IN CONCLUSION, LET US LEARN FROM HISTORY

By Prof Gee

To say the Adeyemo led administration was a disappointment would be to sacrifice truth at the altar of useless euphemism. But why rant over the audacious ineptitude that was characteristic of the said administration, why revisit the many contradictions when in fact the person in question is already a graduate, why cry over spilled milk? Why irritate our ears with stories of the diverted funds, stories of illegal withdrawals and unaccounted spending, of failed promises and… Truly, why? Why remind us of the ugly past when we should be shaping a glorious future?

History is a compass, it directs. Whenever we seem to have lost direction, the best thing to do is always to retrace our steps. That being said, let me attempt to ensure that the message of this meaningless scribble is gotten loud and clear by every concerned individual. Almost everyone followed the controversy that surrounded what can be called the first executive decision of the present administration. I’m talking about the dues and the dust it raised especially from the feet stamping of the two councils in charge of commandeering the affairs of the association. Most of us know that the feet stamping between the two councils have ended with a declaration of two thousand naira as the basic dues and the only compulsory levy to be paid, but not all of us are aware of the circumstances surrounding this consensus and I won’t go into those details (for the safety of our dear association). What I would do however is to tell you that this administration may not be any better than the previous if it does not learn from past mistakes and thread cautiously.

As a popular professor in the Ibadan school of politics would say, the peculiarity of the democratic system is not in majority rule, or popular consent but rather in the principle of restraint. Restraint ensures that executives don’t do as they wish thinking “nothing can happen” (in Emmanuel Adeyemo’s voice). When the principle of restraint is in place, people in power are aware of their limits and act accordingly. In situations of deviance (which is not unusual in our clime), appropriate sanction in accordance with the constitution would suffice. This is why we have the FHR, the soon to be revived FJC and of course the PRESS. The Emmanuel Adeyemo administration was notorious for flouting this principle of restraint and at various times and at an alarming regularity took major actions without the approval of the House. Just recently, the person contracted to make the 2015/2016 FATSSSA shirt returned the balance for the shirts which were not made and we found out that #1900 was paid him to make the shirts whereas students paid #2000 for the said shirts. What this implies is that People who paid for the shirts last year but were unable to get their shirts would be refunded #1900 as against #2000. When we multiply #100 by 1500 (students), there’s no how we won’t raise questions. This is not mentioning thousands of naira withdrawn without approval and whose spending is still unaccounted for. At the last sitting, the audit committee chairperson revealed that the former President couldn’t account for money spent under his watch and as at the time of writing this, the no statement of account has been provided to ensure proper auditing. This folks, is what happens when people are not guided by the principle of restraint.

The present administration has so many good intentions but the first impression we’ve had about it suggests it doesn’t mind flouting the principle of restraint in a bid to deliver its campaign goods to the electorates. And if you can use uncanny methods to achieve good, then you definitely are capable of using it to achieve other non-saintly goals. And though the signs of positive adjustment have been shown, I advice that this current administration do more to ensure a strict compliance with the principle of restraint, only then can they learn to subject freshly deviance to the leading and control of the constitution.

Also, this administration must be concerted, intentional and organized especially in the wake of the new found interest in her affairs by the faculty management. More than its usual fights with the FHR, it would be engaged in diplomatic fights with management especially owing to the wrong foundation that has been laid by the previous tenure which now require the management keeping an eye on its administration and even possible intrusion and commandeering. The team Optimacracy must discard thuggish negotiation tactics and embrace tactical diplomacy.

The executive must understand that not everyone that criticizes its actions is out for its downfall, but rather for the amelioration of the association as a whole. This crop of executives must therefore learn to learn from public opinion and not see it as an attempt to tear them down. More than ever, we need all clean hands to be on deck to ensure history does not repeat itself and more importantly, that our dear association is not taken from us.

Enough said, I rest my case, for now.