Praise Olorunfemi

“Shall we continue in silence because the anomaly is now in the constitution? Social justice forbids it”.

Every association, amongst other goals, aims and expectations will have things like growth, development, improvement, and a clearer sense of progressing forward. In an association like the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS), it should not be too much of a request to demand these expected improvements, from policymaking to rules implementation and project execution. As both students of literature and linguistics, in the Department of English, of which only English students can become NASELSites, have come to understand that, a culture with the paradigm of “that is how our forbearers have been doing it (from the dark ages)”, eccentrically entrenched in the mind and subconscious, in reality have always lagged behind in everything except in retrogressing. This is because, in the reality of things, these forbearers expect that subsequent successors will improve the quality of life. Hence, there is a reason why things like constitution review are being considered and further catered for in developed societies. This is because, life is ever-evolving, and by implication, things will not remain the same, which now behoves man to respond accordingly to the surrounding changes. The NASELS Constitution allows for a time-to-time review, with about four-year intervals of active use in between, and then changes are made as deemed necessary. Judging from details provided in the old NASELS constitution, the currently amended NASELS Constitution was drafted during the 2015/2016 academic session, and up until the 2023/2024 academic session, there had been no review, simply put, the current NASELS constitution as amended, is the first amendment of the NASELS constitution drafted in 2015/2016 academic session.

From above, it can be seen that, as of the 2023/2024 academic session, the NASELS Constitution was well due for an amendment. As it has been in active use since its being drafted in 2015/2016. Amongst other things that were amended; some subtractions, some additions, and some adjustments, is something quite of a puzzling thing to behold. Now, in chapter five of the old NASELS Constitution, which talks about committees in the association, Article 17, titled: Composition, Duties, and Functions of the Committees, Section 1, also titled: Electoral Committee, item (iii) makes provisions for who the members of the Committee will be, the provision being: The composition of the committee shall reflect at least a member from each level, almost leaves the membership of the committee open-ended, as there is no specific requirement aside from 1 member from each level, at least. That is what the old constitution stated. Clearly, any forward-thinking person already can see the flaw in that provision. As elections are important activities that determine the destiny and fate of any society, hence, having a water-tight definition for things cannot be overemphasised. 

Now, in the new constitution as amended, it is puzzling to a great extent what is contained therein concerning the composition of the Electoral Committee and the further conduct of election matters and certain outcomes, in particular to the Press representative and the Press involvement in elections, that is, should a bye-election ensue. So, in Chapter Six, titled: The Electoral Committee, Article 36, also titled: Membership of the NEC, (NASELS Electoral Committee) items (I) and items (ii), clearly states the membership provision of the Electoral Comittee, items (i) being, three nominees shall be presented at each level, and Items ii, stating that Members of the Committee shall be financial members who do not belong to any arm of government or the Press both in the Association and the faculty. However, it is very interesting, how that the same constitution in other parts saddles the Press organisation with conducting a bye-election. Chapter nine of the NASELS constitution as amended, titled: NASELS ELECTION, Article 49, titled: Bye-Election, items (iv) states that a copy of every document shall be sent to the Press and the NLC for notification and scrutiny and (v) The NLC or the Press shall respond within 10 working days. They may cancel the application of any candidate by sending a report of disapproval on them. Coupled with some other very funny provisions of what the function of the Press is, as contained in Chapter Five, titled: The NASELS Press, Article 34, titled: The Function of the Press, this portion is littered with anti-Press demands, on how an independent body ought to carry out its affairs. There is a reason why the Press is the fourth estate of the government, saddled with holding the government accountable, and relaying all reports to the public. Even in the real world, which the university is supposed to prepare students for, Press outfits who are into investigations, are under no single constitutional obligations to send their reports to the police, they uncover and report to the public, and they are at liberty to either work with the police or not. A vivid example is the case of FIJ’s investigative report on the faulty Nigerian Police system, the police officer was suggesting that the reports of the investigations be submitted to the police force, like one other non-profit organisation but it does not work like that. 

Most bizarre is what is contained in items (vi) Article 34, that, The Press shall present its report to the NLC and the Congress not later than seven days after the election. The report shall include Names of observers, Observations, Problems, Recommendations, Expenditures [with details], etc. How much more misplaced can things be in the Association? Recall that, during the period the constitution was undergoing a review, it so happened that there was an issue, which led to the abrupt membership termination of the Press Representative from the Electoral Committee, under the old Constitution, which was quite silent at large over the representation of the Press in the Electoral Committee, in the first place at all and further, the extent to which the head of the committee can wield his/her power in the determination of the continual membership of the Electoral Committee. As the inauguration of the Electoral Committee has taken place so far, a sense of appropriation has been applied in the past, in seeing to it that a Press Representative be a member of the Electoral Committee, it is a sane thing to do. It now becomes an anomaly wonder, how a Press Representative is strictly exempted from being a member of the Electoral Committee, and instead branded as an independent electoral observer, who will at the end of the day, submit reports to the NLC or Congress as a matter of obligations and must, as there is a given ultimatum. What exactly is going on? is the big question.

However, since the realisation of this confusion and misplacements of order in the NASELS Constitution, these issues on these irregularities of the constitutions have always been raised in every Congress. The Electoral Committee has been inaugurated already, and just like it is stated in the NASELS Constitution as amended, there is no Press representative, however, the same constitution demands that the Press and the Electoral Committee be responsible for the Press Night. Up until the Press time of this article, NASELS Press has not been reached out to on matters of the election concerning anything, nor has the Press Representative to serve as the “independent observer” been called for, yet, an Electoral Committee has been inaugurated, where, when and by whom? It becomes very confusing when the Constitution states that the Press shall be an independent observer of elections in the department, as seen in Chapter Five, Article 34, items (iii), and still demands that the Press presents its report to the NLC and the Congress, and further stipulating an ultimatum of when this must be done, as seen in items (vi) of the same article and chapter. Then in other parts of the Constitution, the Press is now the one to handle matters of the Bye-Elections. Nothing is more devoid of logic than this meaningless processes. 

The National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies is not a savage kingdom, hence, arbitrary rules should not be found in the NASELS Constitution. The man is not created for the law, instead the law is created for the man, hence, the law should be created in such a way that worthwhile developments will be an outcome of whatever the law may be. The Press reports to the Public, not the NLC or to anyone, the Press is the conscience of the masses, it is the right and prerogative of the people, that a Press Representative who will give them accurate reports in real time, be present in the Electoral Committee. Already, this current administration is fraught with a lot of arbitrariness. The Press has not kept quiet since the anomalies in the NASELS Constitution as amended has been spotted, however, little to nothing seem to be done about it.

Image Source: globaltimes.com Illustration: Liu Rui/GT