The NASELS Press Organisation seizes this medium to warmly and cheerfully welcome all NASELSites (returning students and the freshmen) back to school, happy resumption. Having observed all pleasantries, we go into the matters making up the first editorial piece of NASELS Press for the opening session. 

Although it is not a popular legal remedy to waive judgements based on ignorance, there have been some tempering of justice with mercy overtime, that normally serves as a balance to the scale of justice or judgement as necessary. Sometimes, punishments or sentences are usually reduced based on ignorance in some cases, and some further cases are pardoned completely, depending on the severity of  the case or matter. While on another hand, in my case, personally, ignorance at an initial stage may be overlooked, however, problems usually arise when the perpetuity of this ignorance lingers more than it should, or is expected. 

Now, how does this relate to NASELS and NASELSites? And what are the lurking dangers in the persistence of these especially “certain ignorance”? There is a popular saying that opines that, when the purpose of a thing is unknown, abuse is inevitable. However, the common negligent attitude of an average African can be said to be responsible for how an average African will define abuse, or perception of what abuse is. To an average African, there is a high possibility of missing the seemingly little details of instance and nuances of abuses, as an abuse must be something bogus and extremely sacrilegious. In as much as any act meeting such criterion can be classified as an abusive act, the issue of abuse still runs further deeper than an untrained African is ready to pay regards to or is even conscious of at all in the first place. 

In continuation, acknowledgement must first be given to the previous administration for its effort in seeing to the development of the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies [NASELS]. In as much as the expectations of some NASELSites are being scarcely  met, Team Rejuvenation made efforts that would not go unnoticed in living up to its name [Rejuvenation]. For  instance, since the COVID-19 there have scarcely been any reasonable ceremony or event that has successfully seen the gathering of a relatively large number of NASELSites. Starting from the “Retro Day”, to the movie night, to “Hue Haven”, the picnic held at the University of Ibadan’s zoological garden and almost extinct dinner night ceremony. These events have witnessed a relatively massive turnout of NASELSites in comparison to about two years back. The dinner night for example is an event the admitted set of 2020/2021 session has never witnessed before until the Team Rejuvenation came on board. Still on rejuvenation, worthy of note is the Team Rejuvenation’s attempt to publish the statements of account of the association, which has not happened in a while now. 

Now, moving to matters at hand, like any other democratic setting, power has changed hands in NASELS, and for the rest of the session, the Adamson-led administration, with the tag “Team Innovation & Evolution” has been saddled with the responsibility of steering the affairs of the association [NASELS]. After some days of assuming office, one of the first actions the administration embarked upon was to seek the appointment of a maiden academic director. Although it seems a good idea, the process and need of this appointment ought to be put into a check. Now matter how good a cause seems to be, it is a no-brainer that the process of this cause becomes as important as the cause itself. While the President of the association may point to the fact that the constitution did not say anything against his authority to appoint, democratic ethics still bids to make as plain as possible the process of such appointment. 

In respect to the appointment of a maiden academic director, the NASELS Press conducted a series of interviews to look into this process of the appointment of a maiden academic director. The president of NASELS, Adamson Babatunde, in an interview, explained that the appointment was to aid the administration in mitigating the seeming challenges of an academic committee, which lies within the purview of the Vice President of the association. Good as it may sound, this appointment when evaluated critically is no different from the unnecessary duplication of office and waste of national resources, as is common in the mainstream Nigerian political setting. For example, the incessant appointments of needless “Special Advisers” are quite questionable, as the question remains, what exactly is their job description? Then, to what purposes are the appointments of ministers, commissioners, countless aides, and deputies? The NASELS constitution saddles the Vice President of the association with the responsibility of overseeing the academic committee, which is responsible for all academic activities in the association. A big question now is, is the Academic Director supposed to work with the academic committee? Is he to head the academic committee? Or see to the affairs of the academic committee? And who exactly is he answerable to? The Vice President who did not appoint him? Or the President?

Still from the conducted interview with the president of the association, the President believes the academic committee has been a mirage of a vision of out-gone administrations, and has hitherto been non-effective over time. Now, like he has said, in previous administrations, does it mean this redundancy of the academic committee can not be successfully addressed by his administration? And hence, the medicine for this headache is an outright shaving off of the head? In the President’s concern for the academic affairs of the association, certain loop-holes should be avoided and the temptations to exploit the weak spots of the constitution especially in a subtle and a seemingly unharmful situation like this should be resisted as much as possible. The idea that the President of Nigeria can make appointments at will, hence the President of the association can also make appointments at will, should be viewed and examined from the realistic lens of the fact that the President of an association and a country are not operating on the same level, which explains everything. For instance, where the President of the country is faced with the problem of heterogeneity in representation during policy planning and implementations, what can be regarded as an equivalent of such problem in NASELS? There are just four levels that can be referred to or regarded as constituents in the association. And each class can easily mitigate points of divergences within themselves. 

