EDITORIAL
The frenzy is everywhere, all over the country, the national level where stakeholders from one party shift base to pitch their tent with the same set of people who were just recently their political opponents from opposition parties. Some individuals already have their eyes fixed on ministerial appointments as compensation for helping the aspirant get to Aso rock, if they eventually get there. It continues in the states where certain individual are working toward getting re-elected into the same gubernatorial seat they once occupied while others are working acidulously to ensure they also get a slice of the national cake. These activities are made glaring by the presence of posters everywhere you turn. Radio and television adverts to solicit for the cooperation of citizens, so as to gain their support as well as their votes. At that time these elite are aired moving among the masses to show that they are with people in the grassroots and they shown chewing maize and coconut in public and suddenly they begin to give food items to the poor rural dwellers. Whenever these series of act and actions are been done, only one thing comes to mind, ELECTION.
Let us now bring it all home, the University of Ibadan campus. A lot of friendly faces has started to appear everywhere from various departments, faculties and halls of residences. You will not fail to notice that you get greeted than any other time in a session and then you get to hear a lot of people asking how your day was. If you happen to be so far off, smile and waves would be flashed at you from distance. Text messages are not out of the way from names and nicknames you may never have heard of. The posters are even coming up already, the stickers are on every door, buses and even on school bags, you get to see people wearing tags of aspirants neatly attached somewhere on their shirt, skirt or trousers. Just like in the national and state level, in the University of Ibadan campus it is so glaring the time for elections are here.
This is the time we the citizens need to sit back and reflect on action and activities of earlier administrations and go ahead and raise many questions which will open our eyes to the choice of the leader we will eventually make. Question should be raised. Who is this aspirant? What are his/her Agenda? What are people’s opinions about the aspirant? Have they untaken any political appointment before now? What is or are their achievement? Is their proposed plans and programme realizable? Who are the people behind them? Were they once holders of any political position(s)? How did they handle those position(s)? What was their achievement(s)? These are necessary question we need to put forth and seek to find answers to a lot if not all of them. The answers we get from the questions we are able to raise should be the bases upon which we make our decision on who should be voted and supported to get to that position, be it the presidential sit, gubernatorial sit, faculty presidents, leaders in department and halls of residence.
Unfortunately, most people are usually blinded or blindfolded until they make the wrong choice. Wrong choice because they make decisions on who to support based on the meager sum of money they are able to get from that individual or the not sustainable food item they collect from an aspirant, quantities that could be as ridiculously low as two cups of rice, even one sachet of salt and even one match box. Within the campus, people make decision based on the fact that they are roommate, department, faculty members or they belong to the same organization or society despite knowing they may not be able to handle the position. Some people decide to vote some aspirants because they have wonderful jingles or that their posters are so catchy. The moment he gets in there his jingle fades with time and then it now strikes everyone what a mistake it is to vote that person there in the first place. One reason people vote aspirants that really surprises me is that, girls claim a guy is very handsome and the guys claim that the girl is very beautiful and so make them eligible for an executive post. That is an expensive joke.
Our candid advice to you is that, do not be bamboozled by the long list of propaganda, they are simply not achievable. Do not be enticed by that five hundred naira note it is not enough to mortgage your lives for the next four or more years. Spend the money and follow the right person. Do not be carried away by two cups of rice that will not feed you alone for one day talk more of your family members. Please take the rice, salt and match box and use it all up but vote wisely. The fine boys and fine girls going to take up those positions are most likely going to get finer when they take up the positions, because the height of the stress they will ever go through is what it took them to convince you to support and vote them in. Be polite, when they smile and wave at you please reciprocate by smiling and waving back but be wise in taking your decision, many if they win or lose, cease to give those smiles and waves you got before the election because they do not really care. Vote for your roommate, department person and your faculty person if and only if he or she posses the character and charisma to serve and serve well.
Please think before you act, do not act and then start to think
Do have a wonderful week ahead, bye.
