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Sometime last year when my son got the admission into the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife I followed him very dutifully to go through the processes and settled him down.

It wasn’t a very palatable experience for the COST and STRESS especially for a man like me who was just managing his life. But I was a very happy man, my son was getting registered into the same school that I spent the better part of my childhood dreaming of.

OAU was my dream school and most students of my time, in those days dreamt of that school reputed to be the most beautiful and prestigious in the country.

How I tried to get admission into that school in 1987 and 1988 until fate and accident of situations flung me far away to Anambra State University, Awka.

It took the whole community in Amuwo-Odofin to BEG my father to allow me proceed to AWKA in 1987.

He BLUNTLY REFUSED but eventually and grudgingly succumbed. He NEVER visited me in school, not once, not even when he came to Enugu 60km away from Awka, for an official assignment.

My dad would VERY QUICKLY have resigned his appointment with NEPA if any attempt had been made to transfer him to anywhere in the Eastern Region.

The farthest transfer he went near the East was SAPELE in today’s Delta State.

Sorry, I have just digressed!

Back to my experience at the OAU in 2021 jare

The first thing I noticed on that day was an INCREDIBLE population of youngsters swarming upon the new entrants like Bees.

There were so many of them, young folks and old students, moving about and approaching new students who had come to register.

They moved about with pens and papers at hand.

They carried flyers.

They were in serious effort of winning the new entrants to their respective sides.

They were infact members of various CAMPUS FELLOWSHIPS.

They were from all the CHURCHES in this Country: Deeperlife, CPM, Chosen, RCCG, House on Rocks, Christ Embassy, even my Celestial Church, name it

I couldn’t understand it!!!

I was PARTICULARLY confused about my Celestial Church. It WASNT AND STILL ISN’T part of the DOCTRINES of the Celestial Church to canvass, or market as it were, for membership.

NEVER!

You will normally walk into the Celestial Church yourself either because the spirit called you or you got fascinated by something you saw of them, their members or doctrines. That is the way it used to be and that is the DOCTRINE. You don’t go canvassing for people to join you

But on that day they were all canvassing.

There were BANNERS strewn all over every available spaces and corners in and around the school.

Why were they so desperately and aggressively canvassing the new entrants for membership of their fellowship?

It sure looked irritating to me.

One of them managed to catch the attention of my son and got him talking. These boys have been trained on what to say and what to do and because they were old students it was very easy to bamboozle the naive Jambites

He took his details and asked him to join their fellowship – Christ Embassy I think.

Others came still to harrass him.

I could have put in a word but I didn’t interfere. I have since convinced myself that every child has his ONE DESTINY and free to make his mind on RELIGION matters.

I will only guide. My father tried only too hard to force Islam on me. He even bought me that colourful “Book of Bible stories” to assist me in comparative studies of Islam and Christianity but it soon turned out to be his greatest error because it ended up attracting me to the Christian faith which wasn’t the intension.

At the end of that my exercise at the OAU I began to understand why the country is not going going to be easy to rescue.

It wasn’t by fluke that the Universities were called Ivory Towers. They were the engine rooms of Intellectual Engagements and outputs.

By the time you were in 300 LEVELS in those days, you were already well equipped in LEARNING AND CHARACTER to debate ISSUES like a normal adult and not like some thugs we have today running around social media as youths.

Do you know that in the past, up until the early and middle 1980s, YOUTHS could rise as STUDENTS from Schools like Unilag, OAU, UI, ABU, UNN and issue PROCLAMATIONS that will send shock waves to the Elders,. Leaders, Government, EVEN MILITARY GOVERNMENTS?

At that time, the YOUTHS AS SUGs and NANS can hold Press Conferences to address National Issues such that even Foreign Governments will have reasons to be interested in what they are saying?

It is no longer so!

What happened?

That is what I saw at the OAU and which provokes this post.

1. Probably 50% of the Students Population – majority of whom are brilliant and serious about academics – are tied in the activities of various CAMPUS FELLOWSHIPS of the PENTECOSTAL CHRISTIAN and WAHHABISM ISLAM varieties.

The Pastors of their various Campus Churches and “Missioners” at the various Mosques of various ASAWÁNÁ SECTS OF ISLAM have been duly advised and indoctrinated to “look away” from the “outside world” and concentrate on the Kingdom of Heaven where Angels and Virgins are waiting for them in streets paved with Gold.

2. About 10 % of the Students are well stuffed in DRUGS, MUSIC, ALCOHOL AND WOMEN. They are the ones operating the SECRET CULTS on campus.

3. Another 20% are already practicing YAHOO right from the school campuses.

4. You may have another 10% who are just lily-livered ajebutter, mummy’s pet and just going about their ways like frightened cats in the school.

5. Then the balance 10% are the TRUANTS who don’t know why they were in school in the first place.

They are the “Oloshos” and “Runs girls” of today totally different from the “Sugar girls” of those days who simply got “sugar daddies” to assist their progress.

They are the ones who talk about ” Education is Scam”. They are the very many UNCOUTH AND IGNORANT DULLARDS you see all over the place claiming to be youths and wanting to take over the country.

ALL.five groups above are very easily manipulated.

The CULTISTS of No 2. can be used by the POLITICAL LEADERSHIP terrorize any group of students in No 1, 3 and 4.

The PASTORPRENEURS and “MISSIONERS” who are also working for the POLITICAL LEADERSHIP can always keep their student-sheep under the tight leash anytime and everytime.

The result you have is that the NANS President is a PROFESSIONAL STUDENT who is forever in School, never graduating, rides in BIG OFFICIAL CARS and can’t pronounce the word QUACK.

The result you have is a COMPLETELY SUBJUGATED STUDENT POPULATION which is just as IRRESPONSIBLY COMPLACENT and HOPELESSLY MALLEABLE as the Adult Population paying for their wasted Education.

Something has happened to us but we don’t seem to realize it yet.

The FUTURE IS THREATENED.

#WeHaveMissedRoad

© Adedamola Adetayo
22 December 2022