When ‘Com-raids’ gang up and ‘kill’ a Comrade

……. The painful exit of Miss Nwusulor Dorathy.

Kayode Ogunjobi

I read the Facebook post of Joebliss Nnamdi Ekechi on the painful exit of Miss Nwusulor Dorathy and my heart bled profusely. I tried to imagine the torrential thoughts that must have been going on in her mind for those weeks, months and year prior to her death. It is so sad that the Comrades or better still ‘Come raids’ ‘killed’ a Comrade over activities of leadership of student body. Reading the story, I could interact very well. It sunk into me deeply because I have been there. It is unfortunate that the ‘Come raids’ consumed the Comrade who stood tall challenging the status quo despite being a lady.

“Miss Nwusulor Dorathy Akuchi, was the first Female President of the Law Students’ Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), Ebonyi State University Chapter, a very coveted Office which she was appointed into to defy the conventional Elections of the Faculty which had gone wild during her time, after she secured the wholesome trust and confidence of both the Faculty Management and the Students, given her excellent Academic performance, having represented her Class as a Senator at the LAWSA House of Assembly, and having also served her Class, the Law Class of 2021 as a Course Representative”.

It is clear from the above paragraph that there were powers who felt that it was their responsibility to determine who becomes what. These are the same students who would want to condemn the political parties but do the same thing. There are also such categories of people among the various staff unions. These are people who want to lord it over others either because they are politically influential or because of other reasons. I recall vividly while contesting as SUG President, I had met a fellow student who I was told had a political clout. Unfortunately, I did not know him and meeting him for the first time he told me pointedly and unambiguously that I should stop wasting my time , energy and money as according to him, there was no way I could emerge as the President. A student turning himself to God before his colleague. They must have done everything, I mean everything, to stop Dora from emerging as the President. Dora defeated the status quo and rather than celebrate her gut and determination, help her to blossom, they went for the shining star with the determination of the devil.

“Dora met her crossroads when she kicked off preparations for the annual and compulsory LAWSA Dinner for 2021, and began raising funds from external sources to augment the meagre resources she inherited with office. Being a vibrant young lady, beautiful and brave, Dora found favour with which she staged a record-breaking Dinner for the Faculty at that time.”

It is possible that some of those individuals attended the dinner. It is even possible that she waved some things for some of them just to buy peace but the truth is that some of them were unrepentant haters. There are categories of people who cannot see good in what another man is doing once they are not the one. Walk on water, they are not moved. They are blinded by envy, jealousy and naked hatred.

“Her success triggered more hatred “It was at this point that her fighters came. They demanded a cut from the Money she realised from her donors independent of their efforts, and when she insisted on applying the whole Money to the Dinner for which it was raised, they moved to pull her down. They incited Students against the Dinner, discouraged and threatened attendance of same, but because Dora was a Child of grace, that Dinner did not just succeed, it is still very famous as one of the best events in that Faculty, especially as it secured the presence of notable bigwigs both in the State and in the Legal Profession.”

“Dora thought she had succeeded, the stress she pulled through planning that eventful Dinner was almost washed away by the cheers and commendations which followed her success. Everything fell in place for her until spells of an indicting petition brewed the Faculty. Her Fighters who were just very few persons from her own class and other heros, had gone ahead to recruit more men into their conspiracy. Their communication rose so vast that they grew into multifarious groups: Forum of LAWSA Course Representatives, Forum of LAWSA SUG Stakeholders, and CONCERNED LAW STUDENTS Forum, all driven by one egocentric mantra “Dora Must Account.” The members of this group were one, and had just a purpose: to bring Dora to her Feet, and to keep Dora back in the Faculty, for what reason? for refusing to give them a good cut of the LAWSA Cake, and for looking down on the canvassed pride of place they held in the Faculty of Law.”

From experience, I know the various groups are engineered by the same handful set of people who were soaked in acrimony against her rising star. They pride themselves in writing petition and believe so much in the potency of their petition. They are never bothered whether what they are writing is true or false but are always united in their evil. On many occasions either as Student Affairs Officer or as a Lecturer, I have had to interphase to stop such evils among students who want to fight dirty. Some never bother to think that they could meet beyond the campus. As parents, we must begin to tell our children not to be part of a gang- up against anyone.

“To pursue this selfishness, her fighters rose a petition inquiring into Dora’s expenditures of the money she raised for the Dinner in her place as a LAWSA President, and summed it up with an allegation that Dora embezzled a humongous amount of money running into many millions in their words, and being the money raised for the Faculty Dinner. They prayed the Faculty to harass her graduation and copied same to the School Management, in response to which a Panel of investigation was set up to hear the petition.

In my considered opinion, the fact that the University constituted a panel of investigation which reportedly took the case and the resolution allowed her to proceed to the Nigerian Law School should have changed the orientation of her adversaries but that was not the case. Such adversaries can even go to the extent of manufacturing stories that she is a girlfriend or daughter to the Vice-Chancellor or a powerful member of the Panel. They are people that can say anything to the extent of lying against themselves just to justify their falsehood and push the narrative. Imagine if someone had said that Dora collected N10M from someone and gave him N1.5M. It will be difficult not to believe him but I have seen people like that in my leadership journey.

