A Review of the 2023 LSS Election Manifesto
Many people think this 2023 LSS election is a pitched battle, and on Friday, May 26th, we saw the peak of it. It was impossible to stop the eruption of cheers, applause, screams, and party hashtags that were the people’s responses to every candidate’s manifesto. If you weren’t aware of the event, you could have easily mistaken it for a Nigerian election manifesto, which some of us didn’t even know anything about.
From Welfare Secretary to the most prestigious post of the LSS President, various candidates pitched their goals for the LSS if elected while soliciting our votes. With the well of promises, diverse intellectual opinions, and outline of CVs we were fed with, it was almost impossible to pick a stand, and every word said was vital to tweaking our views on every candidate. But yes, some of you have already made your choice, and maybe you haven’t. Well, here’s your last chance as we give you a glimpse into how the manifesto went.
Welfare Secretary
The manifesto kicked off with the Welfare Secretary, Tijani Olamide, who is running unopposed. Her watchword is REST, and she’s assured us we’ll get nothing short of that in her administration after she’s elected. But, most of all, she stressed that our welfare is a priority, and she’d treat it as such while proposing specific innovations like volunteer certificates and reviewing students’ concerns and suggestions. All these make the LSS more accessible to all Law students.
Social Secretary
Next, we had the candidates for Social Secretary: Ugochukwu Joseph and Ogbu John Victor. Ugochukwu Joseph was quick to let us know he was meant for the post of Social Secretary, and whether you believe it or not, he gave us a blueprint of his plan to support his claim. He especially referenced transforming the Law Fiesta by showcasing faculty entrepreneurs and hosting it bigger in the faculty’s car park. “The plan is to make an event pay for itself”, was his reply to the question of funding. Being an existing exco, he assured us he has prior experience with gaining sponsorship; although not easy, he knows how it works and will definitely get it done.
On the other hand, Victor addressed the infamous issue of attendance and assured us if he’s elected, he would be a ‘moral support’ to those who need to resolve it and may also chip in help by speaking to lecturers, as he said, “who live on my street”. Regarding more social-secretary-related plans, he insisted on collaboration and partnership with influencers and celebrities for law events and with students to hear their opinions and work with them.
Public Relations Officer
Olatoye Adetunji Samson is the unopposed candidate for the post of Public Relations Officer. And he ran us through his plans, including the appreciation of entrepreneurs every week, creating a central community/WhatsApp Group for all levels for easy dissemination of information, and introducing an LSS WhatsApp TV for what could be a laid-back means of information dissemination. He also mentioned having level PROs for better reachability.
Sports Secretary
The two candidates for Sports Secretary were introduced with chants of their aliases, Zeks and Posty, by their supporters. Azeke Eghonghon Favour opened the floor by listing his string of achievements, including being a Harry Maguire of his class football team and other points of his faculty involvement. He then told us he was ready to change the game of sports in the faculty by prioritising female football involvement and instituting more awards. He also mentioned starting a mini Ballon D’or, a fitness training program, and a Law league. He finished by stating he would execute these plans by seeking sponsors early.
Ogunnaike Michael gave us a little lecture on the importance of preparation. He started off with the famous quote of Mark Spitz, “If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail”, and tried to walk us through his plan with that in mind. He stated the Abiola Ojo games needed improvements, especially regarding match officials and sports safety, particularly having ambulances on sight. He also, like Zeks, promised an increased involvement of females in sports, getting sponsors, increasing awards, and inviting scouts to most events for those interested in sports.
Treasurer
The Treasuring post has another one-man candidate, Stephanie Ugonwa Nwukah, who clarified the responsibilities of a treasurer are well different from those of a financial secretary. As an experienced Treasurer, she played by the watchwords of honesty and sincerity and ensured she knew her required roles, including keeping track of records and providing financial reports. She pronounced that we could bank on her, and she would treasure it.
Financial Secretary
Emecheta Stephanie was the first candidate to convince us of her plans for the position of financial secretary, and she didn’t spare us details of her experiences in holding various positions since being in the faculty. She stressed four significant objectives in her manifesto: bureaucracy in releasing funds, accountability, strategic financial planning for events, and funding. Major highlights in her plans were publishing how funds are used, reaching out to sponsors for faculty events, and ensuring the faculty dinner fee is reduced for students. Also, one thing to not forget from her manifesto was the statement, “A good name is better than riches, but I have both”.
Adaora Obeleagu, a Cowryrise ambassador, made sure this was one of the significant pulls in her manifesto. She emphasised saving, budgeting, and financial management. Her plans span reconstructing the faculty’s financial status and improving financial accessibility, especially for student entrepreneurs. She explained that this involves organising a business plan constitution that involves partnering with business organisations to which law student entrepreneurs can pitch their innovative ideas and gain funding. She also took a different approach to the issue of funding and proposed internal revenue generation through merches and the like.
Assistant General Secretary
Queensley Ofojetu introduced a bit of drama in her manifesto, and it's safe to say people enjoyed it. Queensley, who had been an up-and-about person in the faculty and actively involved in events and committees, declared she was finally establishing her place in the faculty. She restated the roles of the assistant general secretary, being a hand to the general secretary and assisting in various things like keeping proper records of the society’s documents, writing and handing out letters, and taking minutes of meetings. She also posed new ideas, such as ensuring that first-year and second-year students are not alienated from the faculty, and proved to us she had already started the role even before the election. “I have started working, I have worked, and I want to keep on working”, she proclaimed.
Timilehin Oyebade, on the other hand, confidently declared himself the most competent, reliable, and ready candidate for this position who is well aware of his impending duties. He stated he would effectively use his creative thinking skills to bring ideas to the LSS. He also ensured that if elected, he would competently pan out his roles of minute-taking, improved communication using recurring newsletters and online platforms, and execution of organisational tasks.
