By: Ogunleye Kolapo, Adebanjo Zainab
During campaigns, manifesto documents are always heavy and crowded with bold promises. Aspirants make both realistic and unrealistic claims to impress and garner votes. But accountability is where words are stripped of performance and measured by action.
This administration came into office announcing Collectivism as its identity. In her manifesto,Oyeleke Aderinsola, then aspirant for Vice President declared: “NAPSS is stronger when we move as one,” and claimed she was “committed to creating opportunities for NAPSSites to learn, grow, and succeed together.” Yet when the POSSPRESS simply requested a review of those same commitments, the Vice President chose silence.
Multiple attempts to schedule an interview were ignored. Follow-up messages were left unread. Third parties had to intervene just to get her attention. And even when the interview finally began, she stopped responding three questions into the interview.
We always complain about the attitude of Nigeria’s mainstream politicians, but the signs are always there at their earliest stage. Big talk during campaigns, they then grow too big to talk when accountability comes calling.
One of her most emphasized manifesto goals was “ensuring the continuity and effectiveness of the mentorship program.” Yet student experience tells a different story. A 200-level student said: “From what I’ve been hearing… I don’t think this current VP is as effective as the previous one.” And a 100-level student put it even more plainly: “To be honest this mentorship program has been totally wacky for me. It was obvious from the beginning because it was after the press published an article criticising the mentorship program that they released the list.”
Meanwhile, her manifesto also emphasized introducing Mental Health Support Programs, peer counselling teams and partnerships with Asido. No such structure was ever created. She also proposed an Annual Cross-University Symposium to foster collaboration, leadership development, mental health conversations, and knowledge exchange. It never happened. Not even in outline.
This forces a bigger question, was there ever genuine intention behind this manifesto, or was it simply designed for applause on press night and manifesto day?
Internally, this failure is not invisible. A member of the current NAPSS executive described the Vice President as “passive.” There was also no meaningful synergy with the President which contradicts the very theme they campaigned with.
One may try to evade accountability, but the truth is difficult to hide. Over 80 percent of the promises in her manifesto were not delivered. The mentorship program, which functioned seamlessly under the tutelage of the previous Vice President, deteriorated under her watch. NAPSS UI deserved better.
With a new set of executives now elected, this review should serve as more than a postmortem. It is a reminder that leadership does not end with elections or manifesto documents. Promises must translate into action, and public officers must remain accessible to scrutiny throughout their tenure. As NAPSSites head into a new academic session, one lesson remains clear: the association needs less litany in manifestos and more performance in office.
