Lasisi Seyi
On Monday, February 14, 2022, the National body of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) declared a nationwide strike that signaled a pause in the academic affairs of most Nigerian Universities.
On the other hand, the Tinubu campaign has continued to gain ground as he contests for the seat of the Nigerian presidency. Two things will likely happen to OOU students when the ASUU strike is called off: Most important on students' hearts is a suffocating academic session. Secondly, is the not-so-important proliferation of election jingles in school for the OOU SUG 2022/2023 election.
In Section 68, Sub Section 2 (A & C) of the OOU SUG constitution states that: "The OOU ECO shall be appointed by the SHS at the last parliamentary sitting of the house & Section 2C states that it shall be responsible for matters relating to the election of the Union.
On the 7th of February, 2022, the SHS, in its broadcast, appointed nine students across all faculties in the school into the ECO committee. Senator. Kehinde Ayobami from the Science constituency was appointed the ECO Committee Chairman while Senator Onafowokan Olamide from the Arts constituency was appointed the Vice-Chairman.
An election is a yearly relay race that starts from a player and then the baton is passed from one runner to the other. The metaphor of this was portrayed when the OOU SUG election declared Senator Modesty as the OOU SUG president for the 2021/ 2022 academic session. A lot of political enthusiasts started the game towards running or re-running for a political post towards the 2022/2023 academic session.
Memes associated with this flooded the WhatsApp status of OOU students as soon as the strike was declared. A video of the ASUU chairman describing the strike as "suffocating" soon went viral on WhatsApp. The strike shifted students' attention on Whatsapp to the posting; business adverts, memes, motivational quotes, and so on.
However, a new status update is gaining attention. Campaign fliers are now the trend on WhatsApp. Each aspirant after declaring his or her interest in a political post shares it to his department and faculty groups on Whatsapp for publicity. Friends, course mates, and supporters move on to share the campaign flier on groups and statuses and the cycle goes on. OOU students' WhatsApp has turned into a platform where calls are made, discussions are held, and decisions are taken. WhatsApp groups are now created daily all in preparation for the upcoming OOU SUG election. The strike action has not and cannot deter students from "campaigning" for their beloved candidates although the election date has not been declared.
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