General Secretary
Slowly getting to the peak of the manifesto event, Fatunbi Abayomi, Fikayomi Famakinwa (Eleniyan), and Aseoluwa Apata wowed us with their proposed plans for the office of the social secretary.
Fatunbi Abayomi showed us he isn’t only willing to serve, but also ready to empty his purse. He started by proposing initiatives such as inviting legal experts and successful people in tech to increase law students’ access to global opportunities and career development. He also stated that sponsorship would never be an issue since he has an established relationship with politicians and that his election “merch” and banners were sponsored. Finally, he crowned it by stating his willingness to provide laptops and internet access, especially to year one students, for online tests and to fund the ten students’ faculty dues.
First, Eleniyan explained his name, “he who has people”, his reason for the choice, and connected it to his capacity as a general secretary. He stated first the demotivation of law students in their careers and ensured he would bring the “steeze and fun back to being a law student”. Amongst others, he notably mentioned creating a collaborative union across many societies in the faculty and enhancing the visibility of entrepreneurs through a farmer’s market initiative. He stated he can fulfil these goals as he owns an agency that executes similar responsibilities.
“You’ve heard from the rest; it’s time to hear from the best”. Not my words, but that of Aseoluwa Apata, third General Secretarial aspirant. He told us his plans and shook tables while at it. He stated that the priority in his administration, if elected, would be for the people’s voices to be heard and explained how he’d achieve this. He proffered initiatives such as a feedback form on faculty events for law students, revitalising the LSS podcast, and offering equal opportunities to all. He also spoke on ensuring a relationship with students, sharing vital information on faculty events and activities, and regularly checking on them through a personalised email.
Vice President
The second most prestigious office in the Law student society is contested by two candidates, Ibrahim Timilehin and Ofuka Bessie Obort (OBO). Timilehin stood by three pillars in her manifesto: inclusivity, collaboration, and innovation. She started with the issues faced by students with disabilities and ensured they were included in classes and faculty events. She also mentioned providing mental health, academic, and career development opportunities through donations of books, tutorials, and internships. Crucially, she proposed introducing the orientation of secondary school girls in Law Ladies Day, bringing back career day, and improving the current empowerment scheme in the faculty.
Ofuka Bessie Obort (OBO) followed the trend by highlighting her CV and past works. She proposed initiatives to improve the academics of law students by making outgoing law students donate their books and tutorials to train law students how to attempt law questions properly. Also, professional development was another objective in her manifesto, including providing law internships and internships in tech, content editing, and virtual assistance. She also suggested a poll before the Law Ladies’ Day to know what students would like to see and institute breaks, including student panelists, to increase the event’s interest. Lastly, introducing at least an hour for Law guys, similar to the LLD model, was one of her strong points. She ensured her dedication to these goals, “OBO is available to serve”, she said.
President
And the moment you’ve been waiting for is here. The presidential candidates for the Law Student Society, Naomi Awonusi, Chidubem Nzekwe, and Joshua Adeyeye, laid out clearly their manifestos for the prestigious office of the president.
Naomi took us through the blueprint of her proposed presidential plans with the hashtag EVOLVE. As she said, E stands for Establishment, V for Versatility, O for Organisation, L for Liaise, V for Value, and E for Excellence in Execution. Among these plans were re-establishing clubs and associations, re-introducing mentorship programs for new students, internship programs for all career fields, and raising funds. She hinted that her capacity as an influencer will be relevant to getting sponsors as she has collaborated with various top organisations like OctaFx, Coca-Cola, GetFitNG, and the like. She started pushing the improvements of amenities like the toilets, fewer seats in the library, and the advancement of the faculty lounge and LSS office. Lastly, she concluded her manifesto by saying that the elected will be a leader of the people.
Chidubem gave us a REAListic manifesto after a survey on different areas in the faculty. He started on his plan to establish an LSS commission for complaints about attendance and result issues, aimed not at solving these issues but at linking lecturers and students. Next was the Faculty-first entrepreneurship, for entrepreneurs to be easily reachable when needed by the faculty. He then mentioned introducing tags and library notes for users who wish to keep their seats while they’re gone and reducing conflict. He also stated introducing more internships in law firms and corporations, such as the NDLEA, and in other fields like fashion and design. Then, to resolve the attendance issue, he proposed that each student have a single sheet to mark all the attendance days. Other initiatives he mentioned include a more informative and inclusive LSS podcast, a digital prospectus for first-year students with details of the faculty and vital information about the LSS, a suggestion box, a job board, and reviving the LSS tutorials. Finally, his social goals include introducing bi-weekly movie nights, games, karaoke, live plays, and various performances. He plans to achieve these goals through adequate funding, branding, and working alongside other officials to pitch companies and individuals.
Joshua, known to be the outgoing LSS academic secretary, was last to speak, and I’m sure you almost could not catch much of what he said due to the deafening screams of his supporters. But I’m here for you; His first proposed innovation was installing a wireless network for students to have a free Wi-Fi connection. He also stated his mentorship plan for year 1 and 2 students to guide them through school and the faculty. He promised an active social life for law students with the various law events in the faculty. Also, he pushed for internship opportunities in top law firms, mental health care, the inclusion of more sports, and law school scholarships for indigent students. In settling attendance issues, he plans to effect the publication of attendance results at least twice before exams to ensure students are well informed of their stance before exams. He finished by stating that his plans were realistic: “You do not invest in fantasies”.
It’s evident what an exciting time it was to hear various candidates speak and pitch their plans to serve us. I’m sure you have decided by now, and on Monday, May 29th, you’ll have the opportunity to select your preferred candidates. As always, may the best man win.
