UI Counsels Student Leaders on Ethical Leadership, Accountability
Funmi Ogundare
The University of Ibadan (UI) yesterday called on student union leaders to embrace ethical conduct, accountability, competence and resilience in the discharge of their responsibilities, stressing that effective leadership goes beyond occupying a position.
The Director, Career Development and Counselling Centre (CDCC), University of Ibadan, Prof. Adebayo Oluwole, made this call at a training programme for student union leaders with the theme: ‘Ethical and Responsible Student Leadership: Building Competence, Resilience and Positive Impact’.
He said student leadership is both a responsibility and an opportunity to create positive change, noting that student leaders were expected to represent their colleagues, articulate their concerns, engage university authorities, resolve disagreements and contribute to the development of the university community.
He noted that the quality of student leadership could influence student life, campus relationships and the reputation of the university.
According to him, “Leadership cannot be sustained by position alone, as a title may give you authority, but character, competence and credibility give you influence.”
He explained that the training was deliberately structured to expose student leaders to various dimensions of effective leadership, including responsible governance, collaboration, conflict management, drug abuse prevention and people skills.
The first session, ‘Drug Abuse and Addiction: Early Signs of Abuse, Consequences and the Way Out’, was delivered by Mercy Godwin, representing the Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Oyo State Command.
Oluwole said the session was particularly relevant because student leaders were expected to serve as role models and positive influences among their peers.
Another session titled: ‘Ethical Leadership, Accountability and Stewardship in Student Governance’ was handled by the Deputy Bursar (Grants), University of Ibadan, Mr. Olagoke Akanwo.
The programme also featured a session on ‘Leadership Service through Collaboration and Teamwork among Students’, facilitated by the Director, Youth Friendly Centre, Dr. Adebunmi Oyekola.
The director said the session underscored the importance of teamwork, stressing that no leader can succeed alone.
A session on ‘Understanding Personality Types for Effective Conflict Management ‘ was delivered by Dr. Adeleye of the Department of Counselling and Human Development Studies.
According to Oluwole, understanding personality differences was essential for student leaders because they interacted with individuals with different temperaments, expectations, communication styles, and approaches to disagreements.
The final session, ‘People Skills for Student Leaders: Empathy, Altruism and Positive Campus Relationships’, was facilitated by Dr Ola John Oluremi of Micomglobe Limited, Lagos.
Oluwole said the session reinforced the importance of empathy and positive relationships, noting that leadership was ultimately about people.
He stated that: “The CDCC remains committed to supporting the development of students with the knowledge, skills and values required to provide responsible leadership within and beyond the university community.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, urged the student union leaders to lead with empathy, integrity, competence, and courage, stressing that effective leadership depends on the ability to understand people, communicate effectively, and treat others with dignity.
Adebowale, who declared the training open, noted that it was designed to equip student leaders with skills and values needed to provide responsible leadership.
He said leaders might have good policies, programmes, manifestoes and speeches, but their leadership would remain limited if they could not understand the people they led, communicate with them, and empathise with their experiences.
He said: “Empathy is not weakness. Altruism is not foolishness. Respect is not surrender. These are qualities that enable leaders to build trust and create healthier relationships.”
The VC urged the student leaders to approach the training with an open mind and actively participate by asking questions, challenging their assumptions, and learning from both the facilitators and one another.
He further charged them to translate the knowledge acquired during the programme into their conduct, saying leadership training would only be meaningful if it influences their actions.
According to him, “Preparing students for the future goes beyond academic qualifications, as the workplace and society require graduates who can communicate, collaborate, manage conflicts, demonstrate emotional intelligence, make ethical decisions, solve problems and lead responsibly.”
He said the university’s responsibility extended beyond helping students build careers to developing their character, competence, resilience and ability to build meaningful relationships.
The VC expressed appreciation to the student leaders.
Addressing the student leaders, Adebowale urged them to focus on the legacy they would leave behind after their tenure, adding: “Your tenure will end, but your legacy will remain.”
He advised the leaders not to measure their success only by what they achieved while in office, but also by the people they empowered, relationships they built, values they demonstrated, and the positive culture they left behind.
Adebowale urged them to “lead with integrity, lead with competence, lead with empathy, lead with courage, lead collaboratively,” adding that, above all, they should lead in the spirit of service.