"Democracy is based upon the conviction that those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely" ~ Franklin Roosevelt
Faith Adediran
The electoral season has began at all levels of the student community within the University of Ibadan. This is evident as unions, associations, societies of students have been getting closer to the time of choosing a new leadership for each respective constituency. Aspirants for different positions have also been directly or indirectly revealing their intention to vie for the position of their choice. Crafting of political names, the use of allusive phrases, the paste of stickers on almost every surface in the university, and mounting of banners in strategic locations are parts of exercises that has encompasses the atmosphere which is a reflection of the season.
The aspirants have also been taking their respective aspirations to a different level by pushing themselves intensely to ensure that their names are on the lips of all their prospective electorates. This is done through virtual trends of flyers, periodic greeting texts, 'solidarity' messages and the likes. Physical meet and greet has also been happening at every communal and secluded places within the students community. Several late night meeting with and among stakeholders at different levels of the students union have also been holding to determine the candidates who will win the total support of the stakes. All in a bid to intensify their chances at the poll.
However, as the aspirants are getting prepared to optimize their odds of earning the mantle of leadership, the students, who are the bonafide stakeholders of their respective unions must also get into business. The student community of the University of Ibadan has been afflicted with the poverty of leadership at all levels of the union. This vulnerable state of the Students Unions' leadership can also be connected with the misery of followership. Therefore, to produce a better leadership at all the unions in this electoral season, there are some measures that should be put in place by the students to secure their stakes in the their respective unions through the leaders that are elected.
Policy Scrutiny
Every individual who is or will be contesting for any position is expected to present their plan(s) for the students union, association or society which they aspire to lead. It is the utmost duty of the students to engage each of the aspirants and their plan(s). One of the misconception about the leadership of a 'student union' is how the preceding leaders of each union have reduced the function of the union to project-driven union. Leaders have inculcated the habit of infesting their manifestos with plans of organizing events and executing projects. At this point, it must be stated that the core function of student leadership is representation and advocacy.
Therefore, as the electoral season is upon us, students must begin to actively engage the aspirants on policies that are geared towards representation and advocacy of the rights of students which are fundamental. The union at all levels especially the central University of Ibadan Students' Union has been affected by misrepresentation by both previous and the incumbent leaders and this have been aided by the passive engagement and scrutiny of their plans. The students should not be swayed by the eloquence of the aspirants who are planning to lead the union on the previous path of destruction which is prioritizing events and projects ahead of matters that require advocacy by the leadership of the union. Projects like stomach infrastructure, Student Union Bursary, among others have been used by the leadership of the unions to substitute effective advocacy of fee hike and other welfare of students. Aspirants should be reminded that they are not special people ahead of other students but servant-leaders who must duly represent and advocate for the interest of the students if they are elected.
Influences of choice
One of the measures that students should be conscious of, is what and/or who influences their choice. It is a common trend that during electoral season, 'stakeholders' in the halls of residence, faculties, departments, chapters of state's student association religious fellowships, and others will publicly announce an endorsement of some aspirants who are most probably directly tied to the association or society. Accompanying such endorsement is the directive for their members to throw their support for a 'brother', 'sister', 'colleague' or 'compatriot'. However, it is duty of a conscious member of these association or society to distinguish between blind loyalty or support for an aspirant simply because he/she belongs to their constituency and has earned their endorsement so or an aspirant has previously shown and presently convinced that member as the best representative and advocate of the fundamental rights of the students.
Shun Apathy
The most important measure that must be taken by every student is how to get involved. The engagement of aspirants and their plans requires active political socialization. Therefore, political education is very necessary not only to avoid being muddled up in the storms of the electoral season but to always keep the elected leadership of the union in check. To set loyalty aside and constructively criticize the policies and attitude of the same individual who you supported during the electoral season when elected into office. Post-election apathetic attitude towards policies and representation of the unions leaderships should stop. This will nail down the impression that the students, the authentic stakeholders of the union, are have not been subjected political machineries but the owners of the union whose interest must be duly represented.