UDUMSA IN A YEAR: A REVIEW OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICES

A few days ago, a new set of hands took over the wheels of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Medical Students Association (UDUMSA)...

These new hands will lead for the next academic session, or rightly put, one complete year. This was after the previous administration of UDUMSA came to a ceremonial end. All offices dissolved and a caretaker committee sworn in pending the time the central executive (SUG) will conduct a democratic election and other associations will follow suit.

In that same breath, my tenure as the associate Editor in Chief of UDUMSA, member of the UDUMSA Planning Committee, and Lead of UDUMSA Debate Club came to an end. I am no more under any moral or legal obligation, and henceforth, I shall speak freely only as a Nexus Doctores and an active member of UDUMSA. I shall maintain my status as a representative in the UDUMSA Quiz Club and discharge my duties as a NiMSA official in UDUMSA. I must also remain a core Research Cohort with UDUMSA Research Club.

I thank my creator who gave me the capacity to deliver. I’m indebted to my team members, the executives, and the entire UDUMSAites who undoubtedly believe in my capabilities and trusted me with representation. At the end of the previous administration, I got one certificate of service. This last one, I got two certificates from two different offices and a joint award at the UDUMSA Dinner 2024 which took place on the 29th of June, 2024.

However, this piece is not about the new administration. It is more about the old administration and let’s just call it a quick review of all offices. I will try to make it as unbiased as possible and cover most grounds. We will also start from the lower ratings and work our way up.

Office of Assistant Secretary General

Mr ASG seemed to me (and I may be wrong) to be one of those people who was in office solely because their class wanted him there. Right from the campaign, to manifesto night, till inauguration, I never got the vibe that we have a capacity Assistant Secretary General. I rarely, if not never, saw him at UDUMSA activities/events and trust me when I say that we had several. He was not even at his own handing-over ceremony. What parts did he play in any of the hundreds of activities we did in the last 385 days of the last administration? Why was he so laidback whilst other executives basked in the spotlights? How did he contribute to UDUMSA? What projects did he lead? Mr Assistant Sec Gen seems to me to be a very lacklustre person who just wanted to see what it looked like to taste power. I’ll give him a 4/10.

Office of the Treasurer

I have some bias for this office simply because I once contested to be a treasurer in UDUMSA and lost at the polls. Nonetheless, I strongly think Mr Treasurer could have handled it better. As Treasurer, he was not supposed to be under the shadow of the President. He should have been independent from day one and his biggest KPI was how much money collected per class. Class Reps and influential people per class should be in his corner; he should be a regular face in classes but he only came to my class once to talk to us about the PreMB exam and nothing about why we should pay the dues. He should have investigated classes that were not fully cooperating with the aim of getting to know the cause and providing solution. My class as a whole used to be an underdog in UDUMSA after a couple of very messy issues and majority of the class decided not to pay their dues. This was resolved at the last congress of UDUMSA. The treasurer also failed to lend his voice during the several crises that plagued the last administration, even when his class was the primary victim. The Treasurer had just one constitutional job and whilst he executed it to his capabilities, it could be better. I'll give him a 6/10.

Welfare Director

SCOWELF can do better. This office worked mostly in the background and there was little to no noise about the work they were doing. I partly fault the director for this, he was not overtly a political person. Some of the good works they did include the UDUMSA library, welfarism during the Health week and some of the other events we did, and maybe taking care of the hostels too. However, that's not everything about welfarism. Where was SCOWELF during MBs and PreMBs? What programs did he make to help students during those trying times? Where was he during inter-class crises? The few times I worked with this office I learnt quickly that the director actually had genuine plans, he just did not execute all. The director is a kind person no doubt. He was soft-spoken throughout his tenure, very hospitable the few times I visited his room in the hostel, and was one of the few people that never became power-drunk. A solid 6/10.

Office of the Financial Secretary

What can I say about this office without sounding like a bully? Because the last time I grilled Mr Fin Sec at the congress, my chief did not even know where to start his rebuttals and the president had to step into the ring. Do you know the implications of that? A financial secretary who couldn’t hold his grounds against a barely third year medical student isn’t something of pride but screams incompetence. The Fin Sec did his constitutional job of keeping records —although, I'd say the records weren't meticulous— but he failed in the areas of being a financial adviser. He was approving money left and right; even the ones everyone at congress agreed were ostentatious. In every association I know, the financial secretary used to be a bigger opposition to the president than other executives because he/she holds access to all the monies and should guard it ferociously. Presidents will always make official requests for monies, it is the job of the financial secretary and the legislative arm to ensure monies are not just disbursed solely based on request but based on priority and solid financial decisions. He made some responsible dealings and worked in his own capacity too despite his humongous flaws. This office deserves a 6/10.

