Students in the Faculty of Science, University of Lagos were thrown into a jubilant mood as the election results of their science students’ association was made public on Monday the 29th day of May. For the first time in 32 years since the inception of the University of Lagos Science Students’ Association (ULSSA), a female student, Adeniji Imole-Ayo Mary won the elections and was returned elected according to the extant electoral guidelines.
In what was described by many as a keenly contested election, Adeniji, a 300L student in the Department of Chemistry polled 503 votes to defeat her nearest contender Olatinwo Phillip Opeyemi (400L, Biochemistry) who managed to get 35 votes.
Adeniji’s ambition to run for the office of ULSSA President was met with mixed reactions, as a few students expressed concerns at the ‘quality’ of her candidacy especially as it concerns leading a faculty of over 5,000 students in the 2023/2024 academic session.
The 29-year-old former class representative of the Chemistry Class of ’22 expressed to her close-call supporters that she was in the race to win and not just to become popular.
“I have nursed this intention to become ULSSA President for some time now. I decided to throw my hat in the ring despite not immediately getting the support of most student leaders in my department. I’m grateful to God for making me an arrowhead in this new dispensation. He promised me and I followed his leading”
Adeniji, in her manifesto, promised to consolidate on the gains of the outgoing ULSSA administration. She said that her leadership (with the support of her cabinet members) would be committed to empowering students’ with diverse opportunities for capacity building that would help bridge the gap between the classroom and industry.
The President-elect also promised to align the students’ association with off-campus community projects in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This move, she believes would attract goodwill to the association and enable her administration to execute insightful plans and programs for an all-round learning cum extra-curricular experience for most ULSSAITES.
Adeniji’s emergence as ULSSA President is coming at a time when the Federal Government of Nigeria recently appointed Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola as the 13th and first female Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos.
The 33rd ULSSA President, fondly called Brightness (in a loose translation of her name Imole-Ayo) by close friends and associates feels inspired by Prof. Ogunsola’s feat and is determined to encourage more female students aspire to lead and become voices of reason in their respective students’ association.
-Vanguard
