By: Bimbola Ojuolape and Shukroh Emiola
The Press Council, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, in conjuction with Reiz 101.9 FM hosted the 2023 SUG Manifesto and Presidential Debate on the 17th of November, 2023, in fulfilment of the requirements for the 2023 SUG Elections of The Polytechnic, Ibadan. The event took place in the studios of Reiz 101.9 FM, The Polytechnic, Ibadan Radio station, making it the first ever on-air SUG Manifesto in the history of The Polytechnic, Ibadan.
The Dean Student Affairs, Mr. Makinde John, opened the day by addressing the aspirants present, speaking to them on all that is expected of them during the course of the programme and also wishing them goodluck in their political pursuit. He took turns to also admonish members of the Press Council, who were the host and moderators of the programme, to ensure a smooth running, unbiased and unsentimental manifesto.
The Head of Department, Mass Communication Department, Dr. Olusoji Olatunji, also implored the hosts to put in a great level of excellence in delivering their duty, noting that; it’s the first time ever having the SUG Manifesto happen on air in the history of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, and being a debut for Reiz 101.9 FM, this history should be written in good books.
Also present was The General Manager of Reiz 101.9 FM, Mrs. Bolatito Joseph, who was the coordinator of the programme.
The main event kicked off with the two moderators; Adeniji Sodiq Ademola and Fajuyigbe Moboluwaji, both from the Press Council, introducing the programmer to the audience, and announcing that the event can be livestreamed on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) via the Press Council’s official pages on both platforms.
The manifesto featured aspirants vying for all principal posts, including the office of the Vice President 1 and 2. There were 20 candidates in all, with each candidate having three minutes to deliver their manifesto and two minutes to answer questions by the moderators and by the audience from the Facebook comment section.
In exception, the aspirants for the office of the Students Union Government President, had five minutes to deliver their manifesto and three minutes to answer questions by the moderators, Facebook comment section and the audience that called in on the studio lines.
Olayinka Olatunji Dolapo, Oyekan Tobiloba Emmanuel and Banire Muizudeen Abolaji, being the aspirants for the office of the SUG President, spoke extensively on how they intend to improve the all round welfare of the students, if elected. They took turns to identify various peculiar problems students face on campus and they presented their tailored solutions.
The programme took a pause at 1:16 pm. The Presidential candidates took a short break in preparation for the second segment of the event, which was the SUG Presidential debate.
At exactly 1:40 pm, the programme resumed with the moderators, Adeniji Sodiq Ademola and Fajuyigbe Moboluwaji welcoming the audience back on the programme and having the three SUG Presidential candidates together in the studio for the debate.
The Presidential candidates were asked what ignited their intention to contest as SUG President, and that kicked off the debate.
Each of them referred to their leadership pedigree in school, stating some of the problems that have existed from when they were ND students and their determination be the solution.
In the course of the debate, Banire Muizudeen Abolaji questioned a statement by his colleague, Oyekan Tobiloba Emmanuel while he was giving his speech, quoting that he cited how in his Faculty, Faculty of Financial Management Studies, fundraisers are being set up by alumni of the Faculty to improve the welfare of their students, he then asked if he intends to extend the proceeds of these fundraisers to cater for the entire students of the school. Oyekan Tobiloba answered; “You got me wrong, I only mentioned that such initiative will be adopted to ease the financial constraints of the students”.
In turn, Oyekan Tobiloba countered Banire Muizudeen, asking if truly he has personal relationship with some of the potential sponsors he mentioned earlier while giving his speech and also if he’s certain that they have the capabilty to be of help when the need arises. Banire Muizudeen in response to that, confirmed his initial claims.
The third Presidential aspirant, Olayinka Olatunji Dolapo, threw out a question to the other two, asking why they still chose to go ahead in competing with him, claiming that they know he is the only fit candidate for the post. The other two candidates gave reaffirming responses, speaking of their own competence and eligibility as well.
The Presidential debate, which lasted for about thirty minutes, ended with the three candidates exchanging hugs and pleasantries, wishing eachother the best in the coming elections, to show a friendly contest and denoting that campus politics is not a warfare.
The moderators signed out the programme by appreciating all the listeners and giving credit to members of the production crew. In conclusion, they urged the students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan to confirm their eligibility status and come out en masse to vote for their preferred candidates in the coming SUG elections, slated to happen virtually on Tuesday, 21st of November, 2023.
