The Untamed Dinner: A not so climactic ending

If there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s that the Capacity administration has outdone the previous administrations when it comes to the annual IFUMSA health week. From the Wale Okediran final that saw the presence of the Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), the extravagant rally, and the awesome public lecture to the fun-filled Articine, everything was more than what IFUMSITES could imagine.

As with tradition, the week’s dinner tagged: “untamed” marked the end of not only the health week but also the beginning of the election season of IFUMSA pending approval from the Student Representative Body (SRB) of the association (By the way, the election spirit is up in the air, with all the drama that comes with it. Stay tuned!) So it is only normal that the dinner should be the peak of all the heightened anticipation of the health week.

The Untamed Dinner held at Hotel De Treasure located along Ibadan road, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Both IFUMSITES and non-IFUMSITES alike tried their best to show other attendees that they got the meaning of what the title of the dinner, “Untamed” entailed. So the ladies did their best to appear unrecognisable with made-up faces and “untamed” dresses, while the men or boys did their best to keep up with the beautiful “untamed” looks of the ladies.

The red carpet began later than planned, with everyone taking pictures with friends and enemies (if they had any), each trying to show off their looks. Personalities like Maximillian Agbakwuru, President Beloved Akinola, Muteeat Salami claimed some of the best looks of the night, with everyone trying their best to be with them in a picture. Lolu Akinteye, Tobilola Apampa, Joy Phebe Seth, and Emmanuel Oyeleye (O’nuel), among others, were other standout personalities that drew stares from everyone around them.

On entering the hall, I was pretty impressed with the decorations and the live music by the invited band. The MC had to plead with attendees to come into the dining hall as time continued to tick away. The party finally began around 11 pm, with the MC honouring the victims of Gender-Based Violence with a minute of silence.

The party got underway with some jokes and games, led by the “MCs.” The live band did their job of keeping everyone entertained with some awesome performances as the waiters began distributing drinks, water, and small chops to the tables taking special care (though probably not intentional) to ignore my table.

The party continued as the MC alternated between the award part of the party, and the live music while picking out contestants for some games.

The distribution of foods began with special attention to the more expensive tables. As this progressed, I noticed that three tables, including mine, had been left out, and despite meeting with two IFUMSITES responsible for planning the dinner about the issue, the situation remained the same. We were finally informed that the foods and drinks (which never got to my table) were finished. One member of the social committee cited the presence of attendees who didn’t pay for the dinner as one reason for the situation. And this was despite the fact that payers were sent a link to pick their meals before the party. The health week dinner is not new to such situations where some paying attendees don’t get to partake of the communal meal, with the same being the case at the previous dinner.

The party continued until 2 am on the 6th of June when the invited artiste, Buju, was invited to perform on stage.

His performance lasted for 10-15 minutes, after which the party entered the final hours where everyone could dance to songs blasted off the stage. At this point, the party was brought to a close as everyone left with nothing but memories of an enthralling event that left much to be desired.