The last ABH election season was not one to forget in a hurry. Many of the races were tightly contested, with twists and surprises at every turn. Few offices however, were spared from the drama of the elections. The Office of the Defence Minister was one of such offices.
Only one candidate deemed himself fit to throw his hat in the ring for the Herculean task of keeping brownites and their property safe. Mr Igwilo Joshua promised brownites strength and tact in dealing with the security issues in the hall. He also stated, in speaking with the ABH press that the ABH gym was a particular concern of his. He said, “So one of my major focuses is actually making the ABH gym a good place for everyone to work out, for every Brownite, both male and female.”
Mr Igwilo’s manifesto also reflected his campaign promises, with grand plans for the security of the hall and revitalization of the gym. With almost 150 days gone in his tenure, it might be worth a look into the performance of the Office of the Defence Minister.
While security in the hall may be difficult to objectively assess, some pointers may be useful in evaluating the security of the hall during Mr Igwilo’s tenure. Brownites may remember the nightly patrols of the hall by the Defence Minister and a team of volunteers. “Security Update” broadcast messages were also quite common, warning brownites of suspicious faces or disseminating security tips. A number of thefts have been recorded in the hall and a number of people have been apprehended and dealt with.
However, these updates have become fewer and further in between. The last security alert from the Defence minister came about 3 months ago. This is compounded by the fact that Mr Igwilo was not seen in the hall in a very long time. Though school hasn’t been in session due to the prolonged ASUU strike with a good number of Brownites being away but for at least two months, the Defence Minister has been absent from the hall with no formal explanation or apparent arrangements made for the fulfillment of his duties in his absenceThe state of the hall, if every other member of the executive council were to leave their offices unattended for so long would be better imagined.
Mr Igwilo’s three-point agenda to revamp the ABH gym has also left a lot to be desired. His plans included:
1. Fund raising
2. Publicity: class drives, ABH gym exhibitions, and concepts for the fund raising.
3. Re-innovation: structure, electrical work, equipment(repair of old ones and purchase of new ones) and making the gym more female friendly(purchasing of female fitness materials).
Some of the equipment have been indeed been repaired. However, the gym is still in the sorry state it has always been in. His plans to make the gym more appealing to female members of the hall also seems to be lagging, as the gym is still solely populated by men.
Other events promised by the Defence Minister have failed to come to fruition. The promised fire drills and bimonthly gym exhibitions are yet to happen nor plans for them been publicized.
The Office of the Defence Minister is very important to the running of the hall and the welfare of brownites. While this administration hit the ground running in that regard, they seem to have run out of steam and have left much to be desired. With a lot of time left in the tenure, there is still a lot that can be done to ensure that this administration sets the bar at the highest possible level.
