"KUMBORHU WRITES: ON THE NEED TO REMAIN FORTHRIGHT, TRUTHFUL, AND FRANK AS WE WOULD IN A JIFFY GO TO POLLS."

The students body of our noble institution would be heading to polls to once again vote and elect their students leaders who would be staring the affairs of the students for the next academic year.

The saying is very true, when red leaves fall,  it gives chance to the green ones to emerge.  It's a constitutional mandate to conduct elections at the end of every administration's tenure.  Conducting of this elections is not what my thoughts are about to tackle,  but the way in which the elections are conducted is what is causing a grave concern to me.

In fact,  there's no gain saying that the unhealthy practices  where by candidates vying for various portfolios are voted for not based on merits but rather based on other factors is a phenomenon which has led to the abysmal performance of our various representatives at the national level and even narrowing it down to students politics on our various tertiary institutions and ours is not an exception.

I have noted with careful observations that,  the pattern in which our campus elections are toeing is that of tribalism,  regionalism,  nepotism,  and all the 'sm sm' one can think of.

In deed,  it's very appalling and causing disquiet at our level of stature to allow this unhealthy phenomenon to be dancing and dangling its ugly head.  We live in democratic dispensation where freedom to make decisions are allowed.  But we shouldn't stoop ourselves so low to the extent of Usurping the very essence of our democracy.

Every discernible person would realize that,  campaigns these times are not hinged on objectivity and policies,  but rather hovering around on, this is my friend,  this is my religious counterpart,  this is my tribe mate and all what of you.

Governance and leadership is not supposed to be a friend or tribal affairs but should be central on ability and competencies.  But it's rather unfortunate on the part of we the students who are at the learning grounds and ought to have known better are even the very people who are advocating for people to be voted for base on unjustified reasons.

This look warm attitude of we students is what is accounting for the slow pace development we are experiencing on our campuses.  We will never vote for the candidates that are capable and competent,  but rather vote for tribe mates who don't have what it takes to run the affairs of the students.  They are always voted for to come and misappropriate the meagre resources at disposal and nothing to show off.

This is the same practice that is going on at our various constituencies by people who were not voted for based on merit but we are failing to realize it.  Our institution deserves more than this and it's high time we shunned this tribalism and trabalistic tendencies as students and actually get on grounds and respond to the circumstantial realities.

LetsSayNoToTrabalVotingOnOurVariousInstitutions.

By: KUMBORHU F.  OSMAN
Management level 200, UEW-K