BY: Atanda Ayobami.

The National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS), UI, seems to be gradually losing the Okigbo Poetry Club as the club grows in all resources. The Okigbo Poetry Club is under the aegis of the NASELS. It functions as a home for poetry lovers in the association, the university, and the world at large. With the club’s growing size, it looks like the whole world will be its stage shortly.

Okigbo Poetry Club is a commemoration of Christopher Okigbo, a young poet who died as a combatant during the Civil War. Though he was a graduate of the Department of Classics, University of Ibadan, the NASELS, UI, immortalized his name with the club. The club nearly suffered death in the past. It had few members. Despite having Prof. Remi Raji and Dr Charles Akinsete as its patrons, it experienced strangulation as a result of the lack of participation of the NASELSites. However, the efforts of the past president and a few other members were conspicuous. They made calls for recruitment, had a lot of meetings, went for poetically oratory contests, etc. In short, they sustained the existence of the club until a change of executives last year.

‘Bomi Adamson became the president of the association at the beginning of this session. Since he came to the helm, the Okigbo Poetry Club has been experiencing a mouthwatering and unprecedented resurgence. It is experiencing a spate of development. It has a blog, a TikTok account, a WhatsApp TV, and an Instagram account, and it will soon publish its anthology. Above all, the club, which found it difficult to have members, now has 180 members in the space of five months. The present executives are doing well to foster its growth and the indelible support of its patrons can never be underestimated.

The growth of the Okigbo Poetry Club is what every NASELSite wants. Nevertheless, as the club grows in everything, the rising fear of losing the club should be the students’ body’s top priority. To begin with, the NASELS, UI, has no fewer than 200 members, but 12 members of the club are NASELSites. The student poetasters, eminent poets and poetesses, and poetry enthusiasts whose contributions are noteworthy in the club are non-NASELSites. They are from Medicine, Economics, just to mention a few. Being the body that founded the organization, it is expected that a member of the body should lead it, but it seems no NASELSite’s services are worthy to be compared with others from other departments. This raises the question of who will be at the helm after ‘Bomi ceases to be the president — a NASELSite or non-NASELSite? Can a non-NASELSite maintain the NASELS’ interest in the body?

Further, the Okigbo Poetry Club sponsors its affairs monetarily. It is independent of the NASELS in making decisions. To NASELS, the club is under its jurisdiction. But in reality, the poetry club makes waves without any iota of NASELS’ intervention. Though the club’s president revealed the impact of Team Rejuvenation to the NASELS Press— They promised to sponsor their festival meals —, the influence of the NASELS is slightly felt in the club’s running. The NASELS executives year in and year out need to be in the know of the happenings of the body. It is under their control. They should see to its affairs from time to time and fund it adequately. This is not about interference, but to have an assurance that the NASELS does not lose it. The NASELS should make sure it disburses funds for the club every session and enshrines its control in the constitution. As the club flourishes, the NASELS flourishes.

Everybody should get what they deserve. In a world where every rational-thinking individual promotes meritocracy, it is good to always choose a leader who has the interest of society at heart. If merit is the choice to use to choose the next president of the Okigbo Poetry Club, no NASELSite may be fit to wear the crown. If the body tries to impose one of its members on the club, it could lead to fractions, anti-club acts, and disinterestedness of some members. The NASELS executive, Team Rejuvenation, ought to endeavor to sensitize some of the NASELSites to join the club and the existing members to be up and doing in its affairs. There is no free food even in Freetown. If the NASELS fails to properly show its control over the Okigbo Poetry Club, there might be someday that the NASELSites will wake up to see a non-NASELSite at the helm or see an independent poetry club stem up from the Okigbo Poetry Club as a result of fraction.

The Constitution Drafting Committee is currently drafting a new constitution for the NASELS. It is pertinent that they enshrine the activities and funding of Okigbo Poetry Club in the constitution. Furthermore, the NASELS should make sure it makes it evident every now and then that it is the parent of the club and see to its administration albeit indirectly. Members of the NASELS should function to desirable lengths in to maintain the body’s legacy.