SE NA LIKE DIS E GO DEY DEY?

When Wande Coal composed the song “Se na like dis e go dey dey”, did he have OAU in mind? Obviously Wande Coal had Heraclitus, the philosopher in mind. Heraclitus said that nothing in nature is constant, only change is. Life is in perpetual flounce – we cannot step into the same river twice. Therefore, one should take caution any time there is no change at all. What should we do if the change we experience is not that which we desire?
Se na Great Ife be dis?
You may be bemused about the destination of this write-up. You need not wonder for too long. It is about the epileptic power supply in OAU. Gone are those good old days; good old days when electricity supply was constant. Gone are those good old days when things had not yet fallen apart. Hmmmnn … Gone are those days. Will those days ever materialize again? Obviously, like most things in Nigeria, power supply has also nose-dived. This is no longer news. What is news is that this ugly trend is sweeping through OAU.
For a long time, it seemed OAU was immune to the ‘evils’ of NEPA (or are they now called PHCN). However, in the last few days, it appears OAU no longer enjoys this immunity. ‘Se na like dis we go dey dey?’ In OAU, never did students shout ‘UP NEPA!’ But now, in this bad new days, the unmusical song of “UP-NEPA!” usually rents the air even during lectures.
Se na Great Ife be dis? This is no longer Great Ife, it is now Microscopic Ife. It is disheartening that freshers did not experience the better days in Ife. Mind you, the term ‘better’ is used for lack of a better word. In the sixties and seventies, tertiary institutions in Nigeria could favorably compete with others across the globe. Now, Nigerian universities (including our very own OAU) struggle in the lower rung of the ladder in terms of hierarchy. OAU, as a matter of fact, has now become a shadow of itself, just as Nigeria has also become a shadow of herself.
Please permit my humble pen to ask two questions, just two questions: Where are the Government and the school authority in all of these? Where is the Students’ Union in all of these? Let me inform you that if no step is taken to correct this anomaly, we are going to move from this present quagmire to one that is worse.
Yes, we know it is just a reflection of what goes on in the outside world. Yes, we all know that OAU is a microcosm of the larger society. But, ‘Se na like dis we go dey dey?’ Of course, we can’t afford to go on like this. We cannot afford to be blown apart by the fact that somebody somewhere is doing nothing. We refuse o take on the ‘siddon-look’ attitude. GREATEST IFE, Arise and shine , arise and fulfill your mandate to make the change. Arise to ask for your entitlement. Arise to ask for constant power supply, not epileptic supply.
Mahatma Honey
… the great soul …