“When a hundred men stand together, each of them loses his mind and gets another one.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
So much has been said about the history of Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall and how vital it was to shaping the era of youth consciousness in the early days of Nigerian independence. One only has to be committed to finding the several historical sources, like newspapers and oral interviews, that chronicle the events of the time. For those who are not willing to dig deep, they only need to ask around; they will get accounts, exaggerated and slanted, but accounts nonetheless, of how massive and politically vibrant Zik Hall is. The hall thrives on being rebels. There is no shame in that. It is one of the things Zikites take great pride in.
However, taking into account the events of the past few years, last session most particularly, there is a concern of whether Zikism has lost sight of what it actually is. The gap between the stories and the reality is widening rather quickly. Definitely, Nnamdi Aikiwe Hall has an image issue, and it is turning into a huge problem. A lot is wrong with how the hall is being perceived by outsiders and by even Zikites themselves. On the one hand, there are Zikites who believe that the hall is being deliberately misrepresented and maligned by envious non-Zikites. On the other hand, even the behaviour of the Zikites has allowed for this to happen.
Oneness, Togetherness and Brotherhood
It is a little unusual for student associations to have clearly defined ideology, most don't. But Zik Hall does. In Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall, the ideology that Zikites are expected to imbibe is one of oneness, togetherness and brotherhood. It is one that emphasises unity and cohesive existence. This way, real Zikites are expected to embrace and stand for each other regardless of socio-religious, cultural, political and individual sentiments, just like they were taught during orientation. And over time it has produced excellent results, as in a way, it is reflective of the ideal Aluta movement, which presents its ideas and demands with a united front. So in a way, this belief has elevated the hall into the place of prominence it's in now as the energy nerve of the school.
The political successes which the hall has managed to accomplish in just over six decades are ones which other halls of residence struggle to replicate, no doubt. In a way, the level of political activity is heightened. It is a hall in which apathy and flippancy towards political issues are discouraged and even shamed. As a result, the public perception of the average Zikite in most cases is that of an individual who is strongly involved or has above-average political consciousness. And this is where it gets dicey. Every individual in the hall is expected to adopt whatever the hall's stance is, and this produces a sort of herd mentality. Even when the ideas are not carefully interrogated by the hall's residents, they are just accepted because that's what they said. Truly, change can only come in a society where everyone works together; however, positive change cannot come in a society where everyone does not properly comprehend what they are working for.
Even at the moment, it seems as if mediocrity in leadership is what is acceptable. One would expect that, like the Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall one reads about, one would be able to effectively critique the decisions of the hall leaders and stakeholders. However, the reverse is the case, and it seems rather that the average Zikite would rather accept living conditions and happenings around him as he finds them. Dissent, a particularly enduring feature of democracy, is frowned upon. Anyone who dares call out the leadership publicly is seen as being disruptive and being an enemy of development.
An ideology with so much potential
The Zikism ideology still carries much weight, no doubt. The saying 'When Zik Hall sneezes, UI catches cold would not be relevant if that were not the case. The events of the students' protest in the last academic session have proven this to a reasonable extent. But a lot more needs to be improved in terms of the attitude and mannerisms of contemporary Zikites. Being united does not mean one should lose his sense of individuality, and brotherhood does not mean one should blindly flow along with what his brother wants. The important sense of individual awareness cannot be overstated. Even when we stand together, side by side, we should not be able to not tell each other the truth.
Beyond campus politics and propaganda, the aspects of Zikism that deal with the welfarism of the individual members of the hall should not be overlooked and ignored. In times past, Zikites have banded together to demand better living conditions in a way that improved the welfare of students in the school as a whole. Nowadays, it's been reduced to a tool for political campaigns to accomplish the dreams of certain individuals. The brotherhood sense that demands empathy and feeling for the common man is ignored as long as it is not an election period. And during an election, any dissent is quashed because it might make the hall and its candidate look bad.
Even the alumni network of the hall can not even be absolved of any responsibility in this issue. It is rather confusing that students who committed so much to the oneness, togetherness and brotherhood of the hall as undergraduates would turn their backs on it. So maybe once a Zikite is not always a Ikite after all. One would have expected these ideals of Zikism to continue even after school. One would have even expected that Zikites would get the extra edge in terms of the overall welfare. But this would not be the case. So for all the oneness, togetherness and brotherhood, we endure below-average living conditions in oneness, togetherness and brotherhood.
But there is hope yet. Zikism has not lost its viability. It is the contemporary Zikites who have lost their sense of consciousness. We can not keep doing things the same way and expect it to turn out differently each time. There is a need for understanding and reinvention from the inside out.
