LEADERS, POWER AND ELECTION; THE THIRD EYE

Without a survey, it is becoming a growing consensus that when people lead, others plead. Leaders sometimes forget to be careful not to be drunk of power like wine. When an access is restricted, all one needs is power. To affect our societal evolution, the lower you are, the less power you have. Leaders have power. Neglecting the transiency of the wing of leadership, most abuse it. With funds, they misuse and misappropriate and with people, disrespect and ego-centrism is offered.

Albeit, some leaders are assiduous, astute, caring, respectful and above all deliver on their promises. To them he who has the gold does not necessarily make the rule. They sacrifice a lot and bring to book wrong doers. It’s all a matter of choice. Choice between the candidates and choice between visions. The people make the choice. Yes indeed, democracy is practiced. Yet on what premises do the people make their choices? Beauty, affluence, favoritism, nepotism or friendship? Some people also vote on manifesto, vision, personality and other basis. As a matter of fact some don’t even exercise their franchise at all. To them they careless who is chosen as most believed, leaders make them plead and bleed. For you did not tap the palm wine, do not complain about its taste.

So in effect, the type of leaders chosen, exacerbate or aggravate the situation and this is mostly the cause of those who vote and over vote. Election is a period where you have determined your direction and make your declarations known. As such, voting wisely is peace. If in peace, then no fist and gist to the other parties.

With my horse pen, let’s gallop down to student leadership, power and elections. Students leaders worldwide face a problem.. They are uniformed people working for inaccessible and doing the impossible for the ungrateful. Hmm! It is rather unfortunate when you have the responsibility and one has the power. But at the upper echelons, student leaders are expected to exercise power. What an contradiction! Basically, this is problem faced by most student leaders and as a tertiary institution, it is graver here. The SRC is supposed to cater for the dire needs of the students because it is our responsibility. But mind you, the admission is the power. We have to fight for it. It takes patience, persistence, boldness, agility and high sense of responsibility an d coaxing to pull through.

Simply, these are the most important qualities a tertiary student leader should possess. Also, there has to be realistic, attainable and achievable short term and long term goals. We don’t build castles in the air, remember? Besides, a leader cannot fool some of the people all the time and all of the people some of the time. This is the more reason why we have to vote wisely and choose the right candidate. After all, he that has no head needs no hat. The right person has to be chosen as always.

We need leaders who wouldn’t be obstinate to our plights and just palliate our problems even if they do listen. Remember, a good leader is  the one who knows he has followers and not subordinates.

LETS NOT PRETEND

Let’s pretend I had no name, Would you have given me fame?

Let’s pretend  I were amazing, would you have been amazed?

Let’s pretend I were funny, would you have been funny?

Let’s pretend I were intelligent, would you have been negligent

Let’s pretend I had a tumor, would you have made humor?

Let’s pretend I loved you, would I have hated your sister?

Let’s pretend I proposed,  would you have disposed?

Let’s pretend I were inspiring, would you have been inspired?

Let’s pretend I were corrupt, would you have offered me bribe?

Let’s pretend I had four fore fathers, would I had lacked foresight of the four?

Let’s pretend I were a teacher, would you have been my pupil?

Let’s pretend I were a doctor, would you have been my patient?

Let’s pretend I were a politician, would you have voted for me?

Let’s pretend the rains never came, would we have been showers of blessings?

Let’s pretend i formed blur images, would you have known what the image is?

Let’s pretend a group of girls were called ”bitches”, and yet clean not the beach is.

Let’s pretend there were child abuse, would you have been a victim?

Let’s pretend there were an old church, would you have been the preacher man?

Let’s pretend we were playing on a field, would have been in the same on the same level?

Let’s pretend there were two heads, would it have been better than one?

Let’s pretend there were a stitch in time, would it have saved nine?

Let’s pretend there were an early bird, would it have caught the worm?

Let’s pretend I had no hands, would I have written this?

Let’s pretend you had no eyes, would you have read this?

