Before we delve into saddling the youths of today with leadership responsibilities of tomorrow, we need to understand the art of leadership in its entirety and acquaint ourselves with the needs of the people that is to be governed.
Nowadays, the kaleidoscope is that majority have been having the say in a sane clime where democracy is been practiced as the politics of the day with the world moving towards a new way of governance all around.
Leading can be tasking and time-consuming but all it need is a person that can rule, guide, direct, influence, motivate and protect others(employees or followers) while leadership is the activity of leading.
More so, there’s virtually no way out of leading without politicking. While politics can be defined as the activities associated with the governance of a country/region/area/organization aimed at improving someone’s status or increasing power within the particular boundary of governance.
It’s a process of making decisions that apply to members of a group. It’s obviously everywhere, from the taxi drivers at the motor parks, to the first child of the family assuming leadership by inheritance, to the fruit sellers in the market, to street hawkers; leaders emerge under different circumstances.
Do not leave behind that “Politics is a contested concept” with different sides, and our area of denseness is the student politics in our various institution(s) of learning.
Political processes are used to formulate policies, influence individuals and institutions, and organize the societies.
However, politics has grown massively with enormous ambitions arising as political parties are formed.
Now the youths at a tender age have high hopes in changing this country and it all begins in institutions (from elementary schools to high schools, to tertiary institutions) challenging one another to become the Class Captain or School Prefect, Executives at Departmental level to Faculty level or even to the level of Student Union Government(S.U.G).
Every country or territorial entity is owned by its class of landlords and for institutions, the landlords are the students (electorates) who hold the keys to winning or losing an election, and they decides about the political pyramid of that geographical location.
For a student to be called an undergraduate/postgraduate, he/she must have been offered admission to study a course in the institution of learning and all fees/dues must have been paid.
It is imperative for every undergraduate to know that the primary objective/assignment of every student is his studies, every other thing is secondary.
With this in mind, every other thing must be added together with their studies at the top of the hierarchy of their dealings.
For an excellent result, a timetable has to be drawn for schedules, not to clangor. As Mark Twain once said; “The secret of getting ahead is getting started”.
Also Read: List of 91 political parties in Nigeria and their logos
How to Involve In School Politics – The Starting Point
As you click “Day numero uno” in school, you start your journey into politics by entangling yourself with the right people while you build your reputation and guard it for so much depends on it.
The first major activity in a higher institution is entering the lecture room to receive lectures, that is your first day of schooling in itself.
“Every success begins with a step and all successful people are big dreamers”
Start imagining what you want to become before the end of your learning in the institution, then work daily towards that distant vision/goal/purpose.
For every aspiring politician, a pulsating desire which transcends everything is the starting point of all achievement not a hope nor wish.
Also Read: The List of top 51 best Nigerian universities
School Political Ambitions and Tips For Success
A lot of vacant positions are available for grabs. It could be departmental representative or departmental executives, faculty representative or executives or even the school Students’ Union Government and many more.
Though politics can be appalling for students combining studies with it, it sometimes does not necessarily mean holding a political post.
It begins from the grassroots which is your friends’ circle to the department, and further.
The most important item of a politician which is MANIFESTO must have been known by your adherents, to defeat your potential competitor(s).
It’s inexorable to note that politics does not insulate you from the academic severity in higher institution.
Politics is said to be a selfless act or service and a student politician on that basis is only called to serve.
As his allies help in blowing his political calling, the call to serve begins even if eventually he doesn’t win a political post, for politics is about service to humanity not an ill service to the masses.
Different circumstance(s) serve as propulsive factor that drives people’s ambition in politics but monetary benefit shouldn’t be one even though it has been the main thorn irremovable from the nowadays politicians.
A student politician must know the different types of political system like democracy, republic, monarchy, communism, dictatorship et.al.
While the foundations of such political systems could be secular authoritarian, religious authoritarian, tribal dominance, class warfare, philosophy, Marxist, communist, fascist, vulture form of capitalism, etc. he must know the one applicable in his own situation.
Remember, any path you choose will likely be long and full of ups and downs, so choose the one that brings you the most joy and makes you feel most alive.
The challenges faced by students will form the most of the new paragraphs which can chase intending students and makes political apathy a case for them, but the only man that makes no mistakes is the one who never does anything.
Every student has 24 hours, it all depends on you how you spend yours as we do say in our lingua that “Time na money”.
Getting a good presentable grade is the mission of every student, if you can’t manage yours, do not derail from studying.
Also, being a student means you should be involved in one thing or the other because your job’s responsibilities in the outside world won’t be just ONE.
Furthermore, money balances the wheel of any ambition. Student politics has become so high-priced that many ambitious students has jettisoned their mission.
They are unable to compete with the ones that have financial backup to print posters, jingles, banners and billboards because they all requires prodigious funds.
All the aforesaid are sine qua non to be met in student politics for the aspirant to project his ideas, vision and mission and these will elucidate fast for the aspirant to be well known before the time of election.
Any aspirant who has no presentiment wouldn’t be able to win the hearts of the electorates(students) and this applies not only to the four walls of institutions but also to the outside world.
Aesthetically, it’s clear that everyone’s demand can’t be met because school politics is like a huge elephant surrounded by blind men & women of letters and substance.
To describe the features of the proverbial elephant, each person that surround it would only give an account of the area he/she is able to touch.
“It is said that “power corrupts absolutely and absolute power corrupts absolutely”
Make sure to do your very best by empowering the youths in sports, education, developing new political ideology, policy formulation, and alleviate poverty within your power.
At times, the students’ will clash with the management or between different political camps, so endeavor to seek advice when and where necessary to avoid conundrum.
School still remains the sojourn of a lifetime that helps one begin the journey of becoming what one intend to be.
School Politics (summary)
Deciphering the physiognomy and the demands of politics and studies can be appalling.
To prudently concord the two postulating tasks is not for the saunterer/sluggard/langard (pick one, I go for the 1st).
Therefore it is usually to the credit of student-cum-politicians (or do we call it; student-politicians) who are able to voyage through both auspiciously.
To surpass at both, a clear-cut shuffling is very inherent to excel. An emptor for all student-politician is that you must firstly be a bona-fide student, then studies must be your primary objective and it mustn’t suffer for your political ambitions.
Remember not to worry much when you’re not recognized at first but strive to be worthy of recognition because achieving your ambition(s) is an ODYSSEY!
Lawal Azeez O.