In The Beginning, There was You
It was illustrated in the Bible that a house built on a rock thrives amidst the storm but a house built on sand crumbles within the twinkle of an eye. It all boils down to the foundation.
Emile Durkheim, regarded as one of the Fathers of Sociology argued that the society is made up of different parts making up a whole, such that if a part is affected, the entire system is affected. He proposed this in his functionalist theory, identifying that each part of the society is a living organism that has a function or a role to play. Another important sociologist who proposed the Organic Analogy theory is Auguste Comte. In this theory, he compared society to that of a living organism. He stated that the Society is like a living organism whose various institutions and parts work together to maintain social order, stability and progress. He went further to emphasize that when there is a disorder in one part of the system, it inevitably affects the entire system. It is similar to a sickness in one organ of the body affecting the entire body system.
Chinua Achebe in his book once quoted that the rain that had beaten Nigerians started a very long time ago. The elders will say charity begins at home. What do all these point to, it all started somewhere. We all wonder why we face what we face or why we experience and see the thing we see, but the question that every journalist and deep introspective minds will always base their reasoning on is not only about the future but also, about the grassroots.
Unionism in the land of University of Ibadan has become a fading cymbal, an empty vacuum and has resulted into a declining and abysmal gradient. What was once a symphony of voices echoing with one intention has become a faint whisper. Many wonder where the spirit of unionism vanished. If nothing is being done, the very essence of the core will be deshelved, just like the moving cloud.
We often look at the situation around us and ask, “Why are things falling apart?” But perhaps the question should be: “Why did you fall apart?”
It all started the moment you showed that indifferent attitude when your class agreed collectively on an important issue or when the entire class decided that the 8 pm class should not be held. Yet, because you are the Class Representative who has a good relationship with the lecturers and are in the position of authority, you decided to let it happen anyway, asking what the worst that can be. Another is when the class decided on not going for a class, a decision made for the good of all but because of your apathetic nature to decisions being made, you decided to go? And that very you points a finger at the system claiming it never existed for you, whereas you never existed for yourself in the first place.
There are one thousand and one instances to highlight that very issue is YOU.
Unionism, at its very root, is about collective strength, the idea that people achieve more together than they ever could alone. From the earliest human communities to modern societies, people have always formed unions to protect their interests, voice their concerns, and stand for shared causes. It has always been about connection, about people coming together to pursue a shared vision. It was never meant to be about competition, titles, or self-glory. It was about listening, caring, and acting as one. It was about knowing that every classmate, every colleague, every member is part of something larger than themselves.
But look at what we have today, indifference has become the new normal. The culture of lackadaisicalness has eaten so deep into our student system. Meetings are empty, cooperation is rare, everyone is busy, overwhelmed, or simply detached. It is one man for himself. We have built sandcastles of isolation and unionism and called them progress. Yet, when the storms surface like they always do, those castles crumble.
People fail to understand that it has always been about them and not about the structure they embody. We may wonder why we can’t get it right at the union level but what is the guarantee that we can get it right at our own class level? What is the unionism we speak of? If Comte compared society to a living organism, then our class, our departments, and finally, our unions are the organs of that body. When one organ fails to function, the whole body feels the pain. When one thread is loosened, the entire garment is undone. No wonder we are faltering, because the majority of us are standing at the brim of an undone state.
It’s high time we went back to our grassroots, the very fulcrum that holds us together. Unionism was never to be an obligation or a duty, it was meant to be our living principle, rooted in us, our collective responsibility. The strength of Unionism was never in the structure, nor in the executives, neither was it in the system or in the institutions. It was you all along. It is high time we realized that the strength of the whole lies in the collective measurement of the individual’s commitment. Now, taking it to the student union is quite a distance, let us bring it to our classroom and start from there. We may think it is insignificant but you never know how polluted the water becomes until the unclean streams begin to flow. We should have a change in mentality and believe in we over me.
Reviving unionism, therefore, begins with individual introspection. It requires that we look beyond personal convenience and rediscover the values of cooperation, empathy, and shared purpose. If we can rebuild that sense of unity within our classrooms and departments, then perhaps we can restore it on a larger scale. They say all big things start from a small place.
For if truly we are the “First and the Best,” as our University proclaims, then that excellence must begin not just in intellect, but in unity. For a disunited class cannot produce a united Union.
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