Saturday, March, 7 2026 - The University of Lagos has reinstated its Students’ Union Government after a nine-year suspension, with the election of new student leaders for the 2025/2026 academic session.
This was disclosed in a statement uploaded on the
university’s website on Friday.
According to the statement, the university authorities
conducted an election on Friday, which produced the Students’ Union President
and General Secretary as part of the transition process toward the full
restoration of the union.
An
elected representative of the students’ union…Photo Credit: UNILAG
The election was coordinated by the Directorate of Student
Affairs led by the Dean, Professor Johnson Agunsoye, and took place at the
Common Room of Moremi Hall on the university campus.
The institution explained that the officers were elected
from among the current set of faculty presidents in line with the guidelines
established for the transition process toward restoring the union.
“At the end of the exercise, Bolaji Akinpelu of the Faculty
of Arts emerged as the President with a total of nine votes while Daniel
Solomon of the Faculty of Computing and Informatics was elected General
Secretary with nine votes,” the statement read.
Participants
during the announcement of students’ union result…Photo Credit: UNILAG
Speaking on the conduct of the election, Agunsoye said the
exercise fulfilled a promise made by the Vice-Chancellor, Folasade Ogunsola, to
facilitate the return of the Students’ Union.
According to him, the restoration of the union is aimed at
strengthening student representation and leadership development within the
institution.
“The restoration of the union is intended not only to
provide a platform for the student population to express their views, but also
to prepare students for leadership responsibilities and encourage them to
become solution-driven leaders,” he said.
The restoration process comes nearly nine years after the
university senate dissolved the Students’ Union Government on April 24, 2016,
and suspended its constitution indefinitely.
At the time, the management said the decision followed
student protests and unrest that disrupted academic activities on campus and
threatened peace within the institution.
The move sparked criticism from student groups and the
National Association of Nigerian Students, which staged protests against the
rustication of some student leaders involved in demonstrations over poor
electricity and water supply on campus.
The student body accused the university management of
suppressing students’ voices and restricting their right to express grievances.
However, the university maintained that the suspension was
necessary to restore order and ensure uninterrupted academic programmes.
In 2024, the Vice-Chancellor, Ogunsola, assured student
leaders and other stakeholders that steps were being taken to reinstate the
Students’ Union Government, noting that student governance plays a vital role
in fostering a vibrant academic environment and promoting student welfare.
The election of the new officers is seen as a major
milestone in the gradual return of student representation at the institution.
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