Before students’ ‘rag day’ is further bastardised

Students during a rag day. Photo: Daud
Olatunji

‘Rag day’ is a day for students of tertiary institutions to act ‘insanely’ during their union week. The fun is that students, who look demented in their odd clothings, would approach people for money, which would later be donated to the less-privileged. However, this lofty idea is being exploited by some who see it as an opportunity to make money for personal use as Daud Olatunji reports.

The fact that Nigerians worship money has made it possible for them to do anything for its sake.

While there are millions of Nigerians who make their money through legal channels, there are millions of others who are involved in illegal businesses or rituals to make their money.

The situation in the country has made it even more pathetic as many school leavers who have no job now cut corners in order to make money.

While school leavers struggle to find something doing, millions of undergraduates in tertiary institutions across the country, who are already feeling the difficult situation also try to supplement whatever they are given at home.

This has turned most female undergraduates into prostitution while the males look for other survival means.

And one of such is using the ‘rag day’ as an opportunity to make quick money. Those who are not students also seize the opportunity to act like one, as one would be surprised at the amount of money that could be made participating in the rag day.

Traditionally, after a rag day, students union governments (SUGs) usually donate the proceeds to the less-privileged, especially the motherless babies and physically-challenged peoples’ homes.

But things are changing fast and most of these students now keep whatever profit made during the rag day because of financial constraints.

The president of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State, Students’ Union Government (SUG), Comrade Lamide Lawal, while speaking with Nigerian Tribune on the issue, said situations where students keep the money they made on rag days had led to a resolution by SUGs across the country to always collect a certain amount of money from interested students before giving them customised cans.

Comrade Lawal said it was the financial state of many students that forced them into using the money collected.

Nigerian Tribune met recently with some students who were on rag day in Abeokuta, Ogun State. They explained that the activity was an avenue to make some money for themselves.

When reminded that the proceeds were to be remitted to their SUG for donation to the less-privileged, one of them retorted: “Anyone who needs money should also wear rags and move about in the streets, begging for alms.”

One of the students, Jumoke Babalola of MAPOLY, confessed to the Nigerian Tribune that the reason for her involvement in the activity was because of her financial situation.

“ I have a lot of assignments to submit and I need money to procure some text books and it is so difficult to raise money these days”, she explained, saying she didn’t want to sell her body to get money.

“So, making money through this (rag day) is a better way to get money than prostitution”.
Another student, Sukura Ayinde, who also said she was participating in the rag day because she needed the money for personal use, believes it is one of the easiest ways of making money as a student.

“Though it could be stressful but it is worth it at the end of the day,” Sukura said. Also commenting on the issue, MAPOLY Press Club president, Comrade Akeem Salami, in his opinion, described rag-days an avenue for students who need financial assistance to realise some money. He said this would complement whatever such students were given by their parents or guardians

Lamenting what rag day has been turned to, Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Ogun State chapter, Comrade Osunnubi Babatunde a.k.a Funfun Nene, said some students, because of their lust for money, had bastardised the exercise.

He said what rag days stood for traditionally was for the proceeds to be taken to the less-privileged, to assist them adding “but what we find these days is that students keep whatever money they made.”

Comrade Babatunde then charged students not to forget the lofty ideals for which the activity was set up, saying students needed to show sympathy to those in need.

Also speaking, a former student of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), Pastor Israel Bankole, while sharing his opinion, said there was nothing wrong in students using the money made during rag days.

He said it was a great opportunity for some students who could not engage in immoral acts to earn income and to finance their academics.

However, while the legality or otherwise of students who use the proceeds for personal use is still being debated, many who are not students have, on many occasions, capitalised on rag day to earn extra money.

Recently, a supposed student was seen in Ibadan, ‘ragging’. The unrefined manner with which he carried out the exercise gave room for suspicion. When asked for the name of his institution, he said University of Ladoke Akintola. It was laughter galore at the venue.

It became apparent that he was either a fake or one of the highly unserious students. Though, it is often difficult to differentiate between a student and someone who is not, such people could easily be exposed by taking them to task such as asking them about their institutions, what they study and the names of principal officers of their institutions, would easily differentiate a true student from one who is not.