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First Female President of the University of Calabar Student Union Government, Blessing Alims speaks with OLUMIDE OLUSEGUN on her career, the decision to appoint 50 students as aides, student loans, among other issues.
Can you tell us about yourself and your background?
I am Blessing Alims. a 300-level student of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Calabar, I am from the Bekwarra Local Government Area of Cross River State. I am a Christian. I have been a volunteer with NGOs. I engage in a lot of social impact projects for the humanitarian good. I do this by collaborating with individuals who share my vision and mission as well.
How has been your journey of emerging as the first female president in the history of the UNICAL SUG?
My journey was not smooth. I skilled through because it was something I had decided to do. So, against all odds, I kept my head up high and pursued my set aspirations. I chose to lead with the desire to always impact and make a difference wherever I find myself. I have always been passionate about service to humanity in whatever I am doing. So, getting to be a SUG president gives me more opportunity to be responsible and work towards ensuring the welfare of the students is adequately catered for. This new role allows me to influence the decision-making process that will benefit the students as far as the institution is concerned.
What were some of the challenges you faced when vying for this position?
Firstly, I had a financial challenge. It was because I didn’t have a political sponsor or godfather, as the case may be. That was what I faced severely. I know of a contestant who had an affiliation with government officials. Also, people would put it on your face that you are a woman and you cannot do it. And I am not on the fat side. I am on the slim side, so you can imagine what people would say. ‘Oh, is this who wants to lead us?’
How were able to come out of the financial challenges that you eventually won the election?
I had good friends and well-wishers. If I needed one million to do a campaign, I had to break it down to see how I could get 50 people to give me N20,000. So, I decided to go back to my little network, my little group of friends.
How much did it cost you to run your campaign and eventually contest for the position?
I know I was advised to keep records, but I didn’t want to break my heart, in case the game didn’t come out well. But approximately, I spent over a million.
And how did you handle the criticism that you are a woman and you may not be able to lead?
I didn’t just allow what they were saying to get over me. I know I have the qualities to lead. So those words fell on deaf ears. I just concentrate on what I want to do. Also, it is all about self-confidence. So I concentrated on the right strategies for the election.
What are the strategies?
I did my campaign well. I targeted the students at the hostels. I did what I could do and then I had a name for myself, which was V.O.B, that’s Voice of Blessing. And I had to work with the team in sharing my posts on platforms. My media team was fully engaged in publicising all I had been doing on and off campus. So that was one thing that made me stand out differently among other contestants that were doing things within the university for the first time. I had a trademark of what I had done.
The issue of the involvement of women in politics has continued to be a public discussion, do you intend to take your political career after academics to normal politics in the outside world?
Yes, I do. I am just waiting to be the first female governor of Cross River State. Well, that will start from somewhere and it has started.
What are you doing to achieve this aspiration?
I will be graduating next year and I will also be out of the office by next year. After that, I know I have built some structures with some organisations supporting women in politics. With such structures and the structure you will build, you will start by vying for your immediate constituency to see how that goes. If it doesn’t go that way, you are lucky. You get appointed by the government to serve in a certain capacity that projects you into your aspiration. Everything is about a platform, a platform to build, a platform to explore and to grow.
What is your take on the current level of women’s participation in politics?
I would say that the women are trying, despite all the difficulties. They have been projecting themselves and getting to where they want. But it is not enough. We need more seats. And just as my mentor would always say, that if you are given a position to lead as a woman, give other women the reason to also lead. Do not kill the dreams of other women. I got a call from someone in the University of Jos, that there is a female also wanting to run. So my emergence is not just for me but for many others. If we have women coming out to vote for certain offices it is good and should be encouraged.
Looking at your recent activity as President of the Student Union, you appointed 50 students as your aides. What informed your decision?
When we talk about appointments of aides, I don’t know the idea that people have. Is it based on the monetary value they get or what? We should also know that this is unionism. And while vying for certain positions, you have students who have sacrificed their time in lectures just to pursue your course and see how they contribute their little quarter to your emergence. And in unionism, there is no amount spelled out to pay appointees. It is conventional. It has been there. And what informs someone’s decision to appoint aides are simply those who have worked for you. It showed that you were not alone. You had supporters. You had people who were piloting your course. The University of Calabar has over 30,000 students. And as a president, do you function well by just appointing five persons? How sure are you that you are going to get across to all faculties? Looking at the appointment list, you can see we have liaison officers. The liaison officers are representatives of faculties in the government. And then going back, you see the core appointees are about 37 or thereabouts. These people are an organised set of students offering voluntary service, not in exchange for any monetary value. And in that process, they are building their skills as well. So it’s an opportunity for people to learn.
So what would be your message to your critics who are saying this will cost a lot of expenditures within the government and this may even cost an extra cost of governance?
