AN OPEN LETTER

TO:

AFASites,

Association of Faculty of Arts Students (AFAS),

Faculty of Arts,

University of Ibadan.

CC:

The Faculty Legislative Council,

Association of Faculty of Arts Students,

Faculty of Arts.

CC:

The Executive Council,

Association of Faculty of Arts Students,

Faculty of Arts.

Dear Partners,

THE PRESS IS NOT AN ENEMY, BUT A FRIEND SPEAKING THE BITTER TRUTH

It is with an open mind and a smile on my lips that I write this letter. I do hope the letter would as well be greeted with a warm, open-minded reception.

I personally have noticed that both the Faculty Legislative Council (FLC) and the Executive Council have, in recent days, mistaken the place of constructive, journalistic criticism for vile, antagonistic condemnations. It is a surprising thing (in fact, a shock) that these two organs have, in the last FLC sitting, concluded that the press is seeking the downfall of the association.

I do not want to exclaim here and will not be tempted to say how pathetic and crass a claim it is that the FLC and the Executive have made up. I will not say that they have both raised ugly and baseless allegations. Maybe we even need to throw out this question: does one call a friend an enemy simply because s/he points at one’s weak spots that require corrections or improvements?

I must state, more to the point, that the FLC Speaker has portrayed himself as a self-imposing pitcher, as he is always feeding the house with only the information he wants to instill in them— whether the information is the firm truth, a wobbly one or pure untruth. The executive president also, quite to my utter disbelief, mentioned that the press was portraying him as if he had taken up the presidential post to steal.

Perhaps these two personae of the faculty’s legislative and executive councils have forgotten the place of the press as a watchdog to the different arms of government. Perhaps they have forgotten that the democratic principle of checks and balances is not limited within the circle of the governmental arms alone. Perhaps they have forgotten that the populace, especially through the media arm, can always check the excesses —plus, insensitivities— of their political representatives.

Shall we begin tutoring the speaker of the House especially, that the fact that the press has a different stance on the issue of ‘compulsion in dues’ does not mean that we are at loggerheads with the House or with the executive? Maybe we need to also re-orientate the president that the fact that the press is informing AFASites— especially freshers— that dinner and ID card payments should be a matter of choice, does not mean we are calling him a potential thief? Seriously, do we need a workshop with the FLC and the House so that we may clearly and amicably explain to them, the role of the press in opening the eyes of the populace to what they might not be conversant with?

I mean, it is really unexpected that so-called leaders and representatives of a faculty of ARTS and HUMANITIES could, sadly, misconstrue differing opinions or stance for a show of quarrel. I will not be tempted to say that the speaker has ridiculed the supposed hallowedness of the House by always forcing his own prejudice on the House. The speaker, during the last sitting, was not only equivocal but also seemingly autocratic in his composure.

He was obviously clamping down on suggestions from honourables seeming to be against his own opinions, while making sure the ones with the same thoughts with him consistently had the floor. An honorable member of the house did suggest that the speaker should allow the press explain reasons why the editor-in-chief of the press was not around, but the speaker rather pretended he did nor hear. Anyway, this is just by the way; the main focus of this open letter is to re-educate the speaker on the one hand and the president on the other hand.

So, it is paramount for the speaker, the executive and their councils to understand deeply that the press is not here to stop members of AFAS from paying their dues; no! What the press has always said since the beginning of this administration is that compulsion should be out of the dues, and this is what the speaker also said in a recent interview with him— it is only disappointing that the speaker has worn the shell of the tortoise as he does not want to be straight as to his dealings with words; the speaker has failed to state clearly, as the Right Honourable he is presumed to be, whether he maintains a YES or a NO to compulsion. The speaker does not want to be seen as being against either of the executive or AFASites, thus, he has remained equivocal apparently.

In fact, let us now view this issue through the lens of logic and a sense of history. In past years and administrations, there was nothing such as compulsory payment for dinner or ID card. Now, a pertinent question to ask is, did the press ever write anything to dissuade AFASites from paying? Definitely not. It therefore behoves on the FLC and the Executive Council to understand that the reason why the press has written against dinner in the past few weeks is simply about the compulsion. Nobody is saying anybody should not pay. We are simply saying AFASites should not be forced to pay; paying should be a matter of CHOICE.

I personally have got complaints from AFASites, especially freshers, who have expressed their distaste about paying for a dinner which they will definitely not attend. Seriously, is this the kind of representation our supposed political leaders and representatives have set out for? You want to force everyone to pay, no matter their personal choices or beliefs? What could be more totalitarian than that?

There really need to be a change of mind. The press is not an enemy, but a partner in progress and a good and conscientious friend that speaks the bitter truth. All that AFASites want is non-compulsory dinner and/or ID card payment, and this is what the press has always echoed.

Thanks, as you have come to the end of this letter, and with an open-minded reading, I suppose.

Yours AFASitely,

Yusuff Uthman Adekola, (YUA),

Writer and righter.