Spent the weekend migrating my emails and documents between computers and stumbled on this email exchange, which I was cc’ed on, from my days on the fringes of the student association during my MSc a few years ago.. Our (Nigerian) verbosity is almost certainly genetic, I think! Enjoy!

Dear Comrades,

Having perused and assimilated the content of this mail, I awaited intelligent responses from the house on this germaine issue that has precipitated. Fortunately it seems the house finds this subject too mundane, trivial and bereft of credibility, with contents premised on lack of tact and knowledge of due process in electorial affairs. However in the spirit of comradeship,I have taken it upon my humble self to initiate this thread which I hope will serve to enlighten our Exco on how these state affairs are conducted for a laudable house as ours.

First for a process like this an electorial board or committee is inaugurated, comprising of unbiased members of house who are not serving on any executive position. This committee unanimously decides the parametric confines of the electoral process, enact necessary laws to guide the elections and if need be, place particular conditions contesting candidates must satisfy .

Let me reinforce that the N*******e Nigerian Students Association is a laudable, magnificient body of high caliber persons from diverse schools of thought, underscored with the essence of superb intellectual capacities. As such it behoves that the way we conduct our affairs as collective ambassadors of our great nation in the diaspora with robust respect for due process. While I have no misgivings whatsoever about proper introductions in this electoral process, I maintain that the manner in which the matter has been presented reeks of disdain and maladministration of rights.

If the present members of Exco (who never delivered any manifestos, or introductions as to their persons or the suitability of their candidatures would treat us with the respect we deserve as Nigerian intellectuals in the diaspora, then they should put in place the necessary political infrastructure required for this exercise in a properly coordinated way. If however, Comrade A***o has put it upon herself to be the champion of this political mediocrity, I believe it is our responsibility to point out errors. For avoidance of doubt, let me state that this is no bandwagon of kangaroos for which two hybrids monkeys have been invited to dance.Rather, we are in the process of electing representatives who we expect to serve us as a body and if we cant afford a grandiose electoral body, let us at least have the skeletal structure to serve the same purpose rather than indulge in flimsy, whimsical mail sending exercises.

Let me state here that this call goes to the President of the Association to do the needful and not hide behind imcompetent disciples as we find this not acceptable for us as positive thinking intellectuals.

I rest my case.

I remain,

Comrade OM