BY SULAIMAN ALIM BANGURA
Sierra Leone has a very rich history in terms of education. One of the key factors for the country to attain that was the establishment of Fourah Bay College.
The college was founded on 18th February, 1827; it has been recorded in the history as the genesis of tertiary education in British West Africa, formally affiliated with Durham University (1876 – 1967).
It was initially established as an Anglican Missionary Society, and Samuel Ajayi Crowther was its first enrolled student.
Since then, Fourah Bay College has become the academic hot spot for many Sierra Leoneans and other nationalities within the West Africa sub region and even beyond.
In other to maintain this educational laurel, and the proper administration of tertiary institutions, the University Act was established in 2005.
The Act governs the administrations and activities of all the universities that are under the University of Sierra Leone in which Fourah Bay College is not an exception.
The University Act of 2015 contains of six parts, among them, there is no particular part that talks about the setting up or establishment of any students’ body within the various colleges that are under the University of Sierra Leone.
However, the university administration in various colleges deemed it fit that in order for them to effectively provide their services towards their publics (enrolled students), there should be a specific body which should comprise of few students to represent the general students at the various colleges.
As a result of this, the student union body has been a recognized association operating in the various colleges in which Fourah Bay College is not an exception.
According to the Students’ Warden of Fourah Bay College, Rev. Canon Buck, among other reasons for the recognition of a students’ union body by the Fourah Bay College administration is to aid them in the running of the activities of the college; to serve as a representative which will monitor the credibility of the processes of the college’s disciplinary committee; to help put forward and solve problems related to students welfare of service, and to help serve as a training ground for students to practice good governance and democratization.
At the genesis stage of the conduct of students’ union elections on campus, it was done in a very transparent and peaceful manner.
The election was headed by a student who serves as chief electoral commissioner, but all that has changed over the years as a result of certain problems that the electioneering process is facing.
The university administration has taken the mandate to conduct all students’ union elections on campus as a result of the problems that the college administration had been facing over the conduct of the elections for students within the recent years.
According to the Warden of Students at Fourah Bay College, Rev. Canon Buck, “Students union election on campus is no longer healthy as it used to be. Students are not acting as if they are students in recent times.”
The major factor behind this is strongly rooted on the battle of supremacy between the “black and white ideologies” amongst students, he further stated.
These two different ideologies or entities always see themselves as harsh rivals during electioneering processes on campus.
In every election, each of the camps would have to present a particular candidate that will aspire for the position of presidency in any given elections on campus.
Regardless of any other individuals aspiring for the same position, the winner has always been from either of the two camps.
The black entity is controlled and headed by the Auradicals club, majority of its members hail from the eastern and southern parts of the country, while the white entity is controlled and headed by the Librals Club and majority of its members are from the northern and western parts of the country.
By virtue of the provincial areas where most of the members of the two clubs come from, a good number of the public have attributed each of the club / entity to have a great connection to one of the two main political parties within the country.
The black family has been perceived by many to be a strong sympathizer of the Sierra Leone People’s Party and on the other hand the white entity is seen by many to be a sympathizer of the All People’s Congress Party.
The perception of the public has created a great connection or nexus between students’ union elections and national politics.
Thus, it has heighten the tension on the conduct of elections in the various universities within the country, as the election process does only attract enrolled students in the colleges, but it has gone far beyond what one can even imagine.
National politics has penetrated grossly on students’ union elections in various colleges as the government of the day would try everything within their reach to ensure that the entity which they see as their ally emerge as the winner in any given election that is conducted.
For time in memorial now, the outcome or the winner of students’ union elections is determined by the political party governing at that particular given time.
Citing instances of the outcome of past elections over the years, like the one between Regina Mondeh and Samuel Moore in 2007/2008 and also the one between Samuel Carter, a black candidate and Umaru Kamara, a white candidate in 2016/2017, the outcome of those elections were highly influenced by national politics.
The APC government at that time tried to influence the outcome in favour of the white camp candidate which they saw as their strong ally.
Similar happenings of different versions were witnessed in the just-concluded students’ union elections between Augustine Diction Bona, representing the black entity and Mohamed Kabba, representing the white entity and the outcome of the election was also grossly influenced by the current SLPP government as they tried everything within their reach to ensure that it turns out in favour of the black entity candidate, whom they see as their strong ally.
The interference of national politics in students’ union elections has contributed grossly in affecting the peaceful atmosphere of students’ union elections on campus, as the camp which does not have political backings at a particular given election normally engages in violent activities.
The Head of Media, Fourah Bay College Administration, Mr. Tonya Musa while speaking to this medium also shared similar views that the peaceful co-existence of campus elections have grossly been hindered by national political interference.
‘With no doubt, this amongst other minor factors are the causes of violence during students’ union elections, as the entity or camp which is not in line with the government of the day gets involved into certain acts that have the tendency to disturb the electioneering process’ he further stated.
With all these, it is now apt that students’ union elections is no longer what it used to be; it does not only attracts to enroll students, but it has gained a very strong grip to other facets within the country.
In that light, immediate and stringent measures need to be taken by the university administration in order to curtain the menace that is involved in students’ union elections.