OAU Decides

Giving up hope on Nigeria is by far one of the easiest thing to do, the decay in almost ALL sectors of the Nigerian system is living evidence to that fact. The evidence of these decay are not hidden but rather are what make the headlines of the dailies and the news every other day…well on a brighter side, they at least generate content for the various news media, if it’s not boko haram (Western education is Sin) today then it’s a Governor dressed as woman trying to escape the law or it’s another oil rig being blown off or it’s a Speaker who thinks the mace will be good a fitting for his house…the list truly is endless.

Nevertheless, my question remains, is the system wrong or not viable in itself? Does the system not hold in itself the capacity to deliver vibrant economic prosperity and civil justice? On closer inspection however, I realize that the system has not failed us but we have failed the system, we have rendered it useless as we have not chosen to do what is right. This goes for people on all levels, leaders and followers alike.

I write this here to remind us that THE SYSTEM CAN WORK! We just need to choose to do the right thing and probably make some changes to the system. Using OAU SUG as a case study, we cannot “fully” boast of having a 100% free and fair elections even though ours is still one of the most transparent amongst all Nigeria’s tertiary institution. Over the years, we have experienced varying degrees of excellently conducted elections and this has usually been as a result of partisan influence on the system.

Well, at a defining time like this, I believe it is time that we great Ife students make up our minds to ensure that the electoral process goes on smoothly and 100% free and fair. We will be proving a point that if the electoral process can work in OAU, then it can work in Nigeria. Yes, I’m aware that in terms of population, OAU is a microcosm of the entire national population but OAU is undisputedly a training ground of many future leaders who we believe will deliver Nigeria and lead her into all round prosperity and economic vibrancy. I am saying that we must demand and advocate for a fool proof electoral system free of partisan and any ideological influence. We must ensure that the system is not defeated, we must once again not fail the system.

Now, we use this medium to ask you the reader to suggest what reforms you think should be implemented that will further make the upcoming OAU SUG elections a truly infallible one. Your opinion(s) will be documented and forwarded to the parliament and together, we will see that the reforms are implemented.

God bless Nigeria, God bless OAU!

An Attempt to Resume

About two weeks ago, while driving down the streets of UNILAG, I bumped into a young man whose name is a frequent headliner at the Obafemi Awolowo University. He is no other than Comrade Hassan Taiwo aka Soweto. Having exchanged pleasantries, the only thing I deemed fit to ask him was "WHEN ARE WE RESUMING?" his response will be the main topic of discussion.

According to him, he explained to me that in an attempt to resume, there will be a protest at comprising of students, members of the ASUU, NLC members and other concerned members of the public. The protest is geared at gaining the attention of the Federal Government to the demands of ASUU and finally bring an end to this strike.

For many of us OAU student, the sound of the word "protest" brings to mind many memories; some sweet, some bitter and some bitter-sweet. But what gives me the most concern is that, how effective will this protest be? Really, this strategy has had a consistent track record of failure especially on a national level. They say it is only insanity to try the same method over and again and expect the same result.

Nevertheless, we cannot deny the fact that something has to be done, this crisis has to be resolved. I personally believed that we have stayed home too long and it should only be fair that ASUU gets their demands; after all, it's in our best interest.

For those interested in the protest, it will be taking place on Monday, 10^th of August, 2009 at the NLC Secretariat at Yaba. It should be in the morning.

It is evident that all that's happening is as a result of lack of competence and irresponsibility on the part of the FG. It is also amazing to discover that even amidst this educational crisis, the number priority of the presidency is ensuring that Lagos state reverts back to the 20 LGA's status quo. A State which has by all means displayed a high level of leadership standard and has experienced the most significant amount of development since the commencement of this tenure.

Well, you're implored to leave your comments and also your opinions on what you believe can be done to end this crisis. You're also free to send in your articles to debateife@gmail.com and after a review, it will be duly published.

 

ASUU gist!

For a summary on the history of ASUU's issues with the Nigerian Government, click here.

Should Freshers Vote ? ? ?

Well, after spending a semester on campus, how fresh are the freshmen? Recently, a controversy has arisen on whether freshmen (Part 1 or direct entry Students) should be allowed to vote at the SUG polls.

The camp that thinks freshmen should be allowed to vote has the following as its major argument: freshmen are always at the fore front of protests that protect the common interests of the entire student populace; therefore it is only fair that they are allowed to choose who gets to call the shots.

The other camp believes that freshmen as political tools (seeing that they are quite gullible as they are new to the system), and that giving them a right to vote will only result in ‘unpopular’ results.

The question however remains, and the answer is uncertain. Will the tides turn around this year? What will parliament resolve on that issue?

You have a chance to share your views on the matter. Please register your thoughts via the comment line below, and/or vote using the opinion poll on the left hand side of this post.

We will deliver the future.

Citizen Solutions.