Power

T

ension was everywhere in the reading room; so thick you could almost slice through.

Nobody wanted to be there, everyone wanted to part ways before things got out of hand. Whenever a chair was scrapped across the terrazzo floor, hairs stood. Nobody wanted to shed blood but as the saying goes, ‘when push comes to shove’.

It all started earlier in the week. The auditorium was filled with youths from diverse backgrounds. Everyone was on a personal mission. A mission to stay focused. The voices of their loved ones echoed and re-echoed in their heads and they beat their chests, promising that they would not let them down. It was every gentleman for himself because everyone knew that the final day was slowly but surely catching up and no one wanted to be left behind.

And then the announcement was made. Innocent but deadly; that thing called social contract which many philosophers like Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau popularly posited on. In an instant, things changed. There seemed to have formed at the top of everyone’s head thought clouds of what the future would be like, if only they were elected or their best friend were to be elected. The benefits seemed unending. A status change was at the forefront of everyone’s daydream. ‘Levels go change because we go hammer’; that was the thought that ran through their minds. All of a sudden every man realised that no man was an island, it was no longer ‘every man for himself’.

The game changed. It became ‘grab every man that you can for yourself’. Every corner you passed there was someone sweet-talking another into believing the outrageous things to be gained in their tenure. Just like that, they had forgotten their promises to their loved ones, their promises to themselves at the start. They were now blinded. The spectators watched, laughed as they got wooed by the sugar-coated tongues of the aspirants whom they thought they were playing around like pieces on a chess board. ‘Brother if you want my vote, you must make sure every day I have my breakfast, lunch and dinner brought to my door oh. Also don’t forget the foot massage that I would need every other day; this book that we are reading here is not easy, I need to release the tensions .’

After promising their vote, they went on to other aspirants making even more ridiculous and selfish demands until the appointed day arrived.

Everyone was convened in the only public area in the hostel. The votes had been cast, the winners had emerged, but the people were not happy with the choice. Some wanted gender balance, others wanted interest balance and none was in the wrong. Voices were raised, tempers were high, eyes were bloodshot and sweat was dripping everywhere. This was not going to be accepted without a fight, for no one was ready to back down.

Eventually everyone was worn out. They had to get back to their rooms to prepare for the next day and rest because at the end of the day, that position was for only two persons and not a hundred. They had voted and all they could do was hope that those who got the power also have their best interests at heart, otherwise it was every man for himself just like before.

Oluwaseyi Lawal