Awo Hall Defence Committee: A Case Of A Power Hungry Or An Over Zealous Committee

By: Daphne Blake

It was Tuesday night; Hannah* and her friend, after a long day of classes and walking, had barely settled down in their room when there was a knock on the door to the room. Fola* Hannah’s friend, who was a regular in that room but not an occupant, opened the door to let whoever was on the other side in. She had earlier seen them roaming the corridor, and assuming that they were part of the common pot committee, she didn’t hesitate to let them in.

However, on getting into the room, they announced that they were part of the Awo Defence Committee and immediately began to look around. One of the committee members proceeded to use her leg to nudge a stove with a pot set aside. This action didn’t sit well with Fola, Hannah and Hannah’s roommate, and that was when the atmosphere became cold. While laying her complaint, Hannah explained that she felt like the students who were part of the Awo Defence committee acted like people intoxicated with power and ready to use it however they pleased. Hannah and her friend
were not the only people who had an encounter with the Awo Defence Committee that night. Before going any further, we should discuss who the Awo Defence Committee are.

What You Should Know About the Awo Defence Committee

Sometime towards the end of the first semester, almost all Awoites had laughed at the broadcast notification prompting them to sign up to become part of Awo’s Defence Committee. The questions then arose; ‘will committee members serve as our new security? Or is there something else?”. This question for many, including Hannah, remained unanswered for a while, even after the committee’s formation.
The Committee, as dutifully explained by its chairperson after the little altercation between Hannah and three of the Committee members, was set up to not only ensure that Awoites followed the rules of the hall and also that they stayed safe and protected within the hall. They also claim to be advocates for Awoites to prevent them from getting punished. According to her, they were given the authority by the hall porters to go around rooms for checks to ensure the hostel and its occupants were in good shape.

The Awo Defence Committee Might Be The New Power Corrupts

A scholar once said Power Corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely; this might be the case of the Awo Defence Committee in the eyes of residents that had the chance to encounter them the night of their raid.
As stated earlier, Hannah’s case was not the only case where students had met with the unpleasant side of some of the committee members.

Abigail* and her roommate had also gotten a visit from the committee, and to them, it was not pleasant. Abigail claimed that they were not only rude, they also kept on opening the doors and wardrobes without any permission given. According to her, just like Hannah, they gave no information about their duties and why they were in the room but proceeded to carry out their supposed ‘duty’.

Tales of rudeness are not all that had to be said about the committee, as some students did confirm that the members that paid their room visits were polite and pleasant, asking for permission before carrying out
any action. It is unsure if this was after some students had laid their complaints or if they were different people going around.
Speaking to the chairperson of the committee, Kehinde Rachael Adegboye, she said

This was expected because Awoites weren’t expecting the committee to move around the hall when they did. The plan was to catch defaulters in the act without prior notice. For our subsequent moves, we would try as much as we could to be polite because we all have dif erent levels of tolerance. Also, the issue of the committee members being defaulters is not unexpected. All Awoites are involved in the
filtering process. Defaulters should be reported regardless of their status.

She also confirmed that she knew Awoites were unaware of the Committee. The committee has sent out broadcasts on different occasions to inform Awoites about its existence. However, the loads of messages that Awoites put on the group at dif erent times have watered down the numerous efforts made. Going through the floor representatives is another way to create a solid awareness. We hope we get to use the platform; the committee is working on that already. She noted.

The Awo Defence Committee might have just started its operation around the hostel, but it has definitely left students with a lot to say. However, even with so much to say, very few reports about them seem to be
good. If the committee would carry out its duties properly and get on the good side on students would be discovered in the long run.

Some of the names used in these piece are barely pseudonyms of those really involved.