[Being the text of the presidential speech delivered at the handing-over dinner ceremony of the Union held at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan on August 1st 2002 by Kola Tubosun]

I do not claim to know the way forward, as many would have expected. What I have come here to do today is to tell you of the way we think right and which our dear Union should take. Many who bother with the matter at all would agree that the state of journalism in this University falls below desired expectation, but the more severe insult to this injury is the complacency with which we have often dismissed this fact, and the lazy, uncaring attitude with which we have consistently implied that nothing more can be done to salvage the situation. Thus till date, things have shown a greater tendency towards becoming worse.

 A short trip round the school to read the contents of press boards would explain my points better, and what we now find are people who write without the slightest feeling of responsibility to any higher authority or even to the people who they claim to inform and entertain. The same happens vice versa as the Union which serves as a mother has not taken it as its duty to influence local publications; and the audience are lost daily due to decreasing interest in the usefulness of campus journalism. One would not, for instance, blame someone who has been previously misinformed by the press or whose rights have been violated in a way or the other by campus journalists who then decide to shun the writings on all press boards. Many campus journalists have taken the Union’s motto: “freedom championed by the pen” to mean “freedom to champion the pen anyhow.”

 When lecturers and other members of the academic community are asked whether or why they don’t read the boards, their different reasons have always been related to the poor quality of what we celebrate as journalism. The few who would make their minds known would attribute their negative attitude to campus journalism to bad writing. If then the blames would be placed in a hurry, one would be forced to accuse the editors of negligence in their primary duties. But in doing that, one would still bear in mind that these days, due to reasons best known to the people concerned, almost every press member is an editor. And nowadays the connotation of the word itself has come to be “a member of elevated status” rather than its functional and most ideal meaning. Perhaps this would not have been a subject of discussion here today if their overall effects have not consistently been found discouraging. To think of the fact that an organization that has a editor-in-chief, deputy editor-in-chief, features editor, news editor, associate editor, research editor, cartoon editor, political editor, woman (or man) editor, sports editor, entertainment editor, music editor etc would be capable of being poor in overall performance sounds incredible; and in some press organizations, I must add, ALL the members are editors. One then wonders what is there to edit when there are no writers.

 The fact from the reference to these occurrences is that many people join the press for political reasons. Political here doesn’t necessarily refer to the individual’s intention to one day contest for a political post in the school. I used “political” most carefully to refer to the acts of the people who take it the apex of their achievement, and attainment of their highest level or success when they are made editors. Such people would be seen all about quoting the importance of their status at any available opportunity. To such people, the post being occupied is the end rather than a means to improving the standards already laid, or already spoilt. 

When such people become editors-in-chief therefore, due to their inability and incapacity in terms of editorial work, they turn out to be rulers rather than proofreaders; and the press suffers for it. Handing over office as well, for the organizations where there are no elections, he/she ends up handing over to his friend, or a well-known colleague who may not necessarily be the best hand for the organization. The successor also does the same thing, and the vicious cycle continues.

 Those who do not join for political reasons join as to showcase their talents – which is a good (but not a best) reason for becoming a pressman. When this kind of people are the majority of members in the organization, the pressboard becomes the campus equivalent of Hints, Hearts, Ovation, or Encomium – for the articles that would dominate such boards would be on fashion, entertainment, or relationships. People who belong to such groups would agree with me. 

Do not get me wrong. I do not mean to say that those parts of writing are wrong. What I am calling for is the need for moderation and discretion. At least for now we don’t have independent press clubs whose sole business is soft sell news. We’ll be glad to have them anyway, so as to put everyone where best they can function effectively and efficiently.

 Several times, events have happened in this University that placed the authorities and student activists at opposite ends, and no independent judgement from this Union ever got to appear in the newspapers except of that of the activists. Lack of awareness and proper orientation has constantly driven the outside media towards getting news from politicians rather than from this Union that is as well a media, and independent. Unfortunately however, even the editorial board of the Union whose business it would have been to write on such cases have always been filled with more editors than writers.

 Due to the absence of a vibrant and responsible Students’ Union, aggrieved students and victims of victimization have taken to silence and murmuring having no one to complain to. Tonight at this threshold of history, we pledge to step into that vacuum of insensitivity between the tyrannical members of the divide and the studentry.

