In recent times, the fighting spirits of Uites seemed to have faded away. The boisterous agility and untamed restlessness which they had been known for slowly became a thing of history. The students of UI had to salvage their wounded pride by putting on the cloak of past glory. The invention of the fear-inducing SDC kept the lion in the students mute. This campus was quiet and the students humbly withstood the injustice that constantly troubled them.
But that was all until Wednesday. After the unfortunate death of a student, Mayowa Alaran during a live transmission of a football match at the Indy Hall’s Junior Common Room, the residents of the hall expressed their anger and bitterness in unusual ways. They threw off their cowardly hats and donned the caps of militative unionism. They went to all halls to draw support from other campus residents despite attempts to avoid protests from the hall’s Public Relations Officer popularly called Samu(let us ignore his poor comprehension of the word “rational” for now). There was an all-round protest that lasted well into the next day.
Despite the fact that it had to be sparked by the death of a fellow student (RIP), the whole concept of UI students fighting for their own rights is encouraging. It shows the emancipation of the youths and the re-awakening of their long-dormant soul. Their eyes suddenly opened to the power in collectivity. Even the fierceness of the SDC could not stop the united might of sudents. The school has been unfavourable to the students for too long. The poor electricity supply of the “African” halls of Zik, Indy, Idia and Awo in comparison to that of the “European” halls such as Queens, Kuti, Bello, Tedder and Mellanby; the horrible water supply of the halls; the strenous and sickening course registration procedure; the unimpressive attitude of Jaja Clinic workers to the students; the “erosion” and “tsunami” demotion system; the barely-accessibly libraries among other things are the old reality which we all cry out against.
I really commend Uites for their bravery in standing up for themselves. But it was at an unintended price. A sad tale had to jeer us up from our slumber. A very painful loss had to make us realise our own strength. It made us see that the management does not have enough guns in its ammunition to slow us down. It made our spirits rise from the ashes of fear and despair and we turned into a blazing fire that burnt through the whole nation’s consciousness.
Let the spirit of unionism never die. Let us keep the fire burning because it is instrumental in our -Nigerians’- struggle for a better future. We need to take much more control of our lives because we are all adults who can not be caged like stubborn pets.
But we went too far in some places. The display of violence was not called for. We did not have to rush into classrooms and flog people out. The whole scene of camera smashing, flogging and animalistic display of rage was scary, even for the students themselves. We should understand that, though we need to make our voices heard, destruction of property coupled with road blocking is an unnecessary luxury we can not afford. We are not seeking another indefinite close-down of the school, but a rational heavy-handed expression of our feelings. Being excessive changes the narrative. It makes us seem like blank-minded gorillas fighting for what they can not even place. Let us not forget the SU presidents’s betraying reports to the mainstream press. Next time we protest, let us do it with moderation so that in the end, history will not blame it on us. That is all I have to say. Now, off to class!
May Mayowa Alaran’s soul rest in peace. May the fire of the union burn forever. May the university forever shine.
- Red Priest
