VARIETY NIGHT AND TICKETING: AFASITES ARE NOT PAYING ENOUGH

Inda-John Elizabeth

The variety night is an event where students come together to have fun and watch their fellow-cum-models entertain them. People are treated to variety of shows: from the special appearances of upcoming musicians, upcoming comedians, and glamorous appearances by previous crowned models, to the featured imageries of renowned persons, and ambassadors of companies sponsoring the event, sharing their biscuit-like product to everyone present and lots more. In the end, two models are then chosen to be the face of the faculty. There’s laughter, there’s the subtle jabs between departments in the faculty, there’s the emotions that’s invested into every part of the event, the screams, the unequivocal hype men and the audacious joy that can be felt. Suffice to say that 85% of those who attend can tell you that it’s interesting, something close to bliss.

Dues, however, are not as interesting as the variety night. It’s almost always a back and forth between the Faculty executives, the legislative council and the students. Every year the price that we have to pay increases. From N2000 for the last two tenures, to N2500 of the last tenure, to N3000 this time around. The functions of the dues, no doubt is weighty and it must be established that it is from these dues our variety night is planned and held. But apparently, we do not pay enough money for our dues. At least, this is what every administration keeps telling us. For three years now, we pay an amount for basic dues and package, some for dinner, more for shirt. We struggle to pay these fees because without our receipt, our course forms will not be signed, our results might be affected. Yet, we find a way and pay, we always do.

After the struggle to get the money, maybe with some tricks to your uncles and aunt, you heave a sigh of relief! ‘Whew!’ you think, ‘I’m done.’ Then the middle of the semester comes and your friend or course mate is campaigning for likes on the faculty’s Instagram account. It’s time to select Mr/Miss AFAS. Variety night is near. You are excited, you can’t wait to see someone from your department bag the crown. A night that promises to relieve you of UI’s stress. But alas, your dreams are shattered.
The pronouncement that you should pay N300 for entry to the event makes you feel betrayed. After all, you are an AFASITE and you paid your dues. Now you’re confused. You paid all the dues, your money is used to organize this event, but mysteriously you can’t enter the event. You sought why wasn’t this a part of the dues? Is this how it has always been? You meet your friends, staylites, finalists. ‘Is this normal?’ The staylites and finalists laugh and say ‘yes’. Your fellow freshmen are equally confused but none can speak up because.., what is N500 that we can not spare for our friend? You’ve been cheated. They could have told you of the ‘future dues’ at the executive’s office but they chose not to. Why? I have some opinions.

The variety night which allows AFASITES to see the persons who would become the face of the faculty, whether AFAS Freshers’ variety night, or the main variety night, should be organized for free. Simply because the event is for us! But the politics that go on at this social event is more than that in the FLC. Rumors of models that won because of favoritism thrive every year.

Apart from the favoritism, student leaders have always loved to line their pockets with more money, look for previous tenures for example. There’s almost always a case of mishandled finance, even cases of some mismanaged funds from the proceeds of the variety night caught a sniff of the ground last year.

But if we want to reason from the argument that, if people don’t pay, non-Afasites would enter the event. What if we each present our I. D cards or the faculty receipt to get a ticket? That equally works! That way we can have access to what our money helped organized. Non-afasites could pay an amount to get the said ticket.

If I paid for agbalumo, I should get agbalumo. If the seller tells you that to access the agbalumo you should pay again, you are vindicated if you rally the whole market to get a valid answer from her. Now we’re not yet rallying but a valid answer to this question is extremely necessary.

We shouldn’t have to pay for what has been paid for with our money. It’s a tradition that reeks of corruption, and unfairness. We know that people should not walk on their heads, wisdom tells us to ask the person who walks on their head why they feel the need to do that. Don’t you agree?

Hopefully this year is better. We should see a change as there is the main variety night coming up next semester or at least a legible explanation for why we have to pay a fee to see the faces of the faculty. After all, it is our money that is being used to organize the event, it is fraud if we pay twice for one thing, nothing more, nothing less.