The Student Union: Reflections On The Past And Hopes For The Future

The Student Union electoral race came to an end yesterday afternoon. Its players raged in typical fashion, with campaigns that started early and a press night that dragged into the late hours. Now, we reflect on the events of the past Student Union administration, while turning our gaze towards the future, ushering in a new era under the leadership of the President-elect Covenant Odedele and his team. They have challenging tasks ahead of them, but they hold the promise of fresh possibilities.

The events of the tenure we slowly stepped out of yesterday call for deep and serious introspection and inspection. The year has been strangely turbulent, with the weirdest twists and turns, making this one of the union's most topsy-turvy periods. 

They almost completely color the temporal landscape we are leaving behind. This year's JAW WAR is a prime example of the unfamiliar disorderliness that plagued this executive year. The problem started when two Alexander Brown Hall speakers who had previously netted consistently stellar results suddenly lost by a gap that seemed absurdly wide. This was after a performance that all deemed worthy of better. 

The entire situation could have served as a learning experience if only the judges had agreed to announce the scoring for the debate and clear the air through the very thing debates are known for: rational, structured discussion. Instead, the judges refused, citing a section of the constitution that absolves them of any responsibility to make their scoring public. In response, the ABH L&D walked out of the competition and withdrew all its affiliated societies. The JAW WAR committee retaliated with a harsh fiat, threatening serious punishments for ABH L&D's actions and insinuating that they had assaulted a judge. After ABH responded with an open letter stating that they would not be changing their stance, they were banned from future JAW WAR events for a few years. 

Between the time of the original scuffle and the eventual dictatorial resolution, many more events concerning JAW WAR were blown open in quite a shameful fashion. The chains of confusing yet sharp guerrilla actions continued back and forth, causing the JAW WAR, which was a major galvanizing force among the University of Ibadan students, to get halted a few times. Not only that, so despotic and unorganized is the JAW WAR table's decision that future JAW WARs may not be what they once were. 

The well-known CBN Cup has had its own accountability and leadership fiasco brought to light. The events surrounding the last CBN Cup are nothing short of appalling, especially considering that it mostly concerns freshers. The problems stem from a host of financial irregularities. The UIMSA press published an extensive series of investigative reports making it plain that the CBN cup executives might have been playing hooky on a large scale. After pressure was mounted on them for explanations of the reduced prize money and other discrepancies, the financial reports they submitted were so suspiciously irregular that conclusions were drawn there and then. Many of the CBN leaders have remained silent about the whole issue.

The just concluded electoral campaigns, too, have had their fair share of messiness. The mere fact that there were rumors of violence among contesting campaign groups is evidence of a problem. The events of the campaign on the night of Thursday, February 20th, serve as a clear indictment of student followership. The abysmal performances of candidates at press night, the glaring incompetence on display, and the sorry state of manifestos of some candidates are a cesspool reminiscent of Nigerian politics, only with an added layer of incompetence. 

Godfatherism and political bigotry in student politics are alarming. If we choose to take back our brains from "ọmọ wa ni" and "èmi lọ kan" - and use logic to make decisions rather than the shallowest parts of our hearts, then we stand a chance. Electing the wrong hall chairs, faculty presidents, senators, and Student Representative Council members and putting incompetent people into critical positions will hinder progress regardless of the Union's President-elect intentions. Our choices will determine whether his vision will trickle down to us as intended. 

Also, as the President-elect and his team take office, their first order of business should be recognizing that the office is not for personal gain. They must ensure the credibility of student governance and work to uphold integrity in the Union. A Union where transparency, accountability, and competence are non-negotiable. 

The election has come and gone, but the real work starts now. 

Salami Wisdom