Furthermore, going into the process of coming about an Academic Director. On the public letter of appointment sent to the NASELS WhatsApp family page during the holiday period, the signatories present on the document are that of the General Secretary, the Public Relations Officer, and that of the President. Now, one thing must be taken into serious consideration, both constitutionally and traditionally, everything academic affairs remains the full responsibilities of the Vice President, in majority of the student’s association at the departmental level in the University of Ibadan. Hence, it is nothing short of a bewilderment that in the case of the current administration in the department, the signature of the Vice  President of the association is missing from such an important academic matter and appointment, and this calls for a slight brow raising. However, we find that of the Public Relations Officer on such documents, and to what significance is his signature on that document? During the interview with the President, he made it clear that it was a collective decision made by the whole executive body, and that it was the Vice President who made the nominations. Having made the nominations for suitable persons to get this appointment, the President also reiterated that equal opportunity was made available for anyone to get this appointment. Now, a looming question is this, does a nomination also translate as a “equal opportunity”? 

Still on the appointment process. Till the time of the announcement of the appointment on the NASELS WhatsApp family page, not even the slightest of hint came to the notice of the NASELS Press neither were NASELSites in any form, aware of  such process while it was going on. The appointment seemed to have sprung straight out of the blue, without a single afore notice. 

Taking a little digression, during the last presidential election held in Nigeria, the world can testify to the not-so-straightforward process that has brought in the  new administration in the country.  Commenting on this process, an American statesman boasted about the thoroughness of process in the United States of America, they do not care about the result as such, all they care about is the thoroughness of any process. Once this is settled, they can begin boasting of their results, according to him. And that is why in saner climes, which we are looking forward to becoming one, there are always thorough investigations carried out on whatever results they have, ranging from the sports world to politics, to academic qualifications, and every single existing endeavour. They do not just believe that the end justifies the means, rather, the end is justified by the means. Hence, the legend of Robin Hood remains at best a legend, it could become a literal bullet in the leg if used as a defence stance in a formal setting. And this is because, the rationality of decisions are subjected to critical evaluation, motives are examined, and projections are made.

Now, if the President of the association can safely get away with slamming the association with his own initiatives, in processes he deems fit, without adequate and proper consultation, it will be in no time before the association will begin witnessing absurd moves. For example, we already see as the new executives are referring to themselves as honourables. The question is, if members of the executives are already parading themselves as honourables, what do members of the NLC address themselves as, by the time they will be instituted? Also, in the congress that saw to the approval of the  new constitution, reports had it that, adopting of minutes came before the reading of the minutes. 

Although some of these things may seem somewhat unserious, yet, it does not take a rocket science analysis to show how great causes either good or bad, have always stemmed from seemingly little things. A witty biblical allusion saying says that, the neglected seemingly harmless serpent in Genesis, has become the dragon in Revelations, and has that not what has become of the Nigerian politics hitherto? 

Furthermore, another interesting twist to this narrative is this, it will not come as a surprise if the press begin receiving backlash from certain quarters. And this leads to the fact that, most NASELSites are not quite sure of what to expect from the press. Already, the executives are puffed with the premonition of the press being out to criticise the executives, but the question remains, is that really the case? Rather than attention be paid to activities of public officers, and a critical evaluation to be done, energies will be readily “mis-channelled” to baseless defence and self-defence. Actions like these will only pass across one message, “ you can do as you like, and stride around with impunity”, afterall, it is the vogue of the mainstream Nigerian Political setting. 

In all, if the passivity of NASELSites towards activities in the association persists, there will eventually be an almost indelible mark on the association. Already the association does not have a legislative council at the moment, and no single NASESLSite seems to be concerned about it. It is a no-brainer, that in the name of whatever reason a NASELSite is comfortable to be passive, such will most likely translate to an apartheid statesman/citizen, which will eventually become an undoing of the masses, as it has always been. Although this battle of passivity is not peculiar to NASELS, the whole student body in University of Ibadan can be said to be groaning from the squeeze of the hike in fees at the moment, both hostel fees, school fees and other fees. Just an insignificant minute number of students are agitating for a fall in fees, with little or not even a single support from individual students making up the whole student body. Hence, it is clear, that the problems always start small.