Promises are easy to make, but accountability and sacrifice are what truly defines leadership. Halfway through the semester, the NAPSS Vice President Miss Oyeleke Aderinsola’s flagship mentorship program remains a broken promise, raising concerns about her commitment and ability to lead.
When it comes to politics, aspirants have mastered the art of demagoguery. They charm the audience with flattering words and make promises they have no intention or capacity to fulfill, just to secure votes. That was the case at last session’s departmental election. During the press night, when the then-aspirant Miss Oyeleke Aderinsola, now the Vice President of NAPSS, boldly pledged to continuity and improve the department’s mentorship program, a promise she has since struggled to fulfil. According to miss Aderinsola, whose manifesto was themed “collectivism” coincidentally, individualism seems to be the new theme adopted by the VP as help desk for the freshers.
Miss Aderinsola who promised the continuity and growth of the preexisting mentorship programme. 8th week of 11-weeks of lectures in an academic semester, and yet the mentorship program has not seen the light of day, still remains a promise on paper.
Although, the mentorship program is not a new idea. It is a departmental initiative designed to connect junior students with willing and capable senior colleagues, serving as an academic and emotional support system for the former students. For many first-year students, this program is a game changer, easing their transition and making campus life less daunting and easy to navigate. As someone who once benefitted from the initiative, one can personally attest to its value and impact in the lives of these naïve students.
Crucially, this program was executed seamlessly by the previous administration. Miss Oyeleke was never expected to reinvent the wheel. Her responsibility which she stated in her manifesto: CONTINUITY AND GROWTH OF THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME. Unfortunately, that has proven too much to ask. When questioned about her inability to roll out the program on time, she offered excuses, citing vague “link problems.” When pressed further to clarify what “link issues” meant, the inquiries were met with silence.
On Friday, May 30, 2025, Mr Adebare, president of NAPSS appeared before the NAPSS Senate, where he attributed the reason for the delay to “health issues” of the vice president. The senate president then ordered the executive council to allocate these students to mentors and were given a one-week ultimatum to launch the program. Today is June 10th, and there is still no rollout. What we are witnessing is nothing short of a disgrace, especially from someone whose primary constitutional duties are to oversee the Mentorship Program and the NAPSS Week. If seems herculean to manage a program that was handled just last session, one can only imagine what disaster awaits this year’s NAPSS Week under supervision of the vice president.
Concerning to these is if the VP has been an active member of the association prior to her current position, it may not be difficult to execute this plan, since she’s used to the system and knows the problem being encountered by the previous executive council.
We commiserate with the current batch of freshers, denied the guidance and support they were promised. Their only crime? Having someone clearly unprepared to lead in charge! Perhaps the lack of opposition to create healthy competition and chance to the electorates to elect the capable ones, or the lack of enough publicity during the campaign period to create enough awareness to the electorate those who they intend to vote in as their leaders. The students of this department deserve more than silence and excuses. They demand a compelling explanation, a public apology, and an immediate rollout of the program.
If Miss Oyeleke cannot execute this basic responsibility when it’s almost the end of the semester, executing the plan after this period, when all students are prepping for their exams, then who would will pay great dedication to mentorship over his or her exams in the world of rational choice.
This is also a call to the NAPSS President, Mr. Adebare, although recognised for his dedication to the association, to step in before this lack of commitment snowballs. As President, the failure of this initiative will reflect on his name and his tenure, not just that of his Vice President. Leadership demands action now more than ever.
Broken promises may be common in national politics, but we should expect better from our student leaders. If Miss Oyeleke Aderinsola cannot rise to the occasion, Then, it’s a call for NAPSSites to do better in the upcoming election.
