The Irony of 100 Days in Office
By: Robiat Oladele
On the 15th of June, 2025, the Auspicious team celebrated 100 days in the office. Such milestones often serve as a time to reflect on progress and celebrate achievements. However, for many, this particular celebration feels more ironic than inspiring. The current administration, during their campaign, made several bold promises that ignited hope, promises that remain largely unfulfilled after their 100 days in office. For the students, it is a moment to showcase impactful projects, achievements and reassurance in the power of students’ votes. For the University of Ibadan students’ union, the story is different. Students vote in representatives with hope— hope that this time, things will be different. As the auspicious team marks its 100 days in office, what stares back at the students who voted them in is not just unfulfilled dreams but the irony of abandoned promises.
It is no secret that the current administration came into office with a burst of energy and structured plans for students. Their campaign trail was filled with clear cut initiatives, especially those targeting student academics, health, welfare, safety, amongst many others. Many of the timelines of these promises are in the first semester, which raised a lot of expectations from students. Students did not need much convincing that the plans seemed actionable and urgent. But now, a few weeks to the end of the first semester, most of these promises have either been forgotten, shelved, or buried beneath bureaucratic excuses. “They are projecting the doings of an incompetent administration, not meeting up with quota,hundreds days in office but nothing to show for the label, the auspicious times they are moving pretty suspicious”, said a frustrated Uite.
A good example lies in the health initiative. As seen in the manifesto of Olabisi Owadayo, the University of Ibadan Students’ Union Vice President, to secure donations of mosquito nets. This, as intriguing as it sounds, remains unfulfilled. The same fate applies to their proposed partnership with the Red Cross Society for first aid training and ASIDO for mental health sensitization. Even the plan to hold monthly aerobic sessions for students’ mental refreshment has not materialised. These were not vague dreams,they were laid out clearly in the campaign. Yet, students are still waiting.
Another unfulfilled promise is the proposed Financial Literacy Summit, which was boldly stated in the manifesto of Bioku Joshua, the Students’ Union Treasurer, to commence in the fourth week of resumption. With partnerships promised with GoLearn and Realtors Continent, the summit was meant to empower students through practical financial knowledge, workshops, and expert sessions. Here we are, weeks have passed and students could not acknowledge a single update on the event, let alone the execution. This is another reflection of how promises made in manifestos can disappear into thin air, leaving students who genuinely anticipated growth and learning abandoned.
Another major agenda that appears to have fizzled into silence is the Orientation on Unionism and Its Power, under the office of the General Secretary, Segun Victor Olowu. The proposal promised interactive “Unionism Mini-Talks”, physical and online sessions to sensitise students, especially freshers about the purpose and power of the Students’ Union. This was meant to counter the growing perception of the Union as ineffective. Also promised were leadership development programs to equip students for active participation. Now as we navigate the few weeks left to the end of this semester, not a single “mini-talk” has been held, no orientation campaign has been launched, and the leadership workshops remain nothing but ink on paper. The silence is loud, and the gap between executive promises and students only grows wider.
In 100 days, a system can change narratives, solve problems, and create impacts. But what has instead played out is a reflection of leaders who have failed and dampen the hopes of the people they represent. They’ve made promises, but still lagging behind in delivery. How do we explain that a Students’ Union body with access to platforms and explorable networks failed to distribute mosquito nets or organise a single aerobic session? Even after stating their potential sponsors in their manifestos, we still are yet to see any traces of these plans coming into fruition.
The disappointment is not in what has not been done, it’s also in how silent the administration has been about it. Imagine student union executives who are meant to protect and serve as the voice of the student, boldly support student loan —the idea of students getting indebted before graduation. They could not even organise a proper congress to hear the students’ opinions. There has been no transparent communication, no explanation of what stalled these initiatives. Instead, the 100-day celebration has been more ceremonial than reflective. A proper leadership body must do better. Accountability and true service of leaders goes beyond sharing graphics about the days spent in office.
Worse still, the larger student environment continues to suffer. Education is getting increasingly expensive for the common man, education is getting commercialised. Hostel conditions remain unfriendly, with students battling both mental and academic stress. A student population that cannot afford decent meals or basic health support should not have to wait endlessly for projects that were once prioritised. Yet, all our union care about is building their portfolio rather than serving the interest of the student.
Leadership, especially in a university setting, is not about glamour, It is about deliberate action, even in little things. Imagine if just one of those promises had been fulfilled. Imagine the effect a simple first aid training session would have on health awareness or the peace of mind students would get from knowing their mental health is not being ignored. A weekly graphics is being pushed out, is that enough compared to a proper training and simple aerobic session that would have help the students relieve the stress? The little fulfilments are what leadership is supposed to deliver, not excuses or silence.
While we reflect on these first 100 days, the lesson is clear. Students must hold their leaders accountable, not only during campaigns but throughout their tenures. And leaders must remember that time passes quickly. Promises are not decorations for a manifesto; they are contracts with the people. Failing to honour them weakens trust and dims the spirit of representation, the UISU’s first 100 days were meant to represent a new era. Instead, they show an all-too-familiar pattern of talk without substance. The irony is bitter, but perhaps necessary. It reminds us that leadership begins where noise ends in the quiet, consistent work of delivering what was promised.
Note: Efforts to reach the vice president and the treasurer proved abortive.
