Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, have announced their intention to boycott the 2025/26 second semester examinations unless the university management addresses the lingering issue of student identity cards.
In an open letter jointly signed by the President of the Great Ife Students’ Union, Omobiriowo Isaac, and the General Secretary, Babatimehin Joy, the students expressed frustration over what they described as the administration’s persistent failure to issue identity cards since the academic session began.
The letter, which was made available to Vanguard on Monday, criticized the administration’s repeated excuses and unmet promises.
According to the Students’ Union, efforts to engage with the university management on the matter had begun early in the session, yet by the ninth week of the second semester, there was still no resolution.
The students lamented that the absence of ID cards has exposed them to harassment from security officials, hindered access to scholarships, and affected final-year students’ registration for the National Youth Service Corps.
The open letter stated, “As students of Obafemi Awolowo University, we take pride in the image of our institution. We carry the Great Ife name with dignity. But how can we carry that name when we lack the most basic proof that we belong to this university? Students have no official means of identifying themselves, not on campus, outside, for opportunities, or even for security.”
It further declared, “Exams are approaching, and the same students who paid for ID cards still don’t have them. Therefore, we declare that 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 threat; it is a legitimate demand. It is a stand against administrative negligence. It is a call for dignity and accountability. We urge the university management to finalize and distribute ID cards to all students across faculties. We will no longer accept silence as a response. We will no longer accept delay as a strategy.”
“And we will not go into the examination halls without our rightful identification as students of this great university.”
In response, the Dean of Student Affairs, Professor J. A. Odedire, issued a statement on Monday, attributing the delay to the ongoing process of producing customized smart identity cards.
He assured that the production company had committed to delivering the first batch within the week.
His statement read in part, “The Division of Student Affairs, during the meeting held with the leadership of the Great Ife Students’ Union on Thursday, 22nd of May, 2025, noted with serious concern the agitations of the generality of the students of Obafemi Awolowo University concerning the unexpectedly long delay in the production and delivery of the promised smart ID card.
“This unintended delay, which is attributable to the logistics of incorporating the smart features embedded in the ID card, has been addressed by the company charged with the production. The University authority is prioritizing ensuring that the first batch of the ID card is delivered by Wednesday (28/05/2025).”
“The importance of a means of identification cannot be over-emphasized and the University Administration will do all within her powers to ensure that our students’ right is not tampered with in any way,” the statement added.
