With the general elections just few hours away, Film students of Mass Communication department in Lagos State Polytechnic took to the streets on Wednesday to campaign for a violence-free election.
Pedestrian and vehicular movements in the school were halted while the rally lasted as the students defied the hot weather clad in various professional, traditional and religious costumes dancing, singing and bearing placards with various inscriptions.
The rally which started from the Department of Mass Communication was taken around the campus community from Faculty to Faculty as the students engaged other students, traders, staff, shuttle drivers and passengers on the need for everyone to stand up united in the fight against election misconducts such as stealing of ballot-boxes, boycotting of elections, vote-buying and most importantly, election violence.
The course lecturer, Mr Steve Anu Adesemoye in an interview pointed out that the Costume day is a “yearly rite that is specially designed to add fun to teaching and learning of film production”.
He said; “We equally ensure that each costume day is anchored on a theme that is beneficial to the larger society. This is our little way of contributing to the betterment of our great nation. We strongly believe that, a well informed citizen becomes an active citizen. Active citizen builds a better society from an informed heart.”
He however added that, the bigger dream is to join hands with other tertiary institutions to serve as the harbinger of enduring policies and research hubs that will turn Nigeria around for better, like other developed countries.
Speaking in an interview, the leader of the organizing committee, Oyediran Oyeronke said “Costume day is originally seen as a day to display and promote various traditions and professions, but this year we decided to take it up a notch by using it as a medium to remind the people that their votes are their voices and their rights, and that they can exercise that right without violence and war. We also used it as an avenue to campaign against trading of votes”.
The rally which is an annual event in the department is tilted towards addressing the various ills in the society and this year’s edition was as a matter of fact, an unforgettable event.
