OAU students vow to boycott exams over non-issuance of ID cards

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have vowed not to sit for any examinations if the university management fails to issue identity cards to all students before the commencement of exams.

In an open letter to the OAU management, signed by the President of the Great Ife Students’ Union, Isaac Omoboriowo, and two other union officials, the students declared that they would not participate in the second-semester examinations until their identity cards were produced and distributed.

The letter reads: “This is not a threat; it is a legitimate demand. It is a stand against administrative negligence. It is a call for dignity and accountability. We hereby urge the university management to immediately finalize and distribute ID cards to all students across faculties. We will not go into the examination halls without our rightful identification as students of this great university.

“Exams are approaching, and the same students who paid for ID cards still don’t have them. Therefore, we make this clear declaration: If the university fails to issue ID cards to all students before the commencement of examinations, students will not sit for any examination.

“This is not a new issue; it is one we have persistently raised since before the beginning of the first semester of this academic session. From then until now—the ninth week of the second semester—the Students’ Union has consistently engaged the university management on the failure to produce and distribute identity cards.

“This prolonged failure has created deep and far-reaching consequences: many students have been stopped and harassed by police and military personnel, unable to identify themselves as students because the institution has not issued ID cards. Students applying for scholarships, grants, or jobs have lost opportunities due to the absence of verifiable student identification.”

The students’ body also noted that graduating students preparing for the NYSC are currently stuck without official ID cards from the school.

Reacting on behalf of the management, the Dean, Division of Student Affairs, Prof. J. Odedire, in a statement, attributed the delay to logistical challenges tied to the integration of smart features in the cards. He said the production company has resolved the issues and that the first batch of ID cards is expected to be delivered by Wednesday, May 28.