7 Days in Baluba Kingdom: A Week to Remember

By Iman Aiyeola, Peace Chenube, Similoluwa Akinboyo 

Balubamania: When the Mania Almost Took Over Baluba

It was meant to be a small, fun, water-themed party, featuring water guns and music to conclude a week-long series of events. But it soon descended into lively chaos, with buckets and bags of water splashing around the hall grounds. 

They called it “Balubamania” — the highly anticipated conclusion to Mariere Hall’s seven days of competitions, movie nights, games, and more. Held on Saturday, 19 July, the turnout was enormous, with hall residents and outsiders alike unable to resist the splashes and laughter echoing from the hall. The organisers hadn’t even anticipated such a response, nearly causing the event to spiral out of control.

“There weren’t enough water guns, and it got rough at some point. Some students were fetching water into buckets and pouring it from all over. Some were buying bags of water and throwing it on the stage”, said Adedamola Oshunkoya, a 400-level Political Science student and the assistant project lead of the planning committee, speaking to UNILAG Sun in an interview. 

He disclosed that the fun and chaos spiralled so far that the campus Security Unit had to intervene.“They didn’t like the fact that they were just throwing water everywhere…it got out of control to the point that they wanted to shut down our show by 9 pm.”

Though the mayhem was exciting for many, there were clashes for some. Oshunkoya revealed that although hostel residents enjoyed the experience, attendees from outside, including those from Moremi Hall, were unhappy about being doused with water. 

Despite this, the fun in the unravelling was undeniable. “Balubamania, that was the party we had on the last day; I think it was the biggest event,” said Hero Etubi, the head of the planning committee for the Mariere Hall Week. “We had a water gun party, and it was so fun.”

Music, Vibes, and Fido 

Balubamania wasn’t the only event that garnered such attention. Just two days earlier, on Thursday, 17 July, the vibes were unforgettable at a listening party with performances from the breakout artist, Fido. The feedback from the audience wasn’t great at first, as he began by performing songs from his new album, but the vibe switched up when he performed some of his hit tracks, including ‘Awolowo’ and ‘Joy is Coming’.

“Fido came and performed a song on his new album. It was nice…the boys had fun”,  said Al-Ameen, a resident of Mariere Hall, recalling the artist’s performance.

These events weren’t the only highlights of the Hall Week. The entire week was a lineup of exciting activities that left the attendees and residents feeling elated. Themed “7 Days in Baluba Kingdom”, the week started on Sunday, 13th July, and continued for 7 days till the grand finale, with a wide selection of activities. The medley of activities included a movie night, a “Mr Macho” gym competition, an eating competition, a jersey day, and E-Sports competitions.

Behind the Scenes: Trials and Prevails

While attendees might have had the time of their lives, the planning and sponsorship for them did not come easily. Speaking with UNILAG Sun about the challenges the planning committee faced, Oluwafemi Ojebisi, the Student Hall Chair for Mariere Hall, said, “Our biggest challenge was securing brand partnerships … Many reputable brands required more lead time to plan their support.”

This problem of sponsorship was exacerbated by the limited time the planning committee for the Hall Week had to plan and execute the events. Ojebisi revealed that, regardless of this, they were able to “push through and deliver,” securing sponsorships from brands like Monster and Flex.

The planning committee also received help from former executives and the hall warden. “We got help from past committees in sharing contacts with sponsors who had previously supported our hall week events. They helped in getting direct contact with our sponsors. Also, we had some committee members affiliated with upcoming brands, which also pulled in some of these brands to sponsor our event,” Oshunkoya said. “Our warden played a major role in getting sponsors too, because he had direct contact with some sponsors,” he added.

In all, Ojebisi was confident that the Mariere Hall Week 2025 was a “grand, memorable, and resounding” success. Between the thriving vendor stands, thrilling activities, and a massive turnout of students, Ojebisi, Oshunkoya, and Etubi all agree this year’s Hall Week was a milestone, setting a new standard for future editions to come.