I have always heard this phrase "where there's fire, there's smoke", but just didn't know the meaning. Sometimes I sit and think about when I was still at the university, this phrase describes the ups and downs of campus life.
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I remember when I started my first year, the campus was full of energy. Different people from different parts of Nigeria were there,each bringing their own hopes and dreams.
Something happened one day which is still fresh in my memory. One bright sunny afternoon, I was on my way to library with some of my friends. As we walked we saw a large crowd gathered at the student union building. We were curious about what was happening as we haven't heard or experienced such before, so we walked closer and saw that some people were having a heated argument. It seemed they were arguing something important as the atmosphere was tense.
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Initially, it was just shouts but things quickly got worse. Suddenly we noticed smoke coming out of the last window, someone had set a fire and the argument had turned into a big problem. Students ran for their lives while some tried to put out the flame. I was part of the students running 😂 because I don't joke with anything that might harm me,I even forgot my friends, it's when I got to safety, I remembered and put a call across to them and they were fine.
Seeing the fire and the chaos made me think about the saying "where there's smoke, there's fire." The fire didn't start from the argument, it started as a result of issues among the students. The argument was like the smoke, showing that there was something more serious underneath.
In the following weeks, the administration looked into want happened and found out that there were ongoing issues on campus - fight for power, political disagreement etc. These problems had been on for a long time and the argument was the spark that set everything off.
I became uncomfortable staying in campus longer than necessary as I used to as the campus had become a battle ground for conflict.
Despite the difficult times, I also saw something positive. The student community started to come together. They held meetings, talked through their issues, and tried to understand each other better.
Looking back, I realized that "where there's smoke, there's fire" is not just an old saying but a real truth. It means that when you see problems or conflicts, there are often deeper issues behind them and we should look beyond the surface and understand what is causing the trouble and find solutions.