By Funmilola Adediji

Every action taken by man directly or indirectly affects the actions of others. The national administration in terms of policies, behaviour, competence, and strategies has influenced the student administration body. Without any form of gainsaying, it serves as an embodiment of instigation on the students’ bodies in Nigerian tertiary institutions either positively or negatively.

Nigeria is a country with a decentralized system of administration, which has a large population with different political positions put together for the country’s administration. The decentralisation of power means that powers are distributed to different units, thereby creating many centres for it in the country. Also, it has so far changed or revised its constitution five times until it settled on the constitution that is currently being used (1999 constitution). The election is held every four years. Manifestos are made known to the masses during the electioneering. During these periods, every time, promises are made. There is also a myriad of propaganda.

A lot of people await a government that would bring peace and listen to their pleas. They patiently hope for the presence of the person who will finally herald their desired changes. Nonetheless, some look towards the coming generation with the assumption that things might be better off when their time comes. But, all fail to look at the negative impact the national administration of the country has on the student administration body, who are the supposed leaders of tomorrow.

Just like in Nigerian politics, in the student union, power is shared between different people occupying different positions. The constitution used by the union is also revised when they feel the need for adjustment, the election is held every second semester, and different candidates bring forth their manifestos. Promises are also made, propaganda is widely used during the election period, and there are people the student politicians must seek their help and support to emerge victorious. With all of these, there are similarities between the National government and the school students union body. Though there is no government in the University of Ibadan, there is a union put in place to take care of the affairs of the students.

Nigeria has so many political issues, among which corruption stands out. A lot of different corrupt activities of politicians, which include embezzlement of funds, exist in the most populous black nation. Billions of money owned by the nation is embezzled by people, who most of the time get away with it. This action is not only carried out by the Nigerian government but also even the student union leaders. Just last semester a member of the student union body (name withheld) was accused and later found guilty of embezzlement of funds, according to the article released by the Union of Campus Journalists University of Ibadan (UCJUI). One of the punishments given to the culpable corrupt student leader was community service. The punishment for any member guilty of such offense should be the withdrawal of office from him or her. Just like Nigerian politicians, they (the depraved student leader) got away with it.

The issue of misuse of funds has so far added to the failure of the country’s growth. When a budget is made, an outrageous amount of money will be paddled for travelling and organizing social events, just to mention a few. The student union leaders also spend a lot on entertainment events. A lot of events that are not important are planned. These less important events surpass the ones that have great significance in the student’s academic voyage.

Another similarity is the lack of fulfilling the promises made during the campaign period. This is very common in Nigeria. A lot of politicians make promises but always fail to fulfill them. This is a recurring phenomenon in UI. A lot of student leaders do not keep to their promises made during the campaign. Like the Nigerian politicians, they reveal fascinating manifestos that, in no small measure, attract the support of the student populace, but it all appears as mere words in the end.

The Nigerian politicians do the extreme just to win an election. Some engage in vote buying and go as far as removing any obstacles in their way, while some involve themselves in the use of propaganda, bribery, and a lot of vices. This is not just limited to Nigerian politicians, student union members also do the extreme just to be in political positions because they are power-hungry. They forget that absolute power corrupts absolutely. The actions of Nigerian politicians have created a depraved mindset among youths that all they need is to acquire power. With it, they can do anything they want even if it is unlawful, and get away. They have influenced their mindset that depravity is not a big deal. The enigmatic politicians normalise the syphoning of public funds.

With everything happening in the lower political stratum, ‘student union body’, it is not safe to rest assured that a messiah is coming to the nation’s aid when the ones who are at the helm in the university are only splitting images largely influenced by the higher body. Politics in the university is a game of imitation of national politics – fathers influencing their sons. The result is the same. As the Nigerian citizens lament about maladministration, the students in the university unceasingly complain about the ineffable corruption exhibited by their leaders.