By: Dynamite
Fair and accurate information dissemination and feedback mechanisms in an organized setting are functions that are not to be trifled with. This is because no organization can exist outside its proximity to its public, i.e., no organization can be separated from the people it exists to serve. This is why most organizations make provisions for public relations officers. But in Zik Hall, the job is larger than information, further evidenced by the fact that it is not just called the Information Ministry, but the office of the Information and Propaganda Minister. Much more than disseminating information, the IPM is the image maker of the hall.
Aliru Suleiman, in his manifesto, recognized this. And in line with his constitutional duties, he further outlined four innovative plans in his manifesto that he aimed to implement in his office. However, with his tenure coming to an end, a surface as well as a critical evaluation of his performance show that in the execution of his constitutional duties, he has been found wanting, and the execution of his innovative plans has been a farce.
The man, Sloeman...
Using the past four sessions as context, Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall has enjoyed a range of vibrant, energetic individuals as its IPM. Starting from Waziri, straight to Morris, and then to Yamburger, these individuals, despite their respective failures in fulfilling their campaign promises, have set the model of vivaciousness that every Zikite should aspire, and every successive IPM is expected to exemplify. However, Aliru Suleiman's IPM character is the polar opposite of the image his predecessors displayed. He was not as hype-happy as his predecessors. While he was present in some hall activities, he did not really own the IPM office like Yamburger.
Massive Failure In His Basic Duties
A random survey amongst random zikites shows that most Zikites feel the same way about the energy levels of Sloeman: they are very low. IPMs tend to be the most popular Zik executives by the fact that they are the ones who shove their faces most frequently to Zikites. During Yamburger's tenure, for instance, he was coming out to pass a message to the public almost every week. As a result, his image and popular appellation "five stars general of information and grand commander of propaganda" were eventually ingrained in every Zikites' memory, in the same way as Moriz's "poco a poco, Nnamdi Hall is moving forward" lingers on in Zikite's memory.
As for Sloeman, he barely ever had any information to pass on to the Zikites. His call sign "001 of information" was barely known in Zik Hall. One can even daresay that there might be Zikites who do not even recognize him. However, it is important to reiterate that it is unwise to judge an elephant by its ability to climb a tree, but Sloeman, as point-man/IPM for the Team Sustainability administration, has widened the information gap between Zikites and the hall executives. During the various events and times of various issues that Zik Hall had during the course of the session, it was almost mostly silence, from his end.
For instance, when the hall experiences water scarcity, and water gets provided with a generator, mostly at A Block tanks, not even a word would be heard from Suleiman about such information. Even when he called to mobilize Zikites for support in various events, he only did as a point of duty, evident in his passive energy, rather than the passion his predecessors showed. Yamburger as the IPM, for instance, acted as the first member of Zik Hall Supporter's Club, transmitting the Baluba energy even to other Zikites.
Furthermore, in his constitutional duty of organizing the Zik Hall orientation program for freshmen, Suleiman promised to take Zikites on a tour of major landmarks on the university campus. Majority of freshmen who attended the orientation all affirmed that no tour was mentioned to them. Even the members of his Aliru's publicity committee, whose names are withheld, had no idea that he promised to do that, as he didn't mention it to them.
Where is Baluba Radio and Zik's Two New Horn Speakers?
In his manifesto, Sloeman promised to get more horn speakers for the hall and place them in strategic places within the hall. Doing so would have made passing information to Zikites quite easy, especially during extreme weather. However, one interesting fact is that Sloeman's predecessor, Yamburger, also promised to do this. Yamburger's predecessor, Morris, also promised. Another consistent and blatant fact is that they have failed. Perhaps this is one feature Sloeman shares with his predecessor- identifying a problem, promising similar ways to fix it, and eventually failing to do so. Although, it is worthy to note that while the horn speakers functioned under Moriz's tenure, they did not function for long.
In the real sense, getting the speakers would have been a pain for Zikites; because even the handy public address system Sloeman currently uses to disseminate information has had some quarters complaining about noise pollution. The horn speakers would have further amplified this problem. But then, if one looks on the brighter side, the horn speakers, which Sloeman did not get, could have added a new spark to life in Zik Hall. Even then, the horn speaker initiative was prone to not being well structured, which raises the question: if Sloeman had been able to get the horn speakers, would it have been a menace or source of intrigue to Zikites?
Failure to get more horn speakers or to get the two horn speakers in the hall to start working at all directly affected Sloeman's Baluba radio initiative. As a result, he failed to achieve his goal of integrating Zik Hall through information, entertainment, and education. He brought the dream of using this Baluba radio to train students in broadcasting and also to promote the social wellbeing of the Zik Hall community, and Zikites can only continue dreaming with his tenure winding down.
Zik Hall TV??
In a world where every Tom, Dick, and Harry were getting their own WhatsApp TV, Sloeman's plan to start a Zik Hall WhatsApp TV received some enthusiasm at first. The purpose which he listed for the TV made it something to look forward to. However, weeks after being inaugurated, weeks after the session began, no number was released for the Tv. And when a contact number was released, the TV spent weeks "under construction." This act in itself did not reflect the enthusiasm with which Sloeman announced the project during the manifesto night and in terms of expectations, it was underwhelming.
When the TV was eventually launched, it's online presence was erratic; it was not as stable as other WhatsApp TVs on campus (UI'SU TV, for instance). Although the TV's activities did graze some of the targets set for it, which is the provision of information on hall issues among others, the TV has been quite average.
However, one cannot be too hasty to criticize, given the amount of funds needed to run a WhatsApp TV effectively. There is a question of whether the hall executives have not been consistently allocating funds to run the TV. And this notion raises two concerns: firstly, the TV has not been profitable as Sloeman promised it would, having to still rely on the hall for funding. Secondly, with his antecedent of siphoning the hall's funds, which Sloeman has had in not being accountable with money entrusted with him, there's a lot of doubt surrounding whether he is not as siphoning money received from the TV as he is from banners pasted in the hall.
In all, Sloeman faced the issue that many other executives face: having to deliver on their poorly drawn out manifestoes. Even if looking away from his manifesto execution is something worth grappling with, given circumstances that may or may not be in his control, there has been obvious lapses and fall in standard in how Sloeman has handled his constitutional duty as IPM.
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