"GREAT IFE" WERE IS YOUR GREATNESS?

By: Uwa-Agbonikhena Isehi Agnes


Growing up as a child in Benin City in the early
millenium, I was taught in primary school that Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife is the best and most
beautiful university in Africa. I grew from a child into a
teenager having that firm belief that Great Ife (as it is
fondly called) is truly the best and thus looked forward
to being admitted into the institution someday.

Here is my story. I sat for 2014 Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examination (UTME) and narrowly scaled
through scoring 201. Unfortunately and woefully I failed
the post-UTME. Though frustrated, I said to myself that
2015 will not pass me by. With great preparation and
God’s grace, I wrote the examination in 2015 and
scored 234. This was enough for me to gain admission
into the prestigious University with a merry heart.

We “Freshers” (as we are often called) were told to
report to the Campus on May 29, 2016 exactly 9
months after writing the Post-UTME. Like my other
colleagues, I arrived OAU in anticipation of hectic
academic challenges I had anticipated.

The festivities
attached to orientations for we freshmen made little
impressions on me. But, Great Ife was to shock me!
While preparing to commence full academic work.

I received a piece of news that I still find so difficult to
believe till date – we were to vacate the halls of
residence on the 23rd of June,exactly 3 weeks and 4
days after resumption due to the ongoing NASU protest
. Gosh! I thought of the world collapsing under my feet.

Should I go back home, after saying goodbye to my
family just some weeks ago?
In order to pacify my soul I cooked and ate 3 plates of
Spaghetti.

The questions that bothered my innocent
mind at the time was: “Uwa why did you live Benin”? In
what appeared to be a soul conversation, I replied: “It
is well and we thank God”. These replies are the most
common replies Nigerians use to calm their grieving
souls.

My little story reflects the pathetic case of most, if not
all, Great Ife students. If it is not ASSU strike, it will be
NASU. If students are not boycotting lectures, light or
water will bring crisis on campus.

Therefore I pose my
first question – is all truly well at Great Ife? Are we
really thanking God for Great Ife?

That the Great Ife is termed a snail amongst coeval
first generation universities in Nigeria like the University
of Ibadan, UI, and the class of 1962 universities like the
University of Lagos, Amadu Bello University and
University of Nigeria, Nsukka; that the second
generation universities see us as Great indeed and of
course to the private universities, we are only living in
our past glory; is it really well that our parents say to us
that OAU was great but not anymore?
All things being equal as a result of internal strike a
four-year course in OAU is almost five and a half if one
is so lucky.

A school that claims the title “Great” and
has a “but” such as causing delays for her students
cannot be said to be truly great; hence my second
question – is OAU Still Great or is she living in her past
glory?

I was in the Amphi Theater on May 31, 2016, for a
fresher’s orientation when the then Deputy Vice
Chancellor Professor, Ayobami Salami, prayed for us
that our 4-year, 5-year or 6-year stay, depending on the
department will not be prolonged with strikes.

While
some freshers laughed and did not see the possibility
of an OAU session not disrupted with strikes, I shouted
a loud “Amen” because I knew that this was a
possibility.

From decade to decade it has become a norm and
culture that OAU must experience a disruption in its
academic calendar.

Even the Great Ife has
compromised her greatness and lost her confidence in
the sense that we were boldly told during the freshers’
orientation and had it written in the freshers’ manual
that a four-year course is written in this mathematical
form: 4+X where X is a positive integer which implies a
strike,to mention a few.
Whenever there is an internal strike, stalites put it in
this manner to freshers – welcome to Great Ife.

The greatest force fighting the greatness of OAU is the
unbelief in the hearts of all members that OAU can
never experience a smooth academic calendar without
a strike let alone a whole session.

I am not one of
such members that think negative. However as a man
thinketh in his heart so is he.
In his inaugural speech as the 11th Vice Chancellor of
Obafemi Awolowo University which he titled, ”The
Dawn of A New Era”, Professor Ayobami Salami
centred his speech on all hands being on deck, that
individually we can make a difference and together we
can make an impact.

This signifies the need for us to
work together to make OAU great again. But in the next
5 years of Professor Salami as the vice chancellor, I
urge him to show us the truth in his speech by his
works. It was Plato who said to Aristotle: “You are my
friend but truth is my greater friend.”

So this is a clarion call to all members of OAU
community – small and big; university management
and students’ union; ASUU and NASU; buttery and
cyber cafe operators; traders and food sellers; “town
gboros” and bike riders; Alumni, stakeholders; all and
sundry. Know ye today that if OAU fails then we all fail;
If OAU stands tall then we all stand tall. I believe we all
can. For in unity and love we can restore Great Ife back
to her glory days.

Finally, I urge us to change our
unbelief because since dry bones could live again then
OAU can be great again and without strikes.


Uwa-Agbonikhena Isehi Agnes
Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife
Department of Quantity Surveying
Part 1

Nice 1 there bro
I pray with d intervention of d president (Buhari) things will go back to normal ND we can all go back to our classrooms.
I rep Quantity surveying
Part 2
bro are u on campus nw?
#God bless Nigeria
#God bless OAU
#Long Live D Greatest OAU
#Long Live the federal republic of Nigeria

Thank God for lautech tinz are getting better

Nice Write up......I believe Oau wld be GREAT AGAIN...ONE LOVE

Eiya
Story of a frustrated OAU student -_-

That is why it is called great Ife.

tell them abeg

chisombenedicta:
Eiya Story of a frustrated OAU student -_-

chisom!!!, it good like this??

If oau doesn't go on strike... Then it's no more oau.

Dont you gerrit, this issue of oau striking every now and then doesnt just start today
Well.. I concur with your writeup sha

Lol

Just have it in mind that u will graduate one day...that's the way it is......
Oau is a very great school apart from the strike issues...

tbh man I see your points but your not asking the important questions.. your just stating the issues superficially your not asking why?
why the strike..a protest right..
why the protest..? various issues which sum up to injustice, misappropriation of funds etc
if you understand the reason for all these ,it's completely logical. the Protestants don't have a choice ,the extra years are just collateral damage

It is well!

The lord that answered d prayer of OOU peeps will not bypass you... medical students spend ten years without repeating a single class but things are changing (have changed).

lol

You knew this before choosing oau ooo, you are still a fresher,you will get use to it... STRIKE is the 2nd matriculation (struggle) and orientation here... NO BE TODAY