SCHOOLS’ HOST COMMUNITIES: OF INDIGENES, SAVAGES AND INVASIONS
By
Austin is a final year student of chemical engineering at the University of Ilorin
Established is the fact that ‘bigotry’ is a revered tradition; practised religiously in my fatherland. The most populous country in the second most populous continent in the world. Hence, the skip in giving a recap of how things got to this point. Moving on, I’d like to shift our attention to the menace of indigenes attacking students (and vice versa) in host communities where our supposed ivory towers are situated. I find it quite worrisome; Obviously we are too soaked to notice this ugly trend.
One major low point in the history of our academes was when cultism was very rampant. Heck, school was horrendous! We were able to get past that somehow. At least, it drastically reduced. Without any hard evidence though, I opine that demonstrations have reduced a great bit as well. Albeit, the strain between institutions of higher learning and their host communities still maintains an undulating curve on my graph sheet, the last time I checked. I wonder why some natives feel so pained, like we students invaded their land. Some, however.
By the same token, students’ generally tend to see them as savages. This has led to countless confrontations in the past. The trend is growing steadily around my campus. I have heard of clashes, minor still, at Akungba (AAUA), Uniport, OffaPoly and many other campuses in Nigeria. The crux of this piece is to examine precipitously, the motives behind it and proffer, within my limits, recommendations to manage this poser. Quite frankly, this I believe is a microcosm of the state of our land. That segregation. “My land,” “our land,” “your land.” The siting of the institution opens up the place but the indigenes lose out on some parts as well.
Prices of everything goes up, forest/hunting ground gone, lands are acquired by whatever means to cater for the incoming. They now have competitors for everything: public utilities, transport and accommodation, including their girls. It is left to those who would take up the protruding opportunities and make something out of it. Which is reasonable, but not to the point of exploitations which is usual. Rather conventional, youths are the most vigorous spread of the population, thus their eagerness to channel the teeming energy. Exuberance, delinquency, conquests of all sorts, and all are not strange. However, the rate at which students are threatened, molested and attacked is on the rise, if it has not always been so. Students also organize reprisals. For the less ruthless students, they do more of reporting to the police whose yield at stemming the tide is almost inconsequential. More of a few arrests, questioning, threats and all.
The indigenes act more fearlessly, some possess charms/talismans, and worthy of note is that they feel very insulted. I am devastated at the mere thoughts of the latter. Recommendations, yeah? Continual push for peaceful co-existence and tolerance is key and quite achievable. Giving the due of the host communities as agreed from the beginning to avoid feeling slighted and looking for avenues for venting. Students themselves need to respect their boundaries, interact freely (if they want, advisable) without prejudice or too obvious resentments, considering that you may not like their ideals. Suck up! You came for something, get it without hurting. Be wise and stay safe mates. Peace out…..
