ALOOTA CONTINUA

During my first year in University, I decided to experiment everything. School politics was one of those things I experimented. I heard, I studied, I read and I followed the nifty of it.

I could not help but come to one stark conclusion; that unionism is dead. There is no such thing as school politics. Except if you mean that politics is just a campaign of students vying for position that most them do not know what to do with.

I listened to countless stories of how SUG Officials, Faculty Officials, Department Officials and Tribal Group Officials could get away with large amount of money. Most of those who were contesting were only going in for the money. Chatting with some of them would leave you dumb. They are totally clueless on what they should do when they get to office. So many of them were even sponsored by corrupt politicians.

The reality is that the rottenness in our national politics was a clear reflection of what the Tertiary Institutions portrayed. Whether it was the National Leaders that taught the campus politicians, or it was the campus politicians that learnt from the National Leaders, I do not know. But one thing is clear, student unionism has been high jacked. The capable hands do not have the funds to contest, those who are contesting are not capable, and those who are capable and are contesting are being frustrated.

These leaders that are mostly incapable have nothing to do in office than to “A-loot-a Continua” (Looting continues). You see their sweet campaign words, their handsome pictures, and their colourful posters covered with every smell of religion, ethnicity, and cluelessness. The effervescence of “Aluta Continua” has been left to the most underprivileged of the campuses, those who do not have a say.

The school fees increment that happened recently in Nigerian Universities should not have happened if the Student Leaders understood the Tao of politics, and if they have the effervescence of original “Aluta Continua”. NANS became mute during that time, I wonder if it went on strike. If the Union bodies had taken a strong stance, the government would have backed down. We could have done that.

If only these school politicians had the courage to read history, they would have learnt that ASUU do not deserve to be on strike. It was us the students that deserved to declare strike, it was us that deserved to demand for the infrastructures to be built, it was us that deserved to complain against the poor standard of education and it was us that deserved to be leading the fight against the Federal Government. African History is covered with stories of students who led the fight against government. In fact, one can dare to say that all the struggle for independence started with a student movements. Samora Machel, Kwame Nkrumah, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa, etc. all started the struggle for their countries independence via the Student unions. But can any student body in Nigeria create such movement? Can the unionism in Nigeria produce such large force against the impunities of the government? No. They cannot. All they are concerned about is how to just get through their tenure and refill their pockets. They cannot even lead the struggle against such government because they have been sponsored by the government.

Even bodies like NANS have become outdated, irrelevant and only advocating for a place in the government instead of check mating the government.

Student unionism is usually the strongest force that could fight against any system that has become corrupt. Every politician is afraid of students, the power of students cannot be quantified. If only our campus politicians, can understand why they were voted and truly execute it, even ASUU will back down on its frequent strikes. The scope that ASUU usually have is that the infrastructures are bad, the lecturers are not sufficient and allowance is not forthcoming. If the union bodies can take over the fight for the first two, ASUU will have little reason to go on strike.

Student union bodies can be revived, and used effectively to chart a new course for the future of Nigeria. Student bodies are stronger than they look, the government knows this. It is time for real leaders to emerge and for every student to understand that the right leaders are what we need, not our best friends or our tribe’s people.

Even in these sheer blunder, there are good politicians in the campus. We can support them, we can purchase forms for them, we can campaign for them, and we can vote them into power.

From such underground, we can start the future Nigeria we want.

One of our battles now is the battle for good leaders.

I dare to believe ALUTA CONTINUA!