TO OUR STUDENT POLITICIANS AND OFFICE HOLDERS

The African culture is linguistically complete and perfect in the sense that it has a proverb, axiom or adage for almost every human endeavor. One of their sayings goes thus: “no matter how careful one is, the head must change its position while walking”; and it is on this premise that some officeholders rest their imperfections. Some even shield themselves under the umbrella that “to err is human and perfection is divine”. No doubt, we are humans and are bound to make mistakes, but despite that, one must bring to fore that whatever is worth doing is worth doing well and that if at all one is beyond apprehension by fellow, God is there to judge.

Although, elected officials deserve to be appreciated for their time, however, students have come to realize that the sole reason why the number of contestants is more than available positions is not because they have the interest of students at mind but due to the palatable conditions, fame and pocket-enriching opportunities available to them when they emerge. Even the self-righteous ones become corrupt or silent in office. You will be shocked to the bone marrow to see no one coming out for post if the annual dues paid by students are scrapped or the officeholders are mandated to run the office solely from sponsorship funds.

To start with, it is becoming unbecoming of elected officials to portray themselves as being superior to the other students because of the honorable or comrade that prefix their names. Such guilty fellow of this offence demand waivers from conditions, exemption from rules and preference in disguise. To a large extent, they breach protocols, violate rules and even disenfranchise students of their rightful rights and privileges. To those that have gone unpunished by authorities and untouched by students, karma is there to intercept you early or later in your life after school. But for those intending to do the same, they should rest assured of meeting their Waterloo.

The idea of taking from the poor for the rich instead of taking from the rich for the poor is beginning to eat deep in society. Student politicians now bask in the euphoria of using the official seat as an avenue to enrich their pockets and/or further spread the ministry for their personal interest. Little wonder secretariats are more desirous than schools and some health facilities with anybody at any time willing and ready to switch to politics. For this reason, they make policy, development or law that is not electorate friendly or aimed at making life too comfortable for elected officials at the expense of the general public. This should and will henceforth be rejected on arrival.

Some situations have emerged where some student politicians claimed that association is not thriving on the token paid by students, need anybody to be reminded that the association runs and thrives primarily on dues paid by the member students of the association?  Such officeholders are dared to refund the dues paid and run the administration solely on the funds from sponsors they promised to get. This is a seized opportunity to crave their indulgence to the fact that students will one day revolt against association’s dues receipt being part of the requirements for registration and clearance if officeholders do not desist from just expending association’s money as they so wish on frivolities.

Albeit the country is tagged as the giant of Africa and our citadel of learning is referred to the first and still the best university in the country, yet the administration of ‘worthy in character and learning’ students can’t be compared with that of students in tertiary institutions in Ghana, Kenya, and the likes. Over there, there are enough student association projects almost competing with that of the university, but down here, it’s a sorry case. All that can be boasted of are sitting sheds that shade students from neither the rain nor the sun; notice boards that remain useless even after the second set of the team; and as if that’s not enough, some even at first disappear into the thin air with the huge amount of students’ money. At this point, students are not only tired but sick of such insensitivity.

Students’ sanity, sanctity, and intellectuality have over time been taken for granted with the choice of packages distributed. Students have at once been given ordinary sticker and constitution, small-sized plastic bucket and even a ‘pillow bag’. What a pity! Be that as it may, nothing of such will be allowed anymore. More so, the programs of the association will henceforth be strictly monitored not only by the eagle eye of the press but by conscious students.

At the faculty and hall level where there are members of the hallowed chamber, students (observers) have seen honorable members that have not spoken at the floor of the house during deliberation except when item 7 is distributed during recess. Some honorable even practice truancy. They attend sitting when it pleases them with the excuse that they have important things to do. The question is what if everyone else too has something important to do? This is what we want: it is highly recommended that at least two-third must be present at the plenary session and any dormant council member should be recalled and replaced.

To this end, thousands of words can’t fill up a vessel which is why sage said a word is enough for the wise. Where there is no law, there is no sin, alas; a dog that will go astray will never hear the whistling of the hunter. Hence, to be forewarned is to be fore harmed.

OLUWATOYIN Betterdays is a 400 level student of the department of Arts and Social Sciences Education in the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan. He is a writer and student journalist and can be reached via +2347010124528.

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