On Sunday, 27th of February, The University of Ibadan Students’ Union (UISU) held what was tagged ‘Anonymous Night’ on its WhatsApp TV. Students were asked to make anonymous posts that were subsequently shared on the union’s WhatsApp TV.
The shared anonymous messages as viewed by UCJUI and many students were mostly focused on sexual escapades of students, slut-shaming, and cyberbullying. Although the handler of the WhatsApp TV or the organiser of the ‘Anonymous night’ did not explicitly state the purpose of the programme, students have shared varying opinions on it.
The Union of Campus Journalists, University of Ibadan (UCJUI) conducted a survey to gather the opinions of students regarding the anonymous night. While some students expressed that it was wrong for the students’ union to share inappropriate anonymous posts, as the union itself stands for a cause that is not related to most of the messages shared, other students considered it a means of entertainment.
The students who condemned the act of the Students’ Union included many reasons in their responses to UCJ UI. A number of them stated that the messages shared during the ‘Anonymous Night’ were “demeaning” and “needless”. Some students who argued that it had no purpose, noted that it could have been a perfect platform for students to share their thoughts on important issues within and outside the university.
One of the respondents hailed the initiative but faulted the handler of the union’s Whatsapp TV for sharing the inappropriate messages. “The students just took it for a joke, and we’re even saying offensive things. There are a lot of things going on that need a platform as such to voice out. It’s a very good initiative though. I feel it should be made clear, probably before posting the anonymous link the reason and purpose of the platform. It could expose a lot of anomalies that normally would go unnoticed. I just hope that when the real issues are said they will be made public as well and not hidden,” the student noted.
Another student wrote: “For me, doing the anonymous isn’t a bad idea, I feel the purpose is to make the audience speak their mind maybe in terms of commending the union and maybe give them some tips on improvement but the moment the handler of the TV sees all comments are like that, he should have addressed it immediately by dropping a general memo and not by encouraging them to continue. He shouldn’t have posted such things at all.”
“It was total rubbish. I sent a text through the link before the posting began, telling the handler to channel the energy to better things, have students discuss hot and debatable topics. I said we already know the anonymous would be filled with obscenities. Funnily, he didn’t even post my message. He just kept on posting the obscenities with unnecessary captions. I had Freshers DM to tell me ‘so this is what your school is like? I can never trust anyone here’. The anonymous posts were full of obscenities that we necessarily didn’t need to see. For example, what is my business with a lady in Chemistry who doesn’t wear panties? Things like this are kept within the department and faculties. The whole school doesn’t need to know whatever nonsense you do in your departments or faculties,” another student opined.
One of the students whom the Anonymous Night did not sit well with pointed out that the messages might end up hurting the feelings of a lot of people and causing damage to their mental health.
Another student also observed that most of the anonymous messages that were shared on UISU WhatsApp TV had nothing to do with the purpose of unionism. “I see no correlation between the messages shared on that night had with the purpose of student unionism. It was preposterous, and the atmosphere was clearly overwhelmed with derogatory messages of sexual abuse and comments. Some people’s names were also posted without their consent and they were “threatened” with sexual intercourse. I think in all its entirety, such shouldn’t be repeated, and those who coordinated it should be questioned. UI is known to be a community of intellectuals, not insensitive dollop heads,” they remarked.
Another responder wrote: “Although, it was a nice idea but was later abused. Regardless of posts, there are some things that the SU wasn’t supposed to post last night. The issue of the person not putting on pants, that is total rubbish. I expected a reasonable person not to post that, the name, department, matric and cgpa were even included.”
Other Respondents hail SU Anonymous Night
In the survey, many students claimed that reading the messages was fun for them and they were excited that the Union provided the platform for students to express themselves without the fear of being punished or facing the Students’ Disciplinary Committee (SDC). These are the students who believed that the Anonymous Night was nothing but a little fun which does not hurt.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Let people live please! A little laugh and fun once in a while doesn’t hurt anyone,” a student stated.
“The idea of the anonymous posts was very good, dark humour and a high level of excitement was achieved,” another commented.
Some students also believe that the anonymous posts should be continued. “It’s nice and I will want them to do another one soon”; “It was awesome and special sharing your thoughts and also anonymous, I think the programme is good to go,” two students stated.
In the opinion of some students, the union should not be blamed because it is just right for them to post the messages they received regardless of the content.
“There’s no big deal, people were asked to make anonymous post, whatever the students posted is not the SU executives business, and it’s just right that they reposted whatever people said, the anonymous could be geared towards development, faults, social activities and all, but since the students have decided to post such nonsense, I see no way in which it’s the union’s fault.”
The Attacks on UCJUI
The survey was conducted by UCJUI to gather honest opinions from UItes as there were mixed reactions from the students after the Anonymous Night. It is, however, surprising that some students believe that UCJUI was out to attack the union’s executives; it is equally surprising that they expected the Press to stay out of the union’s affairs. Thankfully, such respondents were few and it is not clear if they were sponsored to attack the Press. Below are their responses to the survey:
“And make UCJ dey rest, make una no dey carry matter for head every time”; “There’s actually nothing wrong with it, y’all should rest please”; “Y’all shut up and let people have fun”; “Must y’all poke your nose in everything?”; “Why should the UCJ always attack the executives when they should actually be working together for the progress of the Union???”
Enlightened students of the premier university should be aware that the press has certain obligations in all human societies, which include but are not limited to informing, educating, probing, interpreting, and the surveillance of society. It is worthy of note that UCJUI is indeed upholding these obligations; it is not an enemy of the Students’ Union executive council or the school management. UCJUI wonders how an honest call for opinions could be interpreted as an attack on the SU.
In case you missed it. Below is a link to an article on the surge of anonymous posts by students of the University during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
