Over the years, it has been discovered that the art of negotiation and dialogue when issues occur is no longer effective as protest seems to be the only instrument of change and an effective way of making one’s demand known to authorities; as such, people have now seen it as an avenue to make authorities dance to their tune due to the positive results it has yielded in the past and will continue to yield.
Protest has now become the only language people in position of authorities understand, hence; people no longer fondle with the option of negotiation but rather go full swing into protest.
It is high time the narrative changed, giving room for negotiation and dialogue without necessarily engaging in protest; because protest, despite having its pros also has its price which could either be loss of lives, eruption of violence and threat to peace and stability as invariably, the security of the people involved is not always guaranteed.
Prime, they say, comes to all at different times. But for students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, the reverse is the case as prime indeed came to all students simultaneously. This was evident by the uniformity of decisions to put paid to the hike in miscellaneous transactions of concerned students of the school, to call for the repair of the road that links to the school campus, not to leave out the payment of 60/40 school fee which was scrapped last semester.
During the protest, the students barricaded the road that led to the entrance of the school, preventing staff and students from gaining entrance into the school.
Despite the rage of the students towards the policies from the school management, the students maintained a high level of decorum, coordination and peace while making their demands known. There was no case of violence, chaos and disorderliness as the Students Representative Council and the Students Union Government were able to coordinate the students to maintain a maximum level of peace.
In all, there are lessons to be learnt from the recently concluded protest.
The protest has taught one that strength lies in being united as a force. Attesting to this is the victory achieved by the students who by virtue of their being united made the school management bow to their demands. Just like the case of the #ENDSARS protest, it would have not amounted to anything if there wasn’t a unanimous decision and struggle by the citizens. When we all stand for what is right and never compromise, it births success.
Another notable lesson not to be ignored is that consultation is key and very important in any administration. Before the management takes any decision or implements any policy that has a bearing on the students populace, it behooves on the school authority to inform the Students Representative Council or Students Union Government to make the students aware and give them a say on the issue as opposed to just surfacing overnight to implementing and enforcing a decision on them, because on the long run, they will surely be held accountable when things go wrong for students.
In addition, taking actions in cases of unfavorable circumstances is very important. It is important that we take actions when things don’t go as expected. When we don’t take actions, and we instead opt for folding our arms, things will get worse and positive change will never be effected.
This explains why our attitudes and reactions to situations at times determine how people in power treat us. People in power tend to take the led for granted when they realize they do not hold them accountable or challenge them. They become dictatorial in nature. But when the led questions them for whatever things they have done, they tend to be more loyal and responsible.
While overtime protest has been the only language authority understands, this is a clarion call to them to make history of this in the cognizance of the factors at stake if this is the resort all the time. Dialogue and consultation appear more civil and safer, and if the cards are played properly, result into a win-win situation without the next door neighbour knowing jack.