 A Students’ Union government is coming back to this University. We hope to work in reinstating it, not because of the rallying cry of the stakeholders or the underground chants of the praise singers at the palace gates of profligate gods but because of our conviction that there should be an avenue for expression of our political sensibilities while on campus, and a need to experience self-governance at this closer level before we get out into the larger society, and the importance of a body bridging the school and the students. However, we must not hurriedly forget the reason for indifference to the state of the Union by the students. As far as many people would remember, the Students’ Union here, and in several other places, has seldom taken students interest higher than personal gains and political aspirations of participating members. This is not to say that they have not in anyway been useful, but to a large number of students’ population, Student Unionism has become a synonym for longer-than-usual academic sessions, violence, and insubordination. And until the people involved can devise other ways of confronting issues than by violence, effrontery and blasphemy, student unionism would still be viewed with utmost disgust by the same students whose rights they claim to be protecting. If we keep doing what we are doing, we will keep getting what we are getting.

 Hopefully, the new sets of people that would soon be elected into office would repair the already battered image of the Students’ Union, bring the Union closer to the studentry and not to the school authorities, concern themselves with how to make the lives, and academic performance of students better and now how to make that of the vice-chancellor worse. It is our hope that they will think more of how better they can make the governing of the school and not how ungovernable they can make it. Peace should be sought after, and not misguided aluta. Peace of course, as we know, is not the absence of war but the presence of justice; and that is where the Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ) also hopes to function effectively. We promise to always stand by truth, justice, fairness and objectivity.

 Summing up, I will like to refer to a letter sent to the University’s Vice chancellor by some students of the Polytechnic, Ibadan, and the reaction of Ibadan students. A paragraph of the letter said: 

“It is high time you…rescind all your earlier decisions, so that your clique would not be consumed by the crisis you have contrived. …You must be told and informed that the present NANS is not the type of RADICAL’S NANS, but that of a vibrant one that is ready at all time to protect the interest of its members. So, whenever we receive the clarion call either from the NANS Zone D or from the national NANS, we shall not hesitate to roll every tank in our armoury to fight the battle collectively. If you like, you can invite the 2^nd Mechanized division of the Nigerian Army. We shall resist any calculated attempt by either you, or one Prof. Ofi and Ogunkunle….” 

Reactions to this letter were unprecedented. Most who reacted found it rude for students of the Polytechnic to write such a letter to the Vice Chancellor of this University. To quote one of the written reactions by University of Ibadan students: 

We the students of the University of Ibadan appreciate the fact that our “daughter” institution, the Polytechnic Ibadan is concerned with our state of affairs. But we will not welcome any over zealousness from any sector that is capable of disrupting the peaceful academic session we have enjoyed so far.

 We shall however like to state that we students of the University of Ibadan have started a process, which will resuscitate our Union and make our leaders responsible, responsive, accountable and disciplined. Therefore the locust of some Polytechnic students threatening or harassing our Vice Chancellor and other principal officers of the University is condemned in all its totality.

 That quotation was from an unsigned release pasted on various walls and strategic places in the University by some unknown “concerned” students. Another one came later as a letter from one students’ organisation called “The Commandoes” to the Rector of the Polytechnic of Ibadan. I quote some paragraphs from the letter: 

As a matter of fact, the letter has gone a long way to expose the antecedents of the students’ leadership and explains why violence has always thrived in the school.

 One can only wonder what could give an over ambitious, over-zealous and disillusioned undergraduate student of the Polytechnic, the guts, the effrontery, and audacity, under whatever influence, or account either justified or not, to address a highly respected and distinguished professor of high repute, that kind of letter coupled with the fact that he is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, the premier University, the Citadel and Epitome of higher academic pursuit and excellence in the nation.

 Most of us would agree that the reactions were unprecedented in the characteristic behaviour of University of Ibadan politicians. If the reactions quoted above were genuinely from relevant students of this University, then there is hope. It is evident that the letter in question, and its mode of expression borrowed a leaf from the habitual way of writing of our activists, and many would agree that it is even less rude than ones we have been much familiar with. Since it is true that people can your son by the same name you call him, the Polytechnic student activists decided to call our Vice Chancellor by the same names we have consistently used. I think there is a lesson for us all in this. And if the various reactions to the letter have shown the minds of a good majority of students in this University, and the concerned stakeholders in the students’ Union, then it seems we are all coming of age.

 To our journalists, we say there is hope; and to Nigeria, we know that all hope is not lost if everyone does well his own part no matter who is looking or rewarding, and who is not. There is hope if we believe, trust in God, and if we work. Tomorrow is already here.

 We the newly sworn-in executives take up this great challenge upon ourselves to build on the achievements of the outgoing executives, and take the Union of Campus Journalists to a height worthy of emulation, and maintain our independence in the face of biased misinformation either by the school or by their antagonists, the activists. We promise our undying dedication to this cause to which we have willingly submitted ourselves for the next academic session, and beyond. We hereby ask for the cooperation of every concerned stakeholder without whose supports we can achieve but a little. With everyone’s assistant however, we can fly to enviable heights. 

Thank you.

Kola Olatubosun, a student of Linguistics, is the incumbent president of the Union of Campus Journalists.