I must confess that the office of Dean of Student Affairs of our Universities require men who are clean, wise, versatile, intellectually sound, strong in character, persuasive and assertive. I do not have to be in Ebonyi or ask anyone before I know the pains of the Dean, Student Affairs of that University. I do not even know his name but I am sure the ‘Come raids’ embarrassed him. No University would want to lose any of the students let alone a shining star like Dora. Maybe by the time more facts emerge, we will know how an issue that did not stop Dora from graduating in school stopped her at the law school.

Because Dora still had to go to Law School having been freed by the University gave her enemies the opportunity to shift the battle to another ground.

” I believe grace saw her through again, and she got the leniency to proceed to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus in furtherance of her Studies. Her fighters roared and neighed, and swore to march her feet to the Nigerian Law School. Their ploys and antics were almost failing until the day of Dora’s Bar Finals. She narrated that she was already seated for the epic Examination, having merged her posture to her Examination Number, expecting her Examination Papers, when she was called out of the Hall by the Examiners to be told of a confronting petition against her, disqualifying her for the life time Exams for which she had spent time and energy preparing. Eventually, Dora lost the chance to sit for her Exams that year with her mates, she was not called to the Nigerian Bar, and was not also sure of resitting the Exams since her petitioners sought her expulsion from the Nigerian Law School.”

So sad! Was Dora found guilty? What was the resolution of the University panel? Did the panel absolve her of any blame or there were conditions attached to her being cleared by the University. If there were conditions, what are the conditions? I have seen situations wherein the executives of a student body are made to refund money based on investigation without which the student would not be cleared for NYSC.

While we await information on what triggered stopping Dora from completing her final paper at Law School, it is imperative to alert our children to avoid being used to ‘torment and kill’ others.

No matter what the answers to the questions are, the fact remains that they ‘killed’ Dora before her death. Being in the middle of a gang- up is not a cup of tea. How would a lady of that age bear such aburden. They went for her and there was no enough shield for her. Being in a sad situation for a year is enough to kill. Seeing her colleagues moving forward and her being stagnant for serving is a poison to any human. She wanted to be different but they were indifferent to her calling. They ‘killed’ her before her time.

Dora died in an accident en route to the Lagos Campus of the Nigerian Law School to resit her Bar Final Exams after years of investigation. Yes, Dora is dead and I hope her adversaries will be happy now and celebrate their victory. I hope those whose trademark is petition writing would learn a lesson. I hope we will all learn and adopt a principle that if we cannot lift a man up we should not bring him down. What are the gains of the ‘Come- raids’? If they could not praise Dora, they should have kept mute. I am sure they never envisaged that Dora would die, they wanted to ‘show’ her but now she has transferred the pains to her adversaries.

Dora has been described as Woman of strength. Olisa Nwukuru posited :

“The darkest cloud has fallen on us, the Students’ Community of Ebonyi State, and the Faculty of Law, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki.

We mourn the passing of a vibrant young girl, a lady who toiled with her sweat and with her breath to make her mark; who traveled the longest of odds to conquer her travails; we mourn Comrade Dorathy Akuchi Nwusulor- the first Female President of the Faculty of Law, Ebonyi State University, and a Candidate of the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus since 2020 until her painful death yesterday en route to the Lagos Campus of the Nigerian Law School.

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I followed the events of your ordeal and torment, which followed you from the Faculty of Law to the Nigerian Law School, from where man’s inhumanity to man also chased you. A bright young lady who withstood the storm and withered enormous challenges till death.

Your death has robbed us of your doggedness, your capacity and your enormous wisdom. Born with the brightest star and overshadowed by the darkest cloud with a heart pierced by the sharpest blade of pain inflicted on you by unjustified rivalry.

You will be remembered by the circumstances you fought so hard to brave. You will be remembered by the Leadership you afforded, and till the close of the age, your death will continue to reflect how wickedness, malice, and intimidation can cut a life too short.

Farewell, woman of strength!

Ochiagha.

Some of the lessons from this issue is that leaders either male or female should know that there are haters. Not realising this in good time is dangerous. Those who have made frivolous petition writing their hobby should desist from the evil act. Do unto others as you want done unto you. Let us not encourage evil petitioners to thrive among us. This is not to rule out the fact that people can write petitions. However, petitions based on hatred and politics should not be allowed to thrive. Students bodies should develop and adopt a workable platform of giving financial reports. I know it is possible that there were monies expended but could not be accounted for due to the nature of organisation of student bodies but this should be improved upon . Staff Advisers and Students Affairs Officers will have to step up the game to protect other Dorathys from the hawks. Beyond the official approach is the pastoral responsibility which is recognised in Universities outside Nigeria. There should be atleast one person that the petitioners would respect and honour to discontinue their against Dora after the University panel.

Unfortunately, students no longer ‘fight’ University administrations or government but the students now engage against themselves.

May the soul of Dora rest in perfect peace.