IRSA Congress Report

Departmental Congress Report

Harbinger Administration 

The Department of International Relations held its congress under the Harbinger administration, led by President Akinpelu Samuel (SAM Impact). The congress was anchored by the President and the General Secretary, and kicked off at 3:30 PM. Turnout was quite low at the start — only 24 members were present when things got going.

The congress opened the usual way, with the OAU anthem, before diving into the agenda.

A Little Tension Early On

Early in the session, members were asked to move forward in the classroom since the turnout was small and the room was large. Some refused, and this didn't sit well with others who felt it was disrespectful to the presiding officers and the congress itself. The issue was eventually settled without it getting out of hand.

Minutes of the Last Congress

The General Secretary read the minutes of the previous congress. After a few clarifications, the minutes were adopted.

State of the Association

The President presented the State of the Association, but it quickly became clear that it was incomplete. Several congressmen raised this and demanded a more detailed version. The President acknowledged this and promised to send an updated copy to the official page before the congress ended.

That update never came  and neither did one from the General Secretary. The congress is the highest authority in the department, so this is worth paying attention to. Whether there will be consequences remains to be seen.

Impeachment Talks — AGS & Librarian

This was one of the important parts of the congress. Several members called for the impeachment of both the Assistant General Secretary (AGS) and the Librarian over visible inactivity. The General Secretary stepped in to defend the AGS, noting her contributions behind the scenes — including helping to recover the association's website.

The back-and-forth was still ongoing when both the AGS and the Librarian arrived ;about two hours into the congress. They were each given a chance to defend themselves, and they did.

In the end, the congress didn't go as far as impeachment, but sanctions were handed down:

Librarian: 2-week suspension + 1 week of cleaning the secretariat + updating the Google Drive + submitting a handwritten letter to all four constituencies, all within two weeks.

AGS: 3-week suspension + must be physically present at the secretariat for at least 2 hours daily for 2 weeks + submit a handwritten letter detailing her duties and obligations.

Director of Sports

The Director of Sports addressed allegations of inactivity. He gave an account of his work, including helping Freshers  especially in getting them into sports like Taekwondo. He also spoke on the long-discussed department jersey, saying the main challenge has been funding. With 24 players, the ₦2,000 contribution per player only amounts to ₦48,000 — which is less than 15% of what's actually needed.

One congressman felt the ₦2,000 was too much. Another,a former Director of Sports himself, acknowledged the apathy issue and said he faced something similar during his own time.

A separate congressman noted that getting a department jersey was actually part of the DoSport's manifesto, which shows he's still working towards what he promised.

The Vice President also announced that the long-awaited Freshers' package will be available next week and that was genuinely good news for the Freshers in the room.

Any Other Business (AOB)

Semester Activities

A congressman who also serves as Speaker of the Student Representative Council asked about planned activities for the second semester. The President listed four:

A career-related event featuring Prof. Charles

A movie night

Games day

The HoD's Cup

He added that some of these might be dropped due to financial constraints. This opened up questions about whether the Executives had submitted a proposed budget to the SRC, or if they were making financial decisions on their own. The Department Dinner was also brought up and the President admitted it doesn't look likely, again due to funding. Congressmen encouraged him to look at how the last administration handled dinner planning and learn from it. The President said he hopes to share an official events calendar soon.

Student Contesting for Hall Position

A Part One student who intends to contest for Director of Social in her hall of residence raised a concern that the President had been unresponsive to her messages. Several members questioned how available the President has been to students generally.

The PRO responded in the President's defense , he had sent a memo asking all contestants to reach out to him directly, and she hadn't done so. He also pointed out that the department had still publicly supported her, including promoting her movie night event. The President was advised to reach out to her personally and engage the right stakeholders ahead of the upcoming election.

Congress Adjourned

The congress ended abruptly ,it had run late into the evening and students were already leaving. A motion was moved to adjourn till further notice.

Notable Gaps in the Congress

📌 No financial statement was presented or discussed.

📌 The Director of Socials was absent and gave no report on the Freshers' party.

Quick Summary of Key Outcomes

1. State of Association was incomplete — update still not sent as promised

2. Librarian sanctioned; AGS sanctioned

3. Department jersey still pending due to funding

4. Freshers' package dropping next week

5. Semester events may be reduced due to finances

6.Department Dinner uncertain

7.Congress adjourned without completing the full agenda

                                        Rhamat 

                    Asst Editor in Chief (socials & events)