Dangerous Times: Approaching Elections and Everything Inbetween

 

By Oludare Olufunmilola

“Of the greatest gbagba! The greatest gbogbo! Ever conscious shiwon!” Behold the 10th week! The academic calendar is running, and so are the politicians striving in a battle for the souls of the electorate, pulling all stops to win over voters. Dear electorate, where do you stand in this battle? As the school calendar closes, the times are extremely challenging, students are scrambling to establish and identify within the student union while simultaneously juggling the pressures of maintaining good grades, all to avoid compromising their academic performance for elections that last only a few weeks. 

The recent protests on campus were neither impulsive nor well-planned. Instead, they were a reactive response to a series of actions taken by the school management. The administration's decisions sparked a chain reaction, leading to protests that unfolded in a recurring manner. The back-and-forth is understandable, but in our quest for reforms, we should not forget what the big picture looks like. It's easy to blame the management, but the reality is that Nigeria's systemic challenges affect everyone. This is where we separate facts from fiction, assess the truth of these claims and evaluate the labour of our heroes past and present.

The country's failures cannot be ignored, and it's essential to consider this when discussing the situation. We may not have achieved remarkable outcomes, but we can take consolation in the power we wield as electorates. The highly anticipated transfer of power is now closer than it appears: the moment that determines the course of the next year.

Let's take a break from the seriousness of it all. Despite the crucial issues at hand, this period also brings its brand of excitement. The lifting of election bans and the commencement of campaigns mark the beginning of adventurous times.

The fun of hostel-to-hostel campaigns, block-to-block rallies, songs and banter. For introverts, it gets easier to make friends and who knows? You might even meet that special person. Manifesto nights and press nights are different kinds of fun as these events have the power to change people's minds about their choices. However, the reality is not Nollywood, sentiments are deeper than we think; imagine how hard it will be to convince a person to ditch her much-revered church mumsy because they didn't do well at the press night. People will vote for their chosen candidate, no matter what. This period is a balance of fun and sensitivity, it goes on, until the eve of the election, when candidates make their final pitches. As we go through it, we should reflect on past elections, the challenges we've faced, and the lessons we've learned.

Amid these, many deadlines are looming project deadlines, tests, assignments and GES exams which are just two weeks away. These are dangerous times, especially for our candidates and electorates who are about to face these challenges before tackling faculty and departmental exams. Here is some advice for everyone: do not lose your head in the battle, elections come and go.

Finally, we await the emergence of leaders who will meet our expectations and usher in a new era. We hope futile protests will become a thing of the past, and the student body will engage in meaningful, outcome-driven conversations with the school management.

In the coming sessions, we envision leaders who will build upon existing legacies of what student unionism is and what it takes to be a student leader, rather than starting from scratch; a future where each successive leader will inherit a stronger foundation which creates the avenue to conquer new challenges and make continuous improvements.