THE SUBJECT OF 1971 AND THE KING OF THE GRAVEYARD

By Adedokun Seyi

I’ve been reading so much about the incident that happened on the first day of the second month of 1971. Just like today,in 2017. But, people have been writing the same story. Have you thought about it that only gun or use of any weapon is the only thing that has been proscribed on campus? That year was the year of rebranding of the institution, but maybe today will work.

In a particular year, when faculty of Agriculture and Forestry started, it constituted ten people: one student, one farm manager and eight lecturers. As the year counts, we have these order of increase in students number per year: 4 in 1954, 3 in 1955, 4 in 1956, 6 in 1957, 8 in 1958, 10 in 1959, 11 in 1960, 7 in 1961, 9 in 1962, 14 in 1963. Adepeju was not the first student of Agriculture, it was Mr.Joseph Akinwolemiwa, who graduated in 1953. This is a chap of the history.

Multilogue went into the wind among some students about the Martyr title given to Kunle Adepeju. Well, who was there? We only hear the story. The definition of a student Martyr and the balance between it and protest does not equate. A martyr is someone who sacrifices his or her life, or what is of great value to him, for the sake of principle or to sustain a cause. But why can’t we call it riot,chaos, uproar of war and maybe the police might say, killing him was self defence. This has spanned several idea from a mere man passing the street of University of Ibadan. The only story that people have written is what has been, but there hasn’t been a provoking thought. Many a writer have written the same thing without inferring a development and how unionism can grow as a class on its own.

Another fact is: was he the target of the police? Has he engaged in a protest before 1971? History has it not. But on a certain day,among the crowd,a man appeared. He didn’t appear to face the gun, he didn’t want to die. He wanted to save his interest, his fellow students’ interest at all cost. To be called a Martyr sounds over praised, but who was that man, when everyone was shouting, clamouring for change but stood aback, who came out from the crowd and stood firm against any victimization technique. He was ready to die. If he wasn’t, why would he come out to the gun?

Now,the discussion: what have we gained so far? What do the management need to know? Apart from saying students only protest for their own good,not minding any shortcoming or any reason for an action by the management, since 1971, what has been the positivity and the development that attracts people today? Remember, what made him a Martyr is the ability to stand out against all forms of deprivation. If he didn’t do that, maybe instead of SDC Letter, shooting a student because of ‘gross misconduct’ might be the choice of the school management.

Who else want to stand as the subject of his time? No,not death.I’ve learnt that before I die, I should do something worth writing about or write something worth reading. But we are bunches of runaway people. We are so brave at our corner, but even when a stick pretends to be a pistol,we begin to confess. Anybody do not want his or her name to be mentioned,and I thought in my mind, this is the end time. We care not about one another,but after our meal, we care less about meeting another person’s need.

There lived a king in a forest,who prepared the way of the coming of a promise. Nobody knows him until the day he was beheaded and they said,’He is the forerunner of the sent’. Kunle Adepeju, is now a king in the graveyard, who didn’t get a recognition like this when he was alive. It is obvious that he came out after giving it a thought to die because many of his mates are the government who sit at their office, eating and dinning, killing offenders while they offend and still keeps victimizing the soul and spirit of the dead.

The graveyard has many souls buried in its pot and these bodies are important to those that possesses them. But, when his body arrived the grave, I believe a new king was welcomed on that day. It doesn’t really involve death when you stand for your right. Who will not die? why should you be cheated and die? Then, prefer death to being cheated. You can also be a subject and the king in confrontation. Die a holy death.

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