Let's pretend you had no ears, would you have heard this?

Let’s pretend I pretend, would you have called it pretense?

Let’s pretend all these were real, would you have called it reality?

My people, let’s not pretend!!!!!

MY LETTER TO THE SRC & NUGS PRESIDENTS’; SLUMBER NOT, A PILE OF WORK AWAITETH YOU!!!

I have heard a few good people say you are already drunk of power. I quickly jump to your rescue by saying the wine is yet to be brewed and served. But for how long can I defend you and keep telling them there is hope? On verra bien!!! (We’ll see!).

Moving on, I congratulate you and your respective teams on your assumptions of office.

SRC

Whilst I do not intend to bleed this piece with my rancour, I also don’t doubt your ability to grapple and ameliorate the lighting menace in and around campus. Mr. SRC president, maybe your busy schedules do not allow you to attend lectures regularly so let me spill these to you. Our lecture halls are very hot. Even the hot girls say it’s hotter. The air- conditions are dysfunctional or maybe even little do I know, spoilt. Most of the fans are not working and yet we pay huge light bills. Ah, but what of the plant provided by Mr. Anthony Acquae? Won’t it grow? Or hasn’t it been watered or is the land not fertile? The ceilings in NH1 & NH2 are always peeling off and who knows, it may be the roof next. I also don’t know if your irregular stay on campus has resulted in you never being called to attend to an acute nature’s call. Maybe you wouldn’t run from NH1 to the library like most of us do just to use its washrooms because of the pride, respect and honour you merit.

Finally Mr. SRC President, just in case you haven’t heard and seen, the gutter in front of our beautiful and lovely main entrance, regardless of my premonition, has succeeded in exposing the old, weary and rusty metals it has been made of. Please be proactive in this regard. I posit to you that we deserve better and best. Mr. President, haven’t you been to KNUST, Legon, Bolga Poly, UDS Tamale or WA or Nyankpala Campuses before? Don’t you feel shy and disgraced when you see their main entrances?

But hey people, the SRC Shuttle has been sprayed new. Hurayyy!!!! Well, happily, my fate has not yet lost faith in you and your team. Thanks for the GH₵ 100 I deducted from my fees with smiles.

PACESETTER, I know you haven’t lost your pace, as yet!!!

NUGS

Eiiiiii, Mr. NUGS President, does IC- Plus still exist? I’m sure we are awaiting rebranding and revamping. I am obsessed with your obsession with your student loan, passport and birth certificate visions. Maybe I deserve some explanations and understanding. Are these all UDS Navrongo Campus know about student welfare? What about the poor lighting in and around campus, the freedom with impunity of when and when not to work of our only ATM Machine and the non- registration of students at their departments for non- payment of dues? What have you done about these? Lest I forget. Where is our ADB ATM Machine?

Mr. President, allow me to reduce your burden for you. In an environment replete with motor cycles, tricycles and bicycles, don’t you think it makes more sense, reasoning and paints reality to rather engage students in a “Motor and Bicycle Cycling School” either than a “Driving School”? More so, riding as cycling is very reckless and careless in Navrongo especially on market days, funerals and festivals.

 So you see, a Motor Cycling School too is not a bad idea. Your students deserve safety – Welfare! Better still, all the best in that regard. I don’t mean to say you are asinine, you have a dream, follow it! After all, you’ve shown your adroitness, agility and talent in building IC- Plus. Congrats!

All eyes on you Mr. NUGS President. Employ your instincts of building IC- Plus to build a better UDS Navrongo Campus for us.

McRoyal, I know you haven’t lost your Royalty, as yet!!!

Mr. SRC & NUGS Presidents, I know you are not God or gods, we exercise patience with you. Don’t disappoint and frustrate!!!

C’est plus facile a dire qu’a faire……….I shall return……!!!!!

Writer; Cyril Dzidedi K. Nkrumah (nkdcyril@gmail.com/ 0209912488/Actuarial Science).