OPEN LETTER TO ALL ASPIRANTS AS ELECTIONS BEGIN
To start with, the gate is about to opened for all politically ambitious students in The Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti. The race to building one self politically is just about to start but before you begin your manifestos, I would like to shed light on why I believe you should just be ambitious and not desperate.
Political posters has obviously flooded the campus which announces to any student going along various pathways that another era of student political transition is about to begin in FEDPOLAD.
As a politically minded person, one main thing you should have at the back of your mind is the selfless attitude towards leadership in leading others. The reason for you to aspire for that position should not be for your selfish interest but for the interest of the entire students.
The Leadership qualities you are expected to portray should be the one everybody will perceive the odour of freedom and not bondage, care and not brutality. You must not abandon the positive reasons why you chose to contest for that office in the first place once you emerge. The main thing here is seeing yourself as an agent of organization rather than that of disorganization and destruction.
The political office you have should not supersede the interest of the entire student. Hence, you must know that the motive behind the rational for electing someone is by what you can be able to achieve in a short period of time and not by mentioning what you will do in some years to come. But note that saying what you ca not do in a short period of time could be another cause for you not to be among the student favorites.
Student unionism without intelligent leaders is bound to fail thereby not far from political hazard. Therefore, see your office as a rare platform for you to develop yourself politically by displaying your intelligence.
Many issues has been raised about the ICU-led administration, some talk about the officers’ good deeds while some others criticize them but let me say that identifying their criticisms can be your own source of manifesto. Investigating on some of their failed plans or areas can help you to structure out your own manifesto.
This does not however translate to you not getting criticized when you manifest or even while you implement these things when you come on board. Criticism is bound to occur, but your approach towards such criticisms will determine your success in whichever post you aspire.
Finally, whether you are an aspirant of any office at the level of the Hall Executive Council(HEC), Central Executive Council(CEC), Student Senatorial Council(SSC), Faculty or Departmental executives or any other, let it be known to you that whatever you achieve now will speak for you in future.
Your achievement in any position you serve will speak volume for you in the coming years as people are definitely watching you. Therefore, this is another golden opportunity for you to direct your path towards achieving greatness.
Let me leave you with these two quotes: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way” –by John Maxwell and “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination” –by Nelson Maxwell
Yakubu Temitope, A Campus Journalist writes from Annex Hall.