IT IS 27 DAYS TO GES EXAMINATIONS!

If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? — John Wooden

New dawn, new day, new season, new era, new policies, new dynamics and new minds are just symbols of the passage of time in reality in a form of a reverie. Even though we are young, agile and innocent, our minds have been embodiments of history and many mysterious events which are contributions to what we are presently. Indeed, how time and tide wait for no man cannot be compared to the most turbulent wind that blows away incomplete structures and solid ones. The March 27th resumption date that seemed like an endless road to the freshmen of the University of Ibadan who were eagerly awaiting their arrival into the premier university has come and gone; lo and behold, ten weeks have followed the resumption date!

It is a usual norm among the returning students that the second semester is always fast due to many activities that do accompany it, but it can be argued that the first semester of 2014/15 academic session is also like every second semester. The postponed general elections slated for February is the first spoiler of the semester. Everybody knew the polity was heated by the major contending parties and as such, not every parent was ready to release his/her child to the unknown. This greatly brought about the late arrival of many students. Not only that, the Students’ Union election is another programme that sucks time. Almost everybody on campus is always the victim of this; whether one is a major player in the process or not. The never expected two weeks ‘mid-semester’ break is the highest of the misfortunes. Although to some, it was a prayer that answered at the appropriate time while to the more than serious and those who have developed a disdain for the academic environment, the break was a pathetic one.

 

This piece is just a call and a wake from your slumber. It is most painful that nobody sings the chorus of ‘tsunami’ to the hearing of the freshmen among us. Tenth week of resumption and many of our dear but care-free freshmen are more concerned about ‘‘Freshers’ Welcome’’ than to their primary assignment. Most freshmen are now concerned about fashion, merry-making, gossip and other trivial engagements, most especially in their halls of residence. If you are still in the aura of being a Uite, then you might soon share the experience of your sojourn to this land for a session. Surely, if the situations of things are still the same and the ‘UI Tsunami’ from the Senate Building is to come after the session, then, it will be disastrous for many uninformed minds.

Many are still living on the belief that students from the Faculty of Education will start first but what of the GES examination that has written a letter of his arrival in the next 4 weeks? Charles M. Schulz succinctly puts that ‘don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia’. Certainly, if ten weeks can take a royal bow at the twinkle of an eye, what should be said of a running four weeks?

To our dear students’ politicians, especially, ‘the big fans’, it is high time we faced the reality. You have tried enough helping your candidates and it’s time you thought about your life. Your presence in UI is because you are still a student, and therefore should not bear the brunt of the aftermaths of the SU election postponement. Albert Einstein rightly submits that ‘the only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once’. If you will align yourself with the bitter truth, the situation has always been the same and it does not seem as if the nationwide wind of change will affect our nascent union. Then, why are you sacrificing your tomorrow for a bad day? Truth be told, one does not become a stakeholder at the stake of his or her life.

This is the time for us to settle down, plan, strategise and be focused. No doubts, the remaining days are worth a fortune. Remember the words of Bil Keane that ‘yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.’ Do not be deceived nor threatened, all can still be well and good with a calm mind at this point. This is a perfect time to know God, read well and exercise our mental ability.

Students of the premier faculty are known for their eloquence, intelligence, brightness and brilliance. This is not the time to distort the standard that has been built by our fathers. We need to build well on the solid foundation laid before us or we do not attempt building at all. Those are the options we have before us.

In conclusion, listen to the message of Philip Stanhope, the 4th Earl of Chesterfield to you; ‘know the true value of time, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.’ We welcome you back to school and wish you well as you prepare for the ‘enemy’ of students.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *