Either mentally or socially, some sketches of ‘politic-vities’, it appears, usually squire every second semester of a normal academic calendar. For the political opportunists, the semester usually induces in their cognitive domain either a paradise of positive change for the electorate, or a hotel of enjoyment galore for themselves. Sadly, most of the times, the latter is usually the butt.
2015/2016 AFAS election was a competitive one in terms of the presidential candidature, but a walk in the park for the eventual winner. The winning margin was enormous. Perhaps the unabashed presidential losers merely wanted to make their presence known in the faculty’s obtuse political system. Otherwise, considering the swinish strut displayed by the supporters of one of the loser on the manifesto night last year, one would have concluded that the candidate for those touts would have emerged as the winner. Their uncultured tumult swamped the authoritative voice of the faculty sub-dean. It was a shameful experience. That has become a history now.
It is figuring out now that Afasites are on the move again. But the vibration does not seem to be as electrifying as last year’s. God-fatherism seems to be at play again. There are only two presidential candidates so far, a male and a female. Technically, the male candidate is already contesting unopposed.
Apart from this, lest we forget, that the political jazziness in AFAS has been taking pills of snoring drugs. Mr. Emeka Aniagboso, the predecessor to Adeoye, won the post unopposed. Meanwhile, last year’s election brought a glimpse of hope as regards our political orientation because of the turn-out. But here we go again: two candidates for president from the whole faculty, when three candidates are vying for the post of president in Political Science Department alone. What is the matter? What are we good at? Fashion? Books? Beauty?
It has been said that Faculty of Arts is a harem of brainless beautiful breeds, a faculty of lazy students. According to this hypothesis, we are only known for fashion, gossip, intellectual laziness. If this is true, should it not be natural that we channel our vigour to politics? We should be incongruous in political activities. But the reverse has been the case. For the past three years, we have been having a case of the incumbent president handing over power to his political son or adjunct. Afoh, in 2014, handed over to Emeka, both of whom were Zikites. At such, the financial mess, if any existed, of his administration, was sheltered by Emeka’s tenure. Emeka’s underhandedness and purloin too should have been buried in the coffin of political god-fatherism, had his anointed unpopular candidate emerged as the president.
We are likely going to have another sickening baton passed on this time. One of the presidential candidate was a political loyalist of the current president during last year election. And, at such, the incumbent president would want to ensure his emergence as president. Should this unhealthy trend persist, Afasites will soon become a politically insensitive faculty, where any trickily-smart mind can usurp its financial buoyance.
Political god-fatherism breathes no good. Rather, it begets a political cabal wherein is a dominant trait of outstanding uninterrupted corrupt practices. Afasites need to begin to think from both sides of their brains. They need to be politically alive and critical, lest these political appendages think themselves above a cockroach.
Pen-egrity
