Asefon Sunday delivers lecture at FUOYE(photos)

TEXT OF LECTURE DELIVERED BY COMRADE SUNDAY ASEFON AT THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OYE EKITI, EKITI STATE, ON THE OCCASION OF ORIENTATION PROGRAMME FOR THE NEWLY ADMITTED STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY THIS DAY 20TH FEBRUARY, 2020

Protocols:

Please permit me to welcome you all to this orientation programme. 

For every successful student, this is where the story begins. It is on this note that I wish to offer my profound appreciation to the management of this university for inviting me to be part of the foundation of your success story. 

Asefon Sunday delivers lecture at FUOYE

The importance of this orientation cannot be over emphasized, it furnishes you with the basic information you need to make the best of your time in the university. 

Before I start my discussion, please let me welcome you to the free community called university. 

A community where you decide for yourself the path you want to lead, whether or not to attend lectures, whether or not to graduate, whether or not to participate in the actions and passions of your time here, all depends on YOU. You are about experiencing the freedom you have never experienced before, no lecturer or parents to chase you around and force you to do the right thing. It all depends on you now. 

Your management of your new earned freedom will determine what becomes of this whole journey

So I place before you the choice of life and death. Choose one.

I will briefly discuss with you the topic “Unionism with Results without Brigandage “I understand this whole concept might be alien to very many of you, I will seek to explain to you in the best simplest form. Everyone in every community deserves to be heard, because everyone requires solutions to many challenges they might face, everyone at one time or the other will have reasons to disagree with leadership, everyone at one point or the other might find a solution that will benefit the entire community, everyone in a community desire a better welfare package. All these put together, underscores the need for you all to have a voice, have a say and be part of decision making process. 

So in having your voice, having your say, being part of decision making process, you must therefore come together in unanimity to organize yourself as a union, form your government, choose your representative in order to coordinate your voices, agitations, seek better welfare for yourselves and be part of the decision making process of the university. 

This whole process is refers to as unionism. 

Unionism in the university community is driven by an organized body called “The Students Union Government” which like contemporary government may have three arms namely; The Executive Arm, The Legislative Arm and the Judiciary Arm. While it is not impossible for a union to operate without the Judiciary Arm, it is mostly impossible for a union to operate without legislative arm for check and balances. 

This your government therefore represent your interest, give coordination to your voices, agitate for your better welfare, cooperate with the management on your security and coordinate your reservations concerning policies that are considered to be against your interest.

 Let no one deceive you, within the period of your study here, you will have reasons to disagree with management, government, staffs and maybe host community, some of these disagreements if not properly managed might escalate. 

To prevent escalation of disagreements, unionism therefore becomes imperative. 

Having said that, the line between legitimate agitation not properly channeled and expressed and brigandage is very tiny. 

The very popular means of agitation by students which is social disobedience, boycott and protest also makes unionism more vulnerable to brigandage if proper measures are not put in place. Please don’t get it twisted, protest, boycott and social disobedience are legitimate means of agitation, however, lack of proper management of it might result in destructions of properties, loss of live and social unrest. 

To prevent this, I will recommend the 3C’s for your guidance.

Consultation: 

Consultation is the first C of students struggle. 

This also might be the most potent tool in the hand of every student leaders if well utilized. This is the process of dialogue and engagement. 

The most important tool in conflict resolution is dialogue because everything will end on the dialogue table even issues that didn’t start on the dialogue table will end on dialogue table. International conflicts and wars no matter how fierce will end with a dialogue.

Student’s leaders must therefore ensure that dialogue is seen and taken as the most potent tool in solving all contentious issues. You must be ready to engage your management in dialogue all the time. 

The reason some students leaders lose confidence in dialogue or failing to engage it is mostly lack of adequate preparation. 

To lead the students, you must familiarize yourself with literatures, trainings, ideological mentorship that will broaden your knowledge and put you in vantage position to logically win arguments, especially arguments where you have the facts in your favour. Majority of protests leading to loss of lives and property could have been averted had dialogue been exhausted. 

FUOYE management has proven to receptive to dialogue over the years and we must ensure that we avert crises and conflict using the potency of dialogue.

Consolidation: 

Consolidation is the process of gathering all your strength together. This might be after initial consultation. It’s a process of weighing the options. This too still include consulting with all the ranks and file in the union to determining the next line of action. Consolidation includes reaching out to mediators, third party associations and partners with the aim of achieving your goals without necessarily engaging in confrontations. 

Confrontations:  

This is the very last option in unionism, this is only necessary when all options has failed. It is advisable not to get to this level at all and if you ever get to the level you must be ready to ensure that it is peaceful, controlled and mature. In preparation for confrontation you must consider the security of lives and properties of students, the institution and the community. Most of your consideration must the protections of the fabrics of your university. No protest should ever lead to the destructions of the properties of your university.

Destroying the university property under any guise is a loss to the students because from experience you will pay more in damages that what was actually destroyed. Also many properties in the university are used by students, destroying such will be like deny yourself the use of such property.

In confrontation, students union must put measures in place to guide against infiltrations by criminals and non academic students who will be happy to exploit the protest to ventilate their personal interest of causing crises in the university.    

Conclusively, you all have the sole responsibility of giving to yourself a responsible and viable students union and you all should participate to make your union better to amplify your voices and make your welfare priority. Why you should lead the students union, the faculty association, the departmental association and join us at NANS is because you are the best of the rest and you cannot deny yourself the privilege of being represented by the best. 

Other photos below:

Again let me leave you with this, every of your actions whether positive or otherwise will come with corresponding reactions. So deliberately act positive, speak positive and relate positively all through your stay on campus.

Once again let me congratulate you on your admission and wish the very best academic experience ahead.

Thank you.

Asefon Sunday

NANS Presidential Hopeful