For me, one word to sum up the entire event is "cringe".
From the beginning, with intervals of great moments, to the end, there was something to feel embarrassed about, the most memorable being the constant going off of the Public Address system.
Lack of organization as students kept walking around as if they were in their fathers sitting room.
The horrible music selection that alternated between depressive slow and blood pumping upbeat leading to jarred emotion and heightening the students discomfort.
Class reps too, did not fail to disappoint as some of them boycotted the GA.
All this goes to show that this GA felt unorganized in contrast to the organized campaign to promote it. The campaign did get me to come, not just me, it got like one third of law students to come.
But sitting there, I overhead many students comment that this general assembly was overhyped.
I expected the GA to be bustling, entertaining, interactive, memorable, truthful.
I expected questions that where insightful and knowledgeable about the faculty.
Before the event, many people where eager to ask questions but strangely when it came down to do the deed, they chickened out and wilted like dead roses.
General lack of enthusiasm and co-operation from the students coupled with the fact that most of them was hungry was one of the highlights of the GA.
However, all this is not to dispute the valid points raised in the General Assembly.
Very important issues were discussed; the Lawsa Constitutional Amendment, appointment of amendment committee from all constituency, with the girl from the 100l constituency looking like she’ll cry and the absence of the 200l constituency representative.
The swearing in left a feeling of contentment as this was something that has not happened in ten years!! (gasp).
The 200l rep came in after the swearing in, so technically, he was not sworn in right? (I'm not really clear how that works).
Olubunmi, popularly referred to as "the godfather" in some quarters, was another interesting highlight as he took over the stage and gave a lively speech over our SUG aspirants, injecting joy and fun into the otherwise dour gathered students.
However, there was a lacuna in the great assemblage of SUG candidates which has brought up issues in which I’m not inclined to discuss.
And then the enigmatic Garrick came forth to anoint us with his glorious eloquency skills.
He didn’t even use a script. When you hear Garrick speaking, you’re carried away by the beauty of it, forgetting the meaning he’s trying to convey. He listed achievements that when you hear about it, sounds marvelous but in retrospect are just improvements on previous events.
I like Garrick, he’s the best thing after sliced bread to Lawsa, he is awesome, keep it up dear.
However, those achievements he listed were a letdown.
When Garrick entered office, with the hype surrounding him, we expected a bus and an airplane, a new LT in short. Those achievements were not spectacular.
This is in no way going to say the few that where not a let down, were not great. The journal idea is remarkable and I intend to be a writer there.
In Garrick’s defense, I’ll say that he was doomed from the beginning as Lawsa does not have money. Their only source of income been the 100l constituency and the 400l constituency.
In conclusion, I might sound hateful and spiteful, perhaps I am. But, this is my opinion. I was expecting #TheGA to be more formal but it was half of the time child's play and the other half, saw the excos trying their best to appear formal and pouring enconiums in their addressing of one another.
I wrote this with a hungry stomach and the anger that despite my paying the due, I got only a gala. This is not an excuse for the scathing comment but one of the reasons for it.
On the other hand, the General Assembly was a nice development and I urge Lawsa to keep up the good work. Gob bless and a wonderful semester to my fellow Lawsans.
JUJU
Juju is a law student, a writer, a social critique with a flair for surfing the web, skate dancing amongst many other hobbies!
Smh. You wanna boost your career as a writer/critic I understand. But criticism without recommendation on how to better is just as wack as the wackness you're trying to point which you should try to correct.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you're new in the business. Hopefully you'll learn.