NEWS: OBAFEMI AWOLOWO HALL EXECUTIVES HOLDS CONGRESS

By Oluwatosin Adeoye and Grace Adepoju

The Obafemi Awolowo Hall Executives organised a Congress to address issues relating to Awoites on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at the Hall’s Quadrangle.

Miss Kehinde Adegboye, the hall president, chaired the congress with other members of the executive arm of the hall, addressing various complaints of various residents. Starting with an opening prayer, the executives addressed issues concerning bathroom and toilet usage, water and light, spreading of clothes on the rails, buying and selling among students, packages, HRC, and reviewing the constitution, among other matters.

Awoites raised complaints about the unavailability of bunks, to which the President responded by stating that the hall management is working on getting bunks, but stalites and finalists that don’t have bunks should go to Freshers Block and get empty bunks from there, as there are empty bunks there.

An awoite made mention of the fact that the cleaners don’t get to the top floor while cleaning, making the bathrooms on those floors stink. In response, the hall executives told them to report the issue to the floor reps, who would then report to the hall warden.

Another Awoite complained of wet and slippery stairs. A general announcement was made encouraging Awoites not to fill their buckets of water to the brim. When asked why there are times when there’s no water while there’s light, the president stated that there’s no water, probably during the time the pumping machine is left to rest. She said it spoils easily if left pumping water for 24 hours. She said there are specific times when water is pumped, like overnight.

She advised students to fetch water as early as 5 a.m., stating “It is unheard of that you have a class by 8:30 a.m. and you are just strolling to the water tank at 7:30 a.m. or 8:00 a.m.; you are then complaining there’s no water”, adding that students should report cases of no water to Porters immediately they notice and there’s electricity within the hall.

Miss Adegboye, while addressing the Hall Representative Council, HRC, item on the agenda, mentioned that for the next election there will be forms for sale to interested candidates to be elected as HRC members of the Hall. She stressed the need to review the hall’s constitution, stating possible members of the Review committee: members of the press, the faculty of law, and other departments from 200l upward.

The hall president reiterated that students of the hall should not pay charges to any vendor for purchases less than one thousand naira (N1,000), adding that selling by students within the hall is prohibited.

Speaking at the Congress, a student resident of H Block solicited that water be piped into the building’s kitchen to ease the residents stress, but the response was that the request is currently not feasible.

Regarding questions on the clean-up day held two weeks ago, it was stated that it wasn’t meant to stop anyone from leaving the hall, as some Awoites claimed that’s what happened that day. Instead, people who participated in the sanitation were allowed to exit at any time.

It was also reiterated that Awoites are still prohibited from buying and selling in the hall. Advertisements should not be done on official Awo Hall group chats.