UI Student's Union: The Limits of Female Inclusion in SU Leadership

 Funmilola Adediji 

When actions are repeated over time, they begin to form patterns that start to be perceived as the norms. These norms shape the views, perception and ideology of both genders about politics. In the University of Ibadan Student's union, these perceived norms have shaped the political scenes of the union. In particular, it has predefined the roles of the female gender in the student union leadership. What happens when these patterns are passed down through generations, shaping expectations and limiting the opportunities of an entire gender? What happens when the fear of breaking them keeps aspiring female leaders confined to predetermined roles?

In the UI Student's union election, one thing has remained constant; the female candidates predominantly contest for the position of vice president while the presidency has historically been reserved for the males. This pattern has lasted for years and in fact the union has never had a female president. This fact is thought provoking because in every election either Awo hall or Idia hall (female hall of residence) has the highest voter turnout. Why then has any female hall despite their large number never produced a president?

Apart from the presidency, there has often been only one female in the Student Union leadership, two at most. During the Host-led administration, there was only one female executive that served on the board. This pattern persisted: the Oloye-led administration also had just one female executive, who served as vice president, and the Covenant-led administration followed suit. It was not until the Deboye-led administration that two women held executive positions, serving as vice president and assistant general secretary.

The UI Student's union is very much similar to Nigeria politics. In Nigeria, a woman has never emerged as the president of the country; this is in fact a sad reality. Despite being blessed with capable women with impeccable leadership qualities the country has never produced a female president. During a viral moment on X about a female emerging as Nigeria president, thought provoking ideas emerged from Nigerian men who do not believe a woman is fit for the position of a president. Commenting on the tweet they said:

“E better make Tinubu rule us forever than make woman become president”

“E better make goat rule us than woman”

“E better make Abacha come back than make woman rule us for this nation”

“Person wey dey bend down piss no fit be my own president. Tinubu lekan si”

“I’d rather go back to slave trade era than for a woman to rule Nigeria”

Comments like these reveal that the country often does not favour women in leadership. This perception has not only shaped national politics but has also influenced the aspirations of female students. Only a few universities in Nigeria have produced female SUG presidents. For instance, Obafemi Awolowo University has never had a female SUG president, while the University of Calabar elected its first female president just last year. These examples show that the limited participation of female students in leadership is a widespread issue across Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Focusing on the University of Ibadan Student's union, most females do not bother to contest for the position of president, they go directly for the position of the vice president which has now made the Vice presidency position a seat reserved for females. But the big question remains, why do females rarely contest for SU presidency?

In the university of Ibadan, most females have constantly proved themselves to be worthy leaders. The university has had competent female faculty and department presidents who have made significant impacts. The UI female hall of residence also has had some female hall representatives whose impact has been felt. Females have also secured their role in the Legislative council and other bodies. But despite the presence of brilliant females in the university landscape, not one has ever emerged as president of the student’sunion.

This brings us to analysing possible reasons for this outcome, with one apparent reason being the fact that most female students assume that the presidency is exclusively for the male students. This takes us back to what was said at the beginning of this article about patterns becoming norms. Since no female has ever held the position, many women accept this as the “natural order” rather than challenging it. This mindset mirrors broader societal expectations in Nigeria, where women are often expected to remain subordinate to men.

Another possible reason is the fear of losing votes from both male and female students. The comments to a viral tweet reflect the attitudes of many men toward female leadership. Similar views exist in the University of Ibadan itself: men who believe that women should not hold authority and women who subscribe to the notion that leadership is not a “woman’s role. However, must this fear continue to shape the choices of future generations?

The last reason is the disunity between female hostels in the school. Queen Elizabeth 1, Queen Idia and Obafemi Awolowo halls have continued to remain rivals during the election period. These female halls have limited themselves to just one position, which is the vice presidency, they have had to compete against each other for one position but have never thought of uniting to win the major position of presidency.

The presence of a female president in the UI Student’s Union will only be possible when female halls are willing to unite and harness the power of their votes. It will also require male students to look beyond ego and recognise the impeccable leadership qualities that many female candidates possess.