Sports Director

The thing with SCOGA was that he showed very great potential at the beginning of the administration but suddenly became laid back. At the beginning we were having several sports sessions. We had a couple of female badminton games. Two or three sports outdoor hangouts. Many indoor games etc. I'm not really big on sports but I can run to save my life, so I show up at sporting events mostly as a spectator. And SCOGA had great people to work with. His team cut across both clinical and preclinical. He was one of the executives that had well-defined teams. Personally, I did not have any strong interaction with the director of sports, but the general consensus was that he was a cool guy during his tenure. Nevertheless, I wish he hadn't just shut out and waited till health week to do something again. Was it because of funds? Was the pressure of extracurricular activities too much for him? Were there internal team problems? I honestly did not know. Beyond that, he was almost everywhere UDUMSAites were and included preclinical a lot in his activities. He was also a logistical support in situations that warranted his assistance. I will rate him a 7/10.

Academic Director

This was the office I engaged with the least for not-so obvious reasons. I am very pleased with the couple of mock tests organised and the anaemic weekly presentations —I'd later learn poor attendance killed the morale of it. However, the presentations seemed more like a state association kind of thing than it was for the whole UDUMSA, I guess that was why many people don't used to turn up. Also, SCOMEH director was hardly in our faces. He was not there to ask how the exams went after the boards, online or physically. As academic director, his job was not only to organize tutorials and mock tests, it included follow ups after these tests and exams. It included regularly getting assessments and questionnaires from students on how that particular class they were in was fairing academically. Nonetheless, the academic sessions and the Quiz session of the health week were highly commendable during his tenure and SCOMEH deserves his flowers. I rate him a 7/10.

Secretary General

The office of the secretary general is the secretariat of UDUMSA and I hold this office to a very high standard. Mr Sec Gen showed capacity. I think he made the office really desirable. Mr Sec Gen was always working and he listened. I had more friction with him than any other executive; we were always at two opposing ends but somehow usually meet at the middle. Sec Gen, a core conservative. Me, an unyielding liberal. Apart from his constitutional duties, he was always there for UDUMSA. He truly embodies leadership and delivers every damn time. You need an executive you can always count on, I'm directing you to him. However, occupying such pivotal position did come with plenty storms. In the areas of external communications, the Sec Gen ran a perfect ship. UDUMSAites were up-to-date on the latest correspondence regarding their association. However, internally, he seemed more like he was a suppressed voice. There were several situations when UDUMSAites counted on him to shine light on issues but never got response. Nobody knew Mr Sec Gen’s stance when the group was locked for several months or what steps he took to get it re-opened. Then there was the messy award nomination and presentation saga and how he almost totally soiled his own reputation with his deafening silence when called out severally. There is no argument that the Sec Gen took directives from the president, and I just wished he had maintained a firmer stance on issues he did not seem to agree with the president. UDUMSAites believed Mr Sec Gen chose not to be on the president’s bad books just to remain his anointed successor and played too hard to be seen as the good cop. Nonetheless, in the areas of cooperation, leadership, fostering teamwork and being an all-round decent person, he is deserving of 9/10.

Social Director

It was very obvious Social Director delivered from his office. At first, he seemed like those core "seniors are always right" person who'd never stoop low to work with junior colleagues. I used to be quite indifferent about him, and was not sure he could deliver the kind of social lifestyle I envisaged for UDUMSA. Also, based on how the electioneering that brought him in went, I just assumed he would be a class puppet who would only put the interest of his class first and not necessarily deliver. How wrong was I? The social director was hardworking, open to suggestions and opinions from everyone, very hospitable, and understands that leaders do not necessarily have to be at the forefront. If you get to meet him, at his core, he just wants to do his job, be social, chop life and move on. Social Director is as liberal a Fortis can get. Highly dependable, very dedicated and will always deliver. His tenure ushered so many social activities in and I gradually began to believe that indeed, medical students can wear multiple hats excellently. Cultural night, dinner, movies and game nights, indoor games, hike, hangouts, and many more happened during his tenure. He was a core planner and would always be there to do the grunt work just as much as he publicly loves to be appreciated. If you think this is a lie, ask anyone how grand his entrance was at the UDUMSA dinner and the hype that followed. Mr Social Director’s influence go as far as being a social lifeline at the other campus of the university. A solid team leader and generally friendly person. A solid 9/10

