The University of Ibadan Students’ Union (UISU) Congress eventually commenced at 10:22 a.m. today, September 20, at the SUB Foyer, after being delayed from its scheduled 8:00 a.m. start due to the absence of the required quorum of 500 students.
Opening the session, the Union President, Odedele, highlighted recent achievements, including the reversal of late registration fees, plans for interactive sessions with NELFUND officials to ease student loan access, the launch of the first phase of the “Light Up UI” project, and the Union’s mediation with MDCAN during the recent strike. He also addressed the suspension of UI3 members, announcing the formation of a student advisory committee on SDC rulings, while cautioning students against operating outside the Union’s framework.
Responding to allegations of financial misconduct raised by the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), Odedele denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the Union executives were not guilty. He accused the press of bias and malicious reporting, but students reminded him that the allegations originated from an SRC report and advised him to direct grievances about reporting accuracy to the concerned LPO or its Editor-in-Chief.
On embezzlement concerns, Odedele clarified that the ₦2 million bursary fund was a loan sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to support financially struggling students. He explained the discrepancies in the number of beneficiaries reported as 35, 37, and 40 by stating that the accurate figure was 37, with the variation arising from late applicants. He further noted that while he personally covered some payments, all documented bursary disbursements were from the ₦2 million cited in the SRC report.
Union Treasurer Bioku Joshua backed this explanation, stating: “According to the constitution, the UISU Treasurer can receive disbursed funds, approved by the SRC, into his or her personal account.”
Closing the congress, SRC Speaker Shoge Quadri assured students that the council is working on a bill to clearly outline the Union’s revenues and expenditures, in a bid to address discrepancies in UISU’s financial records.