It doesn’t cost any extra cost of governance because it is not spelled out constitutionally that you should pay appointees. But it has given that liberty to us as student union leaders to appoint people who will help us in carrying out our responsibilities. For instance, as we speak, I am not in school to supervise what is happening there but I have appointees that are there. And it feels as if I am there and they give feedback to me on what is happening. So, you are not paying them. Organized set of individuals carrying out voluntary service.
As you have said, you appointed the 50 students as aides as a way of rewarding those who had supported you for the emergence which some have said is a replica of what President Bola Tinubu did and was criticised for. How will you react to that?
Well, we are talking about two scenarios. We are talking about President Tinubu who is in control of trillions and those appointees get paid. And on the other hand, we are looking at students who are not with their parents, living in their comfort zone to ensure that these are done. So, these are two scenarios. The appointees do not get paid on my end. The appointees of the Federal Government get paid. So, he (Tinubu) has the prerogative to settle his supporters in many dimensions other than appointment but for student unionism, that is not the case. Those are two different things that should be understood clearly.
Some have said to become a Student Union Government President, You must belong to a cult. Which cult group do you belong to before you could emerge as President?
I don’t belong to anyone. I have always been a focused student. I focus on my books, home, church activities, and my work. So, I didn’t join any of those associations. I had mentioned earlier that one of the challenges I had was not having a godfather. So, someone who is in a cult or belongs to some certain association or organisation will not have that particular challenge.
Do you at any point during the process of contesting for the position face the challenge of one cult group or the other threatening you?
Not at all. One thing in leadership is that you need to recognise certain groups exist and when they exist, you pay reference to them, not because you belong. The Bible says, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. So, for you to have a smooth administration or to have a smooth election process, just as we do what is called consultation, if you have certain groups of persons that are identified to be this and that, it is pertinent that you consult them and not make them feel that they are segregated. In so doing, nobody comes to harass you or pressure you.
So, are there cult groups in Unical?
Well, I don’t know how to respond to your question, but there are associations in Unical. You cannot take touts out of the existence of a particular place. So, whether they are called cult groups or they are called whatever, I am not interested. But if you want to find out if there are cult groups in the University of Calabar, you can come down and find out.
One of the challenges of unionism is hooliganism, crisis, violence, and fighting which is one issue that has always occurred when NANS and other unions are conducting elections. What is your take on this?
Yes, there is no peace without violence. So, for you to have peace, that means the atmosphere must have been distorted. So, when you are talking about the issues that have to do with NANS and others, it is now left for the NANS body to see how they put in place measures to ensure those crises or those problems do not arise.
The Federal Government initiated the student loan. What is your take and your reservations about it?
The student loan has the name student loan. Well, for my end, I am yet to see any student benefiting from it. So, until then, I will know if the student loan is for students. On the other hand, from the criteria or the mode of payment, it is not for an average Nigerian student whose parents do not earn up to $500. If you go by the criteria and requirements to assess the student loan, then I would say it is for highly placed students whose parents are well-to-do and not for an average Nigerian student whose mother tried to make ends meet by menial jobs.
Are you saying that the loan is not designed for poor students?
Certainly.
What gives you that impression?
Have you gone through the requirements to assess the loan? Well, if you go through the requirements to assess the loan, then you will understand better why I am coming from this position.
What do you think the Federal Government should do in this regard?
The Federal Government has already set out its measures. If you want to give students loans, it is very simple. You will visit the universities and see how you will reduce the requirement in assessing this loan. But being that they already have their set requirements will they want to go back? I know that that process has been criticised over time.
The #EndBadGovernanceProtest was held recently and the Federal Government took some steps during the protest. What is your take on the protest?
Nigerians have the right to protest when things are not going well. I am a Nigerian. Five months ago, I know how much I used to pay for transportation and it is no more that way. So, the protest was not something bad, just that in the case whereby people used that scenario to cause havoc by hijacking things and looting property, that is the problem. However, the protest has been peaceful in some other places.
How has your relationship been with the school management in the area of administration?
For you to have a smooth administration, you need to have a working relationship with both the students and the school management. The school does not operate in isolation, neither does the student body.
Unical management suspended a student, Livinson Arikpo, who led a peaceful protest. Some have described it as a form of intimidation. What is your take on it?
In regards to the student that was suspended, that happened not just because of the protest that was at hand, but as a result of some lingering issues for him breaching matriculation oaths. Just that the story that the media tells comes from the other angle. And the said student has been restated. It is something that with the VC we had discussed extensively that this is someone who has been serving Nigerian students. The reason why the school management frowned was because the SUG was not carried along on the protest. And for a protest to be called a protest within the university community, it should be spearheaded by the student union leaders. But we were breached and I think that was one of the reasons the management just frowned as a way of disciplinary measure. All that was said in the letter was that the suspended student should see the disciplinary committee and explain the allegations. Until it is proven, It is still alleged.
What is your advice to females who are aspiring for political positions either in the student body or outside politics?
Is that you should keep your head up high. Set your goals, know your limit, and don’t be too desperate.
