By Hussain Wahab
A Foresight
It’s beyond dispute that UDUS is blessed. Don’t be deceived by the National Universities Commission (NUC) ranking. That one is more of a theory than reality. We are no longer living in the era of paper. Our students are excelling and outdoing their mates from other universities nationwide and on this continent. If you doubt this, check the scores of international fellowships and awards won by Danfodites.
Recently, our own Abdrasheed Hammad competed with scholars and won silver. Should we even talk about grace and fame– the likes of Abiodun Jamiu, Uchenna, Olokooba Abdul Wasiu, Abdullahi Tijani, and AbdulWaheed have been brought to the school as students.
Well, this is not where I’m going today. This write-up will be a foresight to what you may likely encounter in UDUS as a student.
Let me continue with the minimization of resources, this is very important as ‘sapa’ is real, particularly towards the end of the semester – then, even Garri will be nowhere to be found and there will be exams awaiting you. ‘Feel at home’ is good and will give your body better nutrients but it is good to save for the rainy days to avoid spacious ‘sapa’ and the feeling of leaving for home during the exam. I even saw a cruise that a ‘jambito’ gave Yaro boy N2k for helping him carry loads or the one that dashed out N5k to the borrower. That’s a good gesture. I will also love to be his friend if anyone can connect us. Lol. Before then, the jambito should try to multiply just #500 by the days he is going to spend in school. Hope he gets the math.
Yes, many thought they were now free the very day they finished their last paper for SSCE. They believed they were no longer caged birds. And once they laid their hands on the confirmation letter, they thought they would be living in a free town. No more flogging and stalking by either a teacher or parent. My dear, these thoughts are delusional and self-destructive if care is not taken.
Beware! In a campus like UDUS, there are many ways of killing rats without shedding blood. This means there are ways of punishing students aside from caning. If you want to understand me better: do and investigate the past student saga in UDUS, you would realize that even in Freetown, there is no free sleep.
While at home, you might have heard the feeding formula ‘1-0-1′ or 0-1-0’ and you paid a deaf ear. Please, open your eyes. It requires God’s grace to escape this in UDUS. It is not about your financial ability. No. It is divine that things can not be good all the time. A sloppy day must come. You should know there are days you will go to class without food and without hope of where and when to devour your favorite dish. That is how ‘we move’ in Fodio.
Also, brother, I know you’re a brilliant student. I heard how you scored A’s and B’s in your SSCE result and how you were celebrated as the best jambite in your community. Believe me, those are past glories and you should move away from them. This is a new life that requires a new soul and plans to live.
My final note: UDUS is a learning and character-based institution which will restructure, reform, build and prepare you against the odds of the future. Try to pass through the school and let the school also pass through you. But never be a triangle student whose daily life is very predictable:from the class to the library and then back to home. If you are wise, UDUS will teach you more than ‘Boko’. They are skills you will learn basically through your engagement in extracurricular. But it is good you understand what pays for you before embarking on any journey as a student. My advice!
Do have a blessed stay on campus!
Stay tuned as we bring you other episodes of this journey of UDUS 101.
Hussain Wahab is a 400-level Law student at UDUS and Managing-Editor at The NewsDigest press UDUS.