DISTRACTIONS, ATTRACTIONS, THE INDEX OF CHANGE

This semester started with distractions. First, with a strike that swallowed what was meant to be a break. Succeeded by a period which was meant to be for lectures but then lectures aborted before dawn. Lectures were eventually birthed albeit by a caesarian section of Mass Prayer-Assisted FG-ASUU negotiations. It was a period when different hitherto unknown clubs sprung out of no where. A blizzard of Hall Weeks just hit us. Weeks ago was the Amina Hall Week. Now's the Kofo Hall Week. Still to come is the Biobaku Hall Week. Haven't heard of Jaja's, Mariere's. I'm not sure Moremi's had theirs. MTN wuz here, Glo wuz here with their Campus Storm. Irapada wuz here. Prince of the Savannah wuz here. A number of Sex, Dating and Marriage seminars wuz here too. Football Matches between departments - the Dean's Cup (i guess) - should be ongoing. Block to Block matches are being organized. Room to Room and even Bunk to Bunk matches are brewing.Praise Nites . . . list is endless.

The attractions were the TMC IV (starring Harris steve for Fela Durotoye), RISE MAG's motivational conference at Aquatic Hall (Fela Durotoye, Gamaliel Onosode were in attendance), Perisseuo '007.

The oncoming, equally important, ones are the 8th of August JCI-powered confererence on enterpreneurship featuring Funmi Iyanda and Gbenga Sesan who were both a year older sometimes last month nad another on the 18th (featuring Gbenga Sesan (again) and Niyi Adesanya of Fifth Gear).

The Library's been, amidst all these, appreciably populated. Results - first semester's - are popping out one after the other - a couple of those it didn't favour too well are beginning to library.

There was nothing unusual about the week. It was the usual sight of yahoozees: females and males in their teeming numbers. The usual sight of sugar dads and their aristo Daughters, kissing and having sex - on car bonnets, under the flower bed, in the dark alleys and shady reading rooms - yeah, it’s that bad in UNILAG.

Caught a cold – catarrh, which lead to headache and I had to buy Procold® which I haven’t used still. The high point of the week probably was the mail sent me from WORDRIOT saying they’d publish a couple of my works – poetry – in a future issue and that I write well and in an interesting fashion – My! That was a fillip – at least that forces a sense of worth into one, now I know my works are a li’l good enough – still hoping to get more positive responses from a couple of other publishers.

I recall reading the headliners – haven't read a newspaper through and through for so long a time now – school’s got a way of keeping you insulated from the real world – it fuzzes your head what with you in the midst of poly-painted gals and fancifully dressed yahoozees driving sleek rides – everybody walkin’ and talkin’ like they doesn’t shit. Yeah, the headliners had it that a number of former Nigerian governors arraigned for fraud had been granted bail. I recall one of them even had as little as a hundred and seven count (107) charge and one of them was even bold enough to weep in court – lamenting a change in his status – in the presence of his family – wife, children and all. Did someone not ask when will Africa be free from being caused with it’s leaders…and youth.

Yeah, youth.

In Liberia, it’s a poisoned group of young’uns that know only guns and knives and haven’t had education for more than a decade.

Almost same in Togo.

Sudan’s unpeaceful.

Nigeria relatively is, but isn’t. It’s got an army of unemployed and unschooled.

The schooled ain’t ready to work.

If you, today, walk into a cyber café that’s got 20 systems, you’ll find 18 yahoozees. If in the next 2 months you walk into that same cyber café with 20 systems still and you find just 10 of ‘em. Then, things have begun to change in Naija. That’ s my own index of change.

The Nigerian Renaissance must begin in every sole Nigerian mind, not just a crop of 'em.