By Adesina Wahab
The management of the Osun State University, UNIOSUN, has approved sweeping reforms to enhance the welfare of students following an engagement with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Southwest Zone. The meeting was as a result of the death of a 400 level law student of the university, Osunlakin Grace, few days ago.

The NANS team, led by the Zonal Coordinator, Adeyemo Josiah Kayode, on Monday held the meeting with the management of the university led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Clement Adebooye.

Speaking at the meeting, the Coordinator reaffirmed that the welfare, safety, and well-being of students across the Southwest remain the foremost priority of the NANS Southwest leadership.

He stated that while NANS believes in constructive dialogue and partnership with institutional managements rather than unnecessary confrontation, the association would never hesitate to speak up or take appropriate action whenever the welfare of Nigerian students is neglected.

He stressed that student leaders are partners in progress whose commitment is to ensure that every learning environment is safe, conducive, and responsive to the needs of students.

Responding, Prof. Adebooye appreciated the leadership of NANS Southwest for the condolence visit and solidarity shown to the university community following the tragic loss of late Osunlakin Grace.

He expressed profound sadness over the unfortunate incident, noting that the death of the student was deeply painful to both the management and the entire university community.

He assured the NANS’ delegation that the institution is committed to implementing practical measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents and to significantly improve healthcare delivery across all UNIOSUN campuses.

Addressing the concerns surrounding the Ifetedo Campus, where the deceased student studied, the Vice-Chancellor announced that the university management had resolved to establish another health centre at the campus, while also strengthening healthcare facilities across other campuses of the institution.

He further disclosed that all medical centres within the university would henceforth operate on a 24-hour basis, ensuring that students have uninterrupted access to medical services at any time of the day.

In addition, the Vice-Chancellor revealed that all health centres across the university would be equipped with reliable solar-powered electricity to eliminate challenges caused by unstable power supply.

He also assured the delegation that functional ambulances would be made available for emergency medical response, while qualified medical doctors and professional nurses would be recruited and deployed in the university’s health facilities to enhance quality healthcare services for students.

He also emphasized the need for greater cooperation from students and parents regarding health-related matters.

He disclosed that the university management had discovered numerous cases of students living with serious health conditions without the knowledge of their parents or guardians, making emergency interventions difficult.

He appealed to students to be open about their medical conditions and encouraged parents to provide adequate health information to enable the institution respond promptly whenever emergencies arise.
Speaking on behalf of the students, the President of the Students’ Union Government,
Oremokun Shedrack Imoleayo, commended both the leadership of NANS Southwest and the university management for embracing dialogue in addressing students’ welfare concerns.

He formally presented some demands of the students, which included: Relocation of the Health Centre at the Ifetedo Campus, review and rehabilitation of all health centres across the university; 24-hour operation of all medical facilities; recruitment and employment of qualified healthcare professionals; review of TISHIP and HMO code generation processes; immediate reopening of the Welfare Director’s portal.

Others are; repair and maintenance of the university ambulance; provision of essential medical equipment, including a Nebulizer machine and also appealed to the Osun State Government for improved healthcare facilities around the university communities.

In response, the Vice-Chancellor gave firm assurances that the university management would implement virtually all the requests presented by the Students’ Union.

He explained that the final request, relating to healthcare facilities beyond the university’s jurisdiction, falls under the authority of the Osun State Government or the Federal Government and therefore exceeds the direct powers of the university management. However, he reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to addressing every request within its administrative capacity.

As part of its commitment to ensuring accountability and strengthening healthcare delivery within the institution, the Vice-Chancellor further announced the constitution of a University Committee on Health Services.

The committee will comprise representatives of the Students’ Union, with two representatives from each campus of Osun State University, alongside relevant university officials.

The committee has been mandated to thoroughly examine the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate death of Osunlakin Grace, review the factors that led to the students’ protest, assess all matters relating to healthcare services across the university, and make practical recommendations to the management for immediate and long-term improvements.

The Vice-Chancellor directed the committee to submit its report to the university management within one week, effective from 29th June, 2026, to facilitate the prompt implementation of its recommendations.
Concluding the engagement, the NANS Coordinator expressed appreciation to the Vice-Chancellor and the management of Osun State University for their openness, sincerity, and commitment to student welfare.

He noted that the meeting ended with encouraging resolutions capable of improving the quality of healthcare services and general welfare within the institution.

He further assured the management that NANS Southwest would continue to monitor the implementation of the agreed resolutions to ensure that every commitment made translates into tangible improvements for students.