There Is a Constitutional Crisis in This Town

 

                     image credit: amazon

Abraham Lincoln once said that our safety, our liberty, depends upon preserving the Constitution of the United States as our fathers made it inviolate. The people of the United States are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. And John Adams once warned that power must never be trusted without check.

Over centuries, checks and balances have been a major core of political activities. It has evolved into a structure that mirrors the current pace of life and societal dynamics. We have witnessed from the words of the oldies or were taught in GES 102 classes how the elders in Igbo land acted as custodians and played an important role in checking the excesses of traditional rulers and maintaining the stability of the state of government, such that the excessiveness of government was put on a limit. The message still remains the same; power without restraint is damnation.

In its simplest form, a constitution is a body of rules and regulations that guides how a country or community is meant to be governed. It is an institution that describes how the people and the government can see eye to eye. It is the highest law to which other laws and authorities must conform to. Queen Elizabeth II Hall, like every other hall in the University of Ibadan, has a constitution. It is a statutory body that has kept the structure of the hall, all put together such that it stands as a reference point to whatsoever activities that are being carried out, and all must be in accordance with the constitution. A political godmother, you might call it.

But today, the essence of the constitution has been stretched so thin that it stands losing its authority. During the course of the session, there have been certain activities that have not been in alignment with the 1996 Hall Constitution. For a body that takes supreme power over all activities in the hall, it gives room for its questionability. Is the constitution now being referred to as a piece of paper only to be looked upon when aspiring candidates want to check the criteria for running or the intended administrative duties attached to a particular position?

Some weeks back, particularly on the 16th of July, a notice was sent out from the office of the Public Relations Officer of Queen Elizabeth II Hall, courtesy of the Nexus Team. The content of the notice unveiled the emergence of a new “Defense Team” led by a “Defense Minister.” Yoruba will say, lati bo si bo, interpreted as from where to where. Now to affirm such initiative or act, the 1996 constitution of the hall makes no mention of such an office. The introduction of such should be backed by the constitution but we are rather posed with a lack thereof. This is with regard to the fact that the constitution is supposed to be reviewed as the Dooshima-led administration was the last to undertake a constitutional review. However, another review was supposed to be undertaken after the Mojoyin-led Administration but not much progress has been made.

Before the start of the Nexus Team, there was the introduction of yet another initiative known as the Queen Hall Representative Council (QHRC), also known as the Council Lady. A platform that opens up opportunities for young ladies to take on leadership positions, as said by the erstwhile Hall Chairperson, Mojoyinoluwa Agbonde. It is also worth noting that this initiative is not included in the 1996 constitution. This act alone speaks two things: it is either they are acting without the backing of the constitution or the constitution is outdated. Of course, governance cannot function without a constitutional basis, so it definitely has to be the latter.

An outdated constitution in any structured environment creates a lacuna, a space for people in power to exercise power without clear boundaries and subsequently, an uproar. This lacuna has real consequences. For example, a similar scene played in our very hall, where the Speaker of the QHRC initiated the fining of B Blockites. We can not even ask what provision in the constitution empowers the Speaker of the QHRC to initiate fines. We're not verbal in this state of affairs because our enabler is absent.

Before the emergence of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, the country was in a state where people in power were getting more powerful and oppression thrived. Any society that operates under such leads to the emergence of confusion between the authority and the people. When introduced in the hall, it was said that the Queens Hall Representative Council would be in charge of checking the excesses of the Hall’s executives, i.e., serving as the watchdogs. But because the constitution does not address current realities of the existing roles, such as the role of the council ladies and to what extent they are permitted to function, there is a great gap. The role of one may override the other, thereby creating lopsidedness. This can now lead to the introduction of self-made rules.

The lack of a revised constitution paves the way and makes it quite vague to distinguish between the Queen Hall Representative Council, the Hall Executives, and the Defense Team such that there will be clashing of authorities and conflicts of power as to who has the say, and confusion sets in. Now it seems like the hall already has another set of watchdogs with the emergence of a Defense Minister and a Defense Team. Now, who is the Defense Minister and what is the Defense Team all about? These questions were posed to some queenites to inquire about their knowledge of the new addition. Out of the number of queenites asked, almost all said no. A queenite said, “I know there are Defense Ministers in other halls, but I am not aware of the one in Queens.” The few that knew about the change had little or no understanding of what their roles entailed and with this ignorance, one is allowed to question who does what? What exactly are they defending? Do they play the role of vigilantes when the security men take a nap? What do they really do?

While pondering on that, we are faced with the stakeholders. Now, what is the criteria for choosing them? Why are members not directly involved in politics sitting at a table to act and decide what affects the running of the hall, and most importantly, who gave room for such?

The criteria backing the position of people in office is such that it depicts that power lies in the hands of people already in power and not those that voted them in. A complete disregard for the core of democracy, and they say to let sleeping dogs take a slumber deeper. How and what was taken into consideration to know who fits the role of defending the hall? Truly, the UI defense team were present at the hall to interview the current team members but, is that enough ground? How and what was considered before people were bestowed the title of stakeholdership is one unknown to the masses, and so it wouldn’t be the fault of the people if they consider this yet another political propaganda, one to put certain people in the limelight for when they do decide to claim an office.

Take this with a grain of salt if you must; the questions are endless and to remain in the abyss of confusion is nothing but a choice. Power lies with the mass, with the residents of this home that has been temporarily made ours. At the heart of every society, whether a nation or a hall of residence, is the simple truth that constitutions are not written for decoration but for direction. When they are ignored, stretched beyond recognition, or left to gather dust, disorder is never far off. Queen Elizabeth II Hall does not need a parade of self-styled titles or shadow offices; it needs clarity, accountability, and a return to the very principles that gave it structure. It is better to have a structured and detailed constitution in place before the selection of candidates into any offices, rather than to have the office running without a guide to how the office is meant to be operated.

If indeed power belongs to the people, then the residents must demand that their voices are not drowned in the noise of unchecked authority. A constitution must live, breathe, and evolve with its people, not stand as a relic of the past or a tool in the hands of a few. For if the law of the hall fails to serve its purpose, then its people must speak.

On this hill, the crowd calls on our elected representatives, the hall executives, the hall representative council, the stakeholders and in fact, the defense team, if they must, to see to the revision of this constitution. This town will only prosper when rules are allowed to breathe and when the tide turns to a new rhythm, this disease should end where it started. The next batch of executives should believe and respect the voice of the masses and only then will this town prosper. The United States might have been the concern of Abraham Lincoln but Queen Elizabeth II Hall is ours and just like he said, our safety and liberty depends on us preserving our constitution.