DEAR STUDENT LEADERS, DO YOU KNOW THE WEIGHT YOU CARRY?
By Idowu Precious (Babosha)
“Power does not only reveal character, it tests the presence of one.”
At the University of Ibadan, leadership is not a ceremonial title. It is not a decorative office but one filled with responsibilities. Leadership here is a contract, it is a pact with the students whose voices you swore to echo while actively campaigning for the offices you now hold. Yet, time and again, we find ourselves betrayed, not just by actions, but by a deafening silence that follows them.
Student leaders are meant to be the heartbeat of student welfare. However, if certain happenings are any indication, that heartbeat has been beating irregularly. It has been tainted by personal indulgence, power play, and the alarming decline of dignity we have been presented with. An example of such would be the case of a sitting student leader who was physically assisted into his hostel. Not after a medical emergency as you might think. Neither was it after exhaustion from service. No, it was after a night of unrestrained drinking.
This is not about moral policing. It is not an attack on the occasional need to unwind or the way certain people decide to have ‘fun’. It is a direct indictment of recklessness in office. It also is an example of a failure to understand that once elected, your life stops being completely yours. Your actions, in public or in shadow, speak not just for you, but for an entire student body.
And beyond the body of students, you represent something much larger: the University of Ibadan itself.
You are not just any student. You are the first point of contact for people of the outside world. You are the image that other campuses, organisations, potential partners and sponsors see when they look at us. And so, you must walk the part, talk the part, act the part and one that usually gets forgotten, dress the part. Carelessness is no longer private. Indulgence is no longer personal. You do not get to be “just another student” anymore. You carry the name and reputation of the first and the best University, whether you feel ready or not. And it would not be a stretch to say that you ought to have felt that readiness the moment you picked up the form for that office you now hold.
The image of student leaders habitually being surrounded by girls or making their offices (and other affiliated properties of said office) a ‘come one, come all’ room to host members of the opposite sex is a displeasing sight. It makes the general public question the genuity of your leadership and rightly so! As a student leader, you must remember that your duty lies in service to the general student body and not to a selected section of said body. As much as you might have been made to think, you are not celebrities. You are custodians and a custodian who forgets his purpose has no business holding the keys.
More troubling is the rise of personal vendettas disguised as political strategy. A former student leader once swore that he would ensure a fellow student does not enter a particular office the latter was contesting for, simply because he did not like the student in question and well, also favored another student. This was not because of incompetence on the part of the unfavored student nor was it due to a history of corruption. It was simply a matter of preference. Dislike. Ego.
Should such behavior be found in a leader? Are these the leaders we are meant to look up to? The leaders we are meant to be publicly proud of? Would it be a stretch to say this was a case of tyranny in student form?
But of course, we are told to sit still and trust the process. However, for how long would that be?
There is no denying that there is a disconnect between the student leaders and the students they represent. The question is no longer “What do you have for us?” but now, “Do we even exist to you?”
Let it be clear: we are watching. Not because we enjoy finding fault, but because we expect better. And we deserve better.
UI students are not blind. We see the politics happening. You claim to be our voice. Then speak up, even when it is inconvenient. You claim to represent us. Then carry yourself as one who has been entrusted with that weight.
And lest you forget, this is not a hobby. This is a commitment, a commitment you made voluntarily to the students of this noble institution. We are not asking for much but there are issues that demand your full attention: student welfare, accommodation struggles, epileptic power supply, rising costs of fees! Remember, you are not in that office to mark time. You are there to get things done. And you best believe we will hold you to that.
Leadership is not convenient, just as much as it is hardly fun. It is exhausting, often thankless and deeply serious. But it is a duty and if you will not carry it with the pride and precision it requires, then you should not bother carrying it at all.
To the current student leaders: fix up.
To the aspirants waiting in line: take notes.
The seat you desire is not just a stepping stone to influence. It is a mirror. And when the noise dies down, you will face that mirror alone.
Make sure you like who’s looking back.
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