Opinion

THEY HAVE COME AGAIN

It was a Tuesday, a very hectic day and I was returning after the usual vet stress, walking my tired legs with a slow pace up my Mellanby stairs. I heard their ocean wind voices at the front of my door, some of them spilling over to my corridors. Guess who they are? They are UI student politicians. They won't even allow me access my door and the greetings have started pouring in, some even prostrated, hailing and calling me names. Before I could respond, they were already telling me things about the union, my role, how they value my opinion, how it's going to be an all-inclusive and rewarding union, why my opinion and support will be crucial for their emergence. They were with their "enticing words of men's wisdom", saying the things they will do, ranging from the seeming possible ones, to the utterly impossible ones. Quite amicably, they were receptive to every advice, listening to everyone's comment and opinions and they successfully used there sugar-coated food holes to get our support. However, what they will turn out to be after election is unpredictable unless nature takes its cause.

Then, it knocked at the door step of my mind as I had almost forgotten "UI Politics". The suspension of the Union around early 2017 brought a reduced atmosphere to the tumult of UI campus politics which spices up every session. Politics and campaigns lost their vibe and thrills as it became limited and enslaved to the cave of halls and faculties. The posters, flyers, jingles, tags and others all came to a stand-still mode. I remember how I pinned K-Cent tag to my shirt where ever I was going, how I joined fellow supporters for rallies in different halls; some even went as far as washing the female halls’ water tanks. There were long all-night meetings between hall stakeholders or hall elders for the candidate of choice and how to reach a compromise with other halls as to give the candidate an edge for better chance of winning. This is what is referred to as "hall endorsement," where any endorsed candidate is supported and pushed for "sale" by the hall stakeholders to other halls (the buyer).

After this, the selling proper starts, more of a "barter system" of marketing. You will hear Hall Chairmen or Administrator Generals saying "give me General Secretary and I will give you Treasurer." This means “my hall will support your candidate for Treasurer while your own hall will support my General Secretary.” This is very important because if the deal is successfully settled, affected candidates might need to step down or lose his/her hall’s support. That is how many candidates have risen to offices on the basis of fame while the less privileged ones make do with the meager votes of themselves and their few loved ones.

As the First and Best University in Nigeria, UI should not be found wanting in the issue of politics. Unarguably, politics is a very vital and integral part of one’s education. Apart from leading a country or a state, as leaders of tomorrow, we will lead families, organizations, committees and certain departments and therefore we should be given the opportunity to try, fail, make mistakes and learn from our mistakes; the same way we may fail class tests and exams, learn from it and make adjustments.

From what we perceived about “real” Student Unionism, the ones told to us by our fathers, the pre-colonial histories of the Azikiwe and Awolowo, the Pirates of the Soyinka and also considering the unionism in the UK and the US, I will say UI Politics have not gotten there in what politics should be, especially considering the fact that we are under the confines of Management’s guide.

So many things have happened in the past, so many lessons learnt. Union was suspended, now the suspension ban has been lifted and I foresee more vibrant and diplomatic UI politics. With whosoever contests or wins, I pray the ship of UI Student Union falls into the hands of capable captains.

…for the love of the union

~Humility