NAKSS: a metaphorical double edge sword

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By Basheer Luqman Olarewaju

Depending on the region, the purpose, assembly, method, and implementation of the group (Students’ Union) might vary. Universally, the purpose of students’ union or student government is to represent fellow students in some fashion. In most cases, students’ unions are run by students, independent of the educational facility. The purpose of these organizations is to represent students both within the institution and externally, including on local and national issues.

In today’s Nigeria polity, some students’ unions are politicized bodies, and often serve as a training ground for aspiring politicians. However, students’ unions generally have similar aims irrespective of the extent of politicization, usually focusing on providing students with facilities, support, and services.

The Indigenous Students’ Association is a body that supports the needs and interests of indigenous undergraduate and post-graduate students on campus. Of many responsibilities laced on her neck, keeping common heritage, ensuring unabated welfare of the students, and promoting awareness of indigenous issues on and off campuses are paramount.

The National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS) is renowned for her uncommon attributes: dedicated to social projects, organizational activities, representation, and academic support of the membership. To address the state of matter in Kwara indigenous students association does not need a Sibyl to forecast what route the indigenous association is plying if required moves are not staged to tame the sectarianism and parallel governance that has enshrouded her since the beginning of her current leadership which is a Gehenna from which she may never be recovered.

The ever responsible, responsive, and reactive Kwara indigenous students association known with producing leaders who are conscious of selflessness as a watchword and value-based oriented personnels is becoming a knife with two contrasting edges — only those with conscienceless would argue such knife is not a sword.

At a point where gospel of morality should be the point of advocacy by the leadership, the bustling and hustling on how to get to the heart of the state government are the fierce tussles from the divides. One would ask, how do we get to the stage of having two (un)constitutional leadership? When one side is charging the Government for numbers of requests, ranging from bursary dispensary, to appointing Special Adviser on Students Matters among others, another side is staging a kinging party for the government embracing her for second term. The fact that the past leadership and concerned stakeholders had been unable to attend to the misrepresentation and face-off is a source of chagrin for the conscious citizens.

Moral decadence as extreme delinquent, disorderly, irregularity, destructive, unjust, and non-conforming behavioral characteristics of stratified people or individuals continues to spread intra and inter-institutions campuses. Those problems reduce the value of education and destroy the human capacity for leadership and good citizenship while it lowers the academic integrity of the institutions and destroy peace, security progress and real development of the society, collectively, indiscipline lead to anti-human behaviors that have failed all tests of decency and civilized living conditions.

Different societies have their own moral values. The resultant happening that induces the reason to embark upon writing this week’s column on Students Unionism is that modernization and the western technology which are encroaching into the youths which they consider as civilization. If left unchecked, such force will erode completely. The cherished values and customs of the youth will make it parts and force of their lives, especially in the learning strategies. Some youths feels proud to be recognized, because their mode of engagements, association, networking and order activities that were adopted, had conformed them with western values, such values involves mal-adjusted behavior like, cultism, smoking, prostitution, examination malpractices, drug abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, alcoholism and stealing etc.

The concerned stakeholders; government, both past and present students’ union leaders, and others, should call for solution based dialogue with the agrieved parties in order to prevent the likely disasterious ending for the association. The union should (to a large extent) avoid partisanship and focus more on the responsibilities saddled and confidence reposed on them. Being sponsored by unidentified individuals to create unnecessary face-off all in the guise of factions should not be encouraged. Posterity will Judge!

Something effective must be done to improve the condition of Kwaran Students. The students situation can be described as one of the most disadvantaged in the world: having factionalism and everyone seems not to be concerned or bothered. There is an urgent need to instill in our Unions, not only in knowledge and skills but also in motivation and values, to enhance their physical and mental health.

We need to be more proactive in the realm of quality leadership, emphasizing good governance, building life skills and enhancing knowledge of human psychological system, so that Kwaran future leaders can have good intrapersonal and interpersonal behavior and through an understanding of the importance of Ubuntu and with that only we can avoid soar relationship in the larger world.

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