All the world over, academic settings are rippling reflections of what the nation is; you can almost always describe a nation through what plays out in its academic settings. Academic settings are known as breeding grounds for world-moving innovations and ideas, they are “statutory” homes to world-moving movements and paradigm-shifting unions. Speak of a large percentage of the world’s most known inventions, and you will be speaking of academic settings. Speak of Negritude, the fight against racism, and you will be speaking of academic settings.
It is more apt to say “change begins in academic settings.” In the same vein, if you will truthfully speak of grossly misplaced priorities, victimisation, nonsensical decisions, outrightly facetious yet gravely sad lies that daily infiltrate the air in Nigeria, you would not need to stutter; just speak of public-owned tertiary institutions. No, we will not speak of the blind solo auditor today, neither will we speak of unfavourable conditions of living. We will keep gross victimisations as tales for another day, for something pressing need be spoken of.
The swearing-in of students’ representatives and members of the Students’ Union Executive Council was on Tuesday, December 17, 2019. Today is Thursday, 12 March 2020, and that makes it 83 days since the Students’ Union officers officially assumed their positions. As flowery as it would be to wait for the legendary “100 days” before any profiling is done, sanity demands that this article be written. Why? Because the fire that burns on the mountain of student unionism is engulfing, and we might soon lose our union in this race against a raging fire. The activities and actions of our student leaders since their inauguration have been a mix of the good and the bad; sadly, there have been more bad ones than good. Beyond the press releases and tweet-like resolutions of sittings, what has been happening?
OF THE GOOD: LITTLE SUCCESSES IN NEGOTIATIONS
We are often told to celebrate our little successes, and it is only right that we commend the Executive Council of the Students’ Union on the little successes they have recorded in their negotiations. Notably, they succeeded in seeing to it that students were not sent out of their halls before the official end of the session. They have, at several times, negotiated with the school management to put on the generators in these trying times. They have, in few instances, negotiated with the Non-Academic Staff Union to stall the lockdown of lecture theatres and exam venues. These actions of the Executive Council are commendable, and for these, Akeju and his team worth being applauded.
OF THE GOOD: SUCCESSFULLY HELD PROGRAMMES
When one’s child does well, one blows his trumpet. The Students’ Union has successfully held some programmes in the past 83 days: Finalists’ Hangout, Kunle Adepeju Day, and Mock Examinations. The first point of interest in these events is their diversity: they catered for both the academic and social lives of students. The mock examinations have widely been praised by students, and truth be told, the Students’ Union Executive Body need be applauded for the successful organisation of these examinations. Another applaudable activity is the Finalists’ Hangout. Students; for the first time in a long while, there was a fully social student-organised event that could pull students across faculties and halls of residence. The fete of Kunle Adepeju this year, is also one of the programmes successfully held by the leadership of the Students’ Union.
If one’s child does well, one blows his trumpet. However, when that same child opts for hindering its mother from getting repose, such child will not get some repose himself.
It is also noteworthy that plans have started on the organisation of skill acquisition sessions. We can only hope that the sessions see the light of day.
OF THE BAD: HANGING PROMISES AND MISPLACED PRIORITIES
Of the repose-robbing issues bedevilling our Students’ Union, is that of the promises hanging in the air, unattended to. Why make promises when you will not fulfil them? Dear Oladeji Richard, have you repaired the street lights? Dear Edet Collins, have you bought the printers and photocopiers? The fortnightly cost-free printing and photocopying for students, why have we not seen the traces of its fruition? Dear Oladeji Abiodun, where is the Union’s website? And, where is the Press Club? Dear Olawumi Aishat, when will the Students’ Union Week hold? Will it be at the beginning of next session? Towards the end of next session’s first semester? Some days into the second semester? Or, should we forget this promise of yours?
These are just few of the promises made to students, which you have not so much as given a thought. Do you remember that night, when you stood on the podium at the Faculty of Science New FLT, and made these promises, with hundreds of students as witnesses? No one is saying you should perform miracles within 83 days, however, nothing is wrong with kick-starting plans towards achieving your promises. More so, some of these promises are so basic, they should have been achieved by now. It will be gross unfairness to occupy an office for close to a year, without having something substantial to show for it. He that hath an ear…
OF THE BAD: SPENDING IN MILLIONS AND MILLIONS, LARGELY UNJUSTIFIABLE
Another serious issue that has been recurrent in the 83-day assumption of office is the mention, presentation and approval of millions and millions of Naira. While we cannot disregard the fact that many major purchases need be done by this set of leaders— purchases that would serve subsequent administrations— it is still truthful to claim that some monetary allocations are unjustifiable. Why are the drilling of boreholes and the purchase of water-pumping machines sitting fat in the budget of the Office of the President? Has the school taken another stance on things like this? Or, should we not learn from the fate that befell the then Students’ Union when they “came to the rescue” of Awoites?
Away from the executive council, the legislative council are equally guilty, if not guiltier than the executive council, for are they not the ones who ratify budgets? Dear honourable members, to what effect is your visit to the National Assembly at Abuja? Does it make you better legislators? Is conventional now synonymous to essential? Say, even if this visit has a purpose, can the visit not be to the Oyo Sate House of Assembly, to save costs? Would the Oyo State House of Assembly not serve the same purpose as the National Assembly?
OF THE BAD: MISPLACED PRIORITIES AND TWEET-LIKE RESOLUTIONS
Dear honourable members, when you picked up forms in your aspiration(s) to seats in the SRC chamber, what came to mind as your fundamental duty? Ratification of budgets? Keeping the exco on their toes? Constitution of committees? What exactly? Your fundamental duty as a student representative represents students: speak and act in the interest of these students. Pray tell, have conditions on campus been better, since your assumption to office?
Sadly funny, they have gone worse! What have you done in your capacity as students’ representatives? Have grievances from Idia and Awo ever made it to your deliberations at the SRC Chambers? Have complaints from Indy and Mellanby ever been part of your agenda? Have you proposed bills and passed laws to the betterment of students? To what effect is the proposed spending of millions if it is not for the betterment of students? To what effect are overbearing hours of deliberations if they are have not had positive effects on the general welfare of students? Save for the macaroni (which was most likely through sponsorship) and the transportation of students during exams, what are we to credit to you as regards students’ welfare? Ratification of the mock exams and Finalists’ Hangout budgets? There it is again, ratification of budgets!
It is high time you, as our representatives, became vocal and attendant to the reasons for which they were elected. Propose bills, actively seek for complaints from your constituencies. Go to sittings armed with the cries of the people who voted for you, and see if hands will not— whether by force or by will— be moved to work. The thing is, the Speaker cannot ignore about 20 complaints in a given sitting, it is not possible! The non-materialisation of welfare-enhancing results can only be said to be as a result of your distance from your people. You should do better.
Truth be told, leadership is a rough-edged diamond. However, that is the reason everyone cannot be a leader; that is the reason behind you being the leaders, for if all students could sit in the SRC Chamber or in the Union’s Boardroom, we might not have needed an election to appoint you.
May we hear good news from your quarters.
Till then, and even after then,
Li’l Allawonder.
