Episode 3
THE CRUSADER
Ajemo Secondary School where Kola was recently transferred to head was one of the oldest schools in the country. Many great citizen occupying high positions both in political and business world across the country graduated from the school. Each year, the school played host to its old students. The gathering usually provided a platform for interaction among the old students. It was a forum meant to discuss and look for ways through which they could help make the school progress and also challenge the students in the school to work very hard. It was also a challenging meeting because many do use the opportunity to flaunt their wealth.
No student would want to miss the occasion for two reasons. Firstly, there used to be plenty to eat and drink and secondly, many often drew inspiration from the success story of the old
Students. lt challenged them to dream tall.
Also, each year, the old students association gave scholarship awards to brilliant students. In fact, many among the old students had at one time or the other benefitted from the programme. It had helped many less privileged but brilliant students to further their studies. Thawas the main reason why many remained committed to the programme by way of donation for its sustenance. Unfortunately many of these leaders whom peOple looked up to as role models, patriotic citizens of the country and elder statesmen were bad and very corrupt because they only paid lip service towards the progress of their dear country. Sadly, they were only interested‘in what they could benefit from the country and not what they could sacrifice for her growth and sustainable development.
As such, they put personal interests above that of the national interest and would do anything to satisfy their selfish whims not minding its implication on the entire society. Many indulged in various corrupt practices: they took bribes, looted the treasury and did many other evils. They had used various dubious means to enrich
themselves and in turn, created problem for the
masses
Although they often pretended to be innocent the truth was many had siphoned public funds. Those in public service had mismanaged fund in their offices and went unpunished. Many contractors collected money for projects and disappeared without executing them. While others in politics had used the public funds to their advantage and became rich overnight. Corruption in the land had assumed a monster status and nobody in position of authority deemed it fit to do anything about it.
Worse still, the government had failed in its efforts to bring sanity into the system as a result of preferential treatment given to certain influential but corrupt individuals in the society.
Those were the problems Kola, the Principal, was fighting against. He was surprised to learn that many youths were already thinking and dreaming of how they also would have the Opportunity to loot the treasury. The fact that no one had been made a scapegoat by the government further encouraged them, making them believe that corruption was good and had an almost legal status in the country.
Although many of these old students
undersood the principal‘s mission of changing the mindset of the students towards cleansing the society, only a few upright ones appreciated his efforts The corrupt ones believed that he was only wasting his time by starting a fight he could not finish. However, Kola was not bothered He believed that one day, the change he so much desired would come.
At a point, some students began to understand the message the principal was passing across to them. They also began to ask questions on why poverty was on the increase despite the great wealth of the country. They observed that things were not working well in the country. They were worried about how most people in the public service lived above their meansThey noticed that they were the ones buying choice properties at very exclusive areas in the country, they were the ones buying exotic cars and they were the ones floating multi-million naira businesses. Also the rate at which they spent at events called for questioning. Yet many people in the same country were dying of hunger Some despite working very hard had little or nothing to show for It.
They also understood that as a result of frustration, many good brains had fled the country in search of greener pastures overseas, thus creating brain drain in the country. Apparently, these students realised that something was wrong somewhere. They realised that correction was needed urgently for the country to be great again and they were determined to make themselves available for the necessary change in the land.
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