Analysis: What Exactly Is the Management Playing at With the Reiterative Statement about Reinstating the Union Soon?
Peter Oyebanji
If you've been following the news about the university recently, you'd figure that the school management has been talking about reinstating the students' union a lot. The management has either said something about reinstating the union or something related to it at least four times in less than 2 months, which is a lot considering the way things work here. This trend has given hope to students that are aware of it - although, some think it's a game and that the management has a plan which does not include reinstating the union soon. However, there is a context to this.
Basically, you have to understand that the only reason why the management has been talking about reinstating the union repeatedly lately is because the management has been in positions or places where they have to just say something about the union, it's not like they released circulars to assure that they are working towards reinstating it the way they do when they want to inform students not to join peaceful protests or when they want to reveal the lists of unapproved groups and bodies in the institution. I mean, you can't go to a July 10 programme and not talk about the union - why are you there? Look at times the school management has talked about the union either through the VC, the PRO or the DSA, they have all been inevitable. A roundtable discussion with Journalists, July 10 programme, circular as regards the students' leaders body formed out of the action committee, name it - they have all been inevitable positions.
Another fact I need to point you too is that this is not the first time the management has talked about reinstating the union in a repeated-like way. Last session, when the management organized a security awareness programme after the Alumni fire incident - questions about union reinstatement were threw at them and they gave the reply which has now become usual - responsibleness bla bla. The statement which was made by the Chief Security Officer then, gave an impetus to the fight for reinstatement and then it quelled as usual. During the rise in momentum, the management mantra wasn't different from this current one - "search for responsible leaders is delaying union reinstatement."
The management's mantra, "search for responsible leaders," has been the reason given for not reinstating the union yet. During the recent round-table discussion with Journalists, the school management narrated what happened during the last students' union administration to buttress their point for delaying the reinstatement due to search for responsible leaders. When the management was coming up with this well-thought defense, they failed to put a lot of things into perspective. Firstly, the students will be the one to vote and the students' view of a responsible leader is supposed to be different from the management's because the aims are different. The management may think a book-smart straight A student from the faculty of Technology will be a responsible leader while my definition of a responsible leader could be Dunnex, a progressive student and a member of an organization which the management does not seem to be a fan of. Another student's view of a responsible leader could be a popular female from one faculty. The point here is views are different and that's why it is democratic - unless the management plans to choose a leader for us, this mantra should come with a clarification the next time they're going to be using it. Secondly, the management was part of the irresponsibility in ways that this article is not aimed at. And thirdly, what does this even mean?
Generally, there haven't been any difference in the fight for reinstatement of the union except for the fact that, there is a new body formed out of the action committee which could be instrumental and that the union might be reinstated once a responsible leader is found. In all, we just have to understand that we are the major influencer here.
If you've been following the news about the university recently, you'd figure that the school management has been talking about reinstating the students' union a lot. The management has either said something about reinstating the union or something related to it at least four times in less than 2 months, which is a lot considering the way things work here. This trend has given hope to students that are aware of it - although, some think it's a game and that the management has a plan which does not include reinstating the union soon. However, there is a context to this.
Basically, you have to understand that the only reason why the management has been talking about reinstating the union repeatedly lately is because the management has been in positions or places where they have to just say something about the union, it's not like they released circulars to assure that they are working towards reinstating it the way they do when they want to inform students not to join peaceful protests or when they want to reveal the lists of unapproved groups and bodies in the institution. I mean, you can't go to a July 10 programme and not talk about the union - why are you there? Look at times the school management has talked about the union either through the VC, the PRO or the DSA, they have all been inevitable. A roundtable discussion with Journalists, July 10 programme, circular as regards the students' leaders body formed out of the action committee, name it - they have all been inevitable positions.
Another fact I need to point you too is that this is not the first time the management has talked about reinstating the union in a repeated-like way. Last session, when the management organized a security awareness programme after the Alumni fire incident - questions about union reinstatement were threw at them and they gave the reply which has now become usual - responsibleness bla bla. The statement which was made by the Chief Security Officer then, gave an impetus to the fight for reinstatement and then it quelled as usual. During the rise in momentum, the management mantra wasn't different from this current one - "search for responsible leaders is delaying union reinstatement."
The management's mantra, "search for responsible leaders," has been the reason given for not reinstating the union yet. During the recent round-table discussion with Journalists, the school management narrated what happened during the last students' union administration to buttress their point for delaying the reinstatement due to search for responsible leaders. When the management was coming up with this well-thought defense, they failed to put a lot of things into perspective. Firstly, the students will be the one to vote and the students' view of a responsible leader is supposed to be different from the management's because the aims are different. The management may think a book-smart straight A student from the faculty of Technology will be a responsible leader while my definition of a responsible leader could be Dunnex, a progressive student and a member of an organization which the management does not seem to be a fan of. Another student's view of a responsible leader could be a popular female from one faculty. The point here is views are different and that's why it is democratic - unless the management plans to choose a leader for us, this mantra should come with a clarification the next time they're going to be using it. Secondly, the management was part of the irresponsibility in ways that this article is not aimed at. And thirdly, what does this even mean?
Generally, there haven't been any difference in the fight for reinstatement of the union except for the fact that, there is a new body formed out of the action committee which could be instrumental and that the union might be reinstated once a responsible leader is found. In all, we just have to understand that we are the major influencer here.
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