity to handle them.
The proposals centred on improving access to support, encouraging the reporting of gender-based violence and ensuring that students with special needs are not excluded from Union activities because of accessibility barriers.
This report is part of the Union of Campus Journalists, University of Ibadan (UCJ UI)’s Election Watchroom Initiative, which provides coverage of candidates and the electoral process of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union (UI’SU).