President

Indeed uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. I like Mr President more as a person than as the president. As a person, he is someone to have in your corner. At your lowest low, he will cross the 7 seas and mountains just to be there for you. That's a rare quality to find in people. He's also a sweet talker, eloquent speaker, enjoys massive fine boy privileges, cares for UDUMSA, and at his core, an all-round decent human being. As a president, well, presidency is tricky. So, I find it deeply confusing to juxtapose how someone can be such a decent human being and borderline Machiavellian president. He seemed like someone who read books like The Prince, 48 laws of power, The art of War, etc. (PS: if those are the kind of books you like, I'm giving you bad eyes). Mr President did not and cannot take a modicum of criticism. Berated Nexus so bad the whole class blacklisted him. His administration almost ended with a strong, irrevocable divide between the clinical and preclinical. He locked the group for months, gave a very unjust ruling just to serve the interest of his class. A core "seniors are always right" conservative leader. Also likes to play the good cop in a skewed good-cop-bad-cop politics. Employs silence as a defence strategy. And will never publicly acknowledge his own excesses. Assuming they did not open the association’s WhatsApp group after a slight online provocation between Nexus and Optimum, his administration would have ended with a legacy of stifling freedom of expression and just downright oppressive. On the good side, he did quite a lot for UDUMSA too and deserves credits. He spent heavily on the association, made difficult choices for the association, was everywhere and expertly knows how to take good care of his followers. He also rarely sang his own praises, which in retrospect, would have made people remember his good sides more than the flawed ones. At the beginning of the administration, Mr President listened to everybody, he was someone who would go hungry just to ensure his followers eat. Indeed uneasy lies the head wearing the damn crown. A fair 9/10.

Vice President

Madam VP of the most high. The one who raised the bar. Excellent team leader, highly diplomatic, perfectionist, and will agonize deeply for the slightest error. A great listener and most importantly, she is interested in getting the job done than anything else. I think the reason she delivered excellently was because for years VPs had always been figureheads in this MSA and she really wanted to prove that she was different. She's also someone with high energy but gets drained quickly if she's not getting the same from people around her. Madam VP gave her team essence and directly carries UDUMSA. Apart from the highly impressive health week — the best in years, the MSA also recorded some outstanding breakthrough. We had our first trade fair and blood drive. We had a health week that was majorly planned, directed and executed by preclinical. She was at the fore of bringing back preclinical and clinical together under the same roof. She believed everyone is capable of giving, if and only if we provide them with a chance to do so. Every UDUMSA event, madam VP was there. Every orientation, every meeting, she was there to offer a diverse perspective. However, Madam VP does not have the capacity for aluta. When push comes to shove, she would rather go to safe mode than chaos mode. A peace-loving, feminine, dedicated leader. She, like most of the executives sacrificed a lot. I know their reward is in heaven. And because I don't think there's anyone in UDUMSA at the moment who could have done it better than she did, I rate her a 10/10.

Director of Publication

I am biased because my position was under this office and I worked directly with Director of Pub. Nonetheless, everything I say is true. He was the best executive in that administration and nobody, again nobody comes anywhere close. He is the perfect example of excellent leader. He gave every member of SCOPUB creative liberty and doesn't micromanage people. He had plans before he even took office and "hit" the ground running right from day one. The only executive who delivered 100% during that tenure was him. He was highly diplomatic, most admired and very calm. Another thing he did better than anyone was carefully selecting his whole team within days post inauguration. Some of his team member already got the offer to work with him before inauguration. The only issue I had with the director of publication was that he had a lot on his plates and sometimes things may slip through the cracks. However, he had competent people as quarterbacks and they never disappointed. I am also glad that the director recognises the fact that his wins were that of SCOPUB team, and SCOPUB’s wins were his too. The committee on publication had 100% highly efficient people in publicity, editorial, and graphics design teams. We had Muizzah and Rosha (whom sadly, despite being nominated amongst the new caretaker, rejected the offer). We had Fatihu, Malik, Nahimullahi, Hikmat, Femi, Abdullahi, Ibrahim, Khadija, Abu Uthameein, Salim, and others. The secret is one person can't do it alone, and SCOPUB Director had 17 other amazing people to do it with. No one really can beat that easily. He restored UDUMSA's PR back to how it was as one of the leading MSA in Northwest Nigeria. 10/10 because he over delivered and deserved way more.

© Ololade Edun.