The
word 'structure' has in recent times been connected with electoral practices
all over the world and more so in Nigeria where there is constant talk about
structure in relation to political activities in the country. Little wonder
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made mockery of his political opponents for lacking
the structure needed to compete against him in the last general election.
In Nnamdi Azikiwe hall of residence, it is no
different, as structure is seen as a reliable tool to achieve the political goals
in and outside the hall. In Zikhall, the term structure has been used to depict
the systematic organization of the hall as regards to the socio-political
activities in the hall. It is used to celebrate the political success of the
hall in recent Student Union elections which saw the hall produce 6 principal
officers in the last two sessions including the present President of the SU and
the present Speaker of the Student Representative council(S.R.C).
Zikhall has always had this aura that
resonates around it, about its presumed structural organization that aids its
success in many of the social activities in university of Ibadan. In UI there
is this popular notion about Zikhall having a prominent structure that has
aided it's political and social prominence in the university area with many
envying the presumed aura and stature of the hall in terms of her political
influence in the school political arena. It has also been stated that 'when Zikhall sneezes the whole
of UI catches cold'.
However, In terms of infrastructure the same
aura does not exist, as the hall cannot stand toe to toe in comparison with
other halls of her caliber in the school. The stark contrast and difference
between the infrastructural development of other halls and that of Zikhall leaves
a lot to be desired, as there is a visible lack of development and growth when
compared to the other halls.
A perfect example of this is the stark
difference in infrastructural development and maintenance between Zikhall and
her direct neighbor Indyhall. The case of Indyhall has been very intriguing, as
they have found a way to develop and maintain their facilities which is in
stark contrast to what is available in Zikhall. They have been able to maintain
a reasonable level of water supply for their students which is the direct
opposite to that of Zikhall as in most cases water supply can be hard to get by
in the hall.
Just recently, there was a renovation of the
Indy Hall viewing center which was redesigned with new equipment and structures
to serve the students. The viewing center was redesigned with a new shade
erected to protect viewers from sun and rain. You cannot just help but wonder
if such actions can be replicated in Zikhall. Seeing that most of the chairs at
the front of the JCR, which serves as a viewing center, are in bad shape with
many of the chairs missing. There are no shades to protect students from the
scorching sun or the outpouring rains. Unlike our Indy neighbors where there
are two rolls of seats available, in Zikhall we only have one which has left
people sitting on the floors or the terraces in a bid to watch a match or other
activities.
Many have attributed the stark difference and
contrast between Zikhall and her neighbors to a lack of strong alumni
connection. It's said that the renovations taking place in other halls are
projects engineered by these alumnis. This brings the question, don't Zikhall
have Alumnis? if the answer is 'Yes'; why doesn't the hall have a strong Alumni
body or a strong connection to the Alumni body? It also begs the question of
what are the management and the executives doing to reach out to the alumnis in
partnering with them in the development of several infrastructural projects
that are bedeviling the halls at this stage of time.
It will be recalled that just last semester
the hall celebrated her 60th anniversary and from reports the executives got
support from numerous alumnis to organize the social activities that were
carried out during the event. Yet there was no visible plan to engineer those funds
for other infrastructural development in the hall. A look at the hall's main
gate will give a glimpse to the troubling state of facilities in the hall as
the gate is being held together and supported by an iron to stop the pillar
from falling apart.
In an interview with The hall Chairman, Uthman
Adedeji, last semester, he mentioned plans to renovate the gate and make some
repairs which will also serve as part of the project to mark the 60th
anniversary, with revenue gotten from the additional charges added to the
hall's basic dues. However, this has turned out to be a pipe dream as there has
been no evidence of anything being done to address the situation.
It is believed that for the hall to get back
to its glory days, there is a need to look inward, and check for ourselves the
lack of standard infrastructural facilities that makes the hall stand out as a
vibrant hall. We must not be ashamed to take cues from our neighbors and
engineer better development and maintenance of these facilities. It is not enough
for us to bask in the strength of our political structure but we must be able
to boast of infrastructure that complement this structure. So Structure as
against infrastructure is a peculiar dilemma that needs to be addressed in the
hall moving forward.
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