Something must have stimulated your aspiration, what is it?
You will agree with me that our great Union is at crossroads. We pride ourselves as the most vibrant Students' Union in sub-Sahara Africa, it is a beacon of hope, but in recent time we have not lived up to this great expectation as a Union. The dreams of our founding fathers that inspired the best of the Union have been smothered.
Today, thousands of our students have looked away in disillusionment and frustration. Our leaders have failed to provide an enabling environment for the best in us to thrive. We have been misrepresented, vilified and ossified. The aspiration was borne out of my desire to restore the hope of the students in the Students' Union and that was the reason for restoration as our campaign theme.
Your plans for LASUites?
I must mention that the solidarity of the union is broken and in dire need of synergy. The disconnect between the Students' Union and the students will be a thing of the past. This is at the core of our strength and enshrined in the preamble to the Lagos State University Students' Union (LASUSU) constitution and as such would be given outmost priority.
Since, the welfare of all the students is the essence of the Union, we will defend the students against all forms of victimization, adequately see to their welfare and partner with the management, staff unions and the government to make your stay on campus memorable, devoid of kleptomaniac and gross negligent approach that had left the students uncatered-for.
We will promote educational development of our people, rescue LASU from social boredom and make our ivory tower intellectually competitive to enable the gown meet the expectations of the town. Empowerment programmes will be planned and implemented to make our campuses heaven of ideas and venue for the cross fertilisation of ideas that the larger society needs to develop. Most importantly, we will uphold the tripartite principles of rule of law.
Students' Unions are no longer effective as a result of the overwhelming influence of universities management. What is your take?
I disagree with such assertion. The students' union is a statutory organisation on campus. The provisions for its existence are enshrined in the laws that establish our universities. The organogram, that is the organisation framework of the university also provides for students' union as the veritable mean for effective communication between the management and the students. It is a union of the students to cater for their own welfare amongst other sacrosanct roles.
The question of ineffectiveness lies in the hands of the union leaders at a particular time. Today, we lag behind in almost all facets of campus life, not because we are not endowed, but for the fact that we lack leaders with the vision and courage to see plans to completion.
I have been privileged to read a book about to be published by one of our students on the history of Lagos State University Students' Union. I am abreast of the past, on how vibrant the students' union was, what led to the dramatic fall in students' activism and how we can correct it. Any leader of the Union that allows himself to be ordered around by the management is a stooge, coward and a purposeless man.
How do you intend to relate with the university management?
The constitution of the students' union identified the management as partner. We will partner with the university management to ensure that the welfare our students are adequately catered for. In doing these, we will be versed in the intricacies of agitation and apply the right tactics in combating issues. We will avoid emotional outbursts and irresponsible protests. Our causes will be well defined and strategies aimed at meeting them well articulated. We will consult, dialogue, re-dialogue and confront if need be.
What is your definition of leadership?
A leader is a dealer in hope. Also, I believe in utilitarianism, the political philosophy of Jeremy Bentham and others. I strictly believe in the principles of bearer of trust and we will avoid the pitfalls of fame, hunger to praise, fear of loss, and thereby retain that kernel of truth, that singular voice within each of us to ramify us of our deepest commitment.
The central theme of my leadership is on how we can begin the pragmatic processes of our politics and campus life. This is not to say that I know exactly how to do it. But, we will put to the fore most of our pressing challenges as students.
You last word
Change will not come if we wait for some other persons or time.We are the change that we seek. Today we are on the threshold of another election, I believe this is an opportunity for the change, to retrace our steps, to re-orientate our shared values into restoring the foundations of our union. I believe it is possible to build the indivisible union devoid of ethnic, race and colour; a union where the wellbeing of our students is of paramount importance; a union that inspires the highest level of patriotism in the students.
Thanks
