A Biblical Allusion;

“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all those that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them, It is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.” Matthew 21: 12-14

Walking around the University of Ibadan campus, irrespective of one’s business in the first and best, there is a recognisable immersion in a world of books, which is quite expected of such an environment. Around the lecture rooms, theaters and halls in faculties are usually straight faces yearning for stellar academic performance. But a visit to the halls of residence would change the book-feeling which UI gives, from Trenchard Hall to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

Could there have been a paradigm shift in the learning aura that the university environment is expected to give students and visitors? From the ‘pavilion’ of Queens Hall to the common room of Mellanby and Tedder halls, there is a scene of a firebrand godsent man, preaching to the liberal minds of students. Kuti-Bello, Zik-Indy, as ‘tricyclers’ would beckon, have constantly been plagued with the rotational use of cafeterias on Sundays for fellowships of not more than 20 worshippers ready to listen to the next doctrine and ‘sckabbash’ till heaven falls.

Various halls of residence host different pentecostal fellowships as they jostle one another for the minds of UI students. In fact, buses wait to take off-campus students to experience God in congregational dimensions on Sundays. Also, huge is the fact that the University’s Chapel of Resurrection, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Catholic Chapel, University Central Mosque, Mount Zion Ground and Baptist Service Centre have all been mapped for faith-based activities in the university. Despite these religious places, the surge of different pockets of churches in the halls, especially pentecostal fellowships, has become very noticeable, and alarming.

The first theatrical production of Wole Soyinka’s, “The Trials of Brother Jero” in April 1960 was held in the communal dining space at Mellanby Hall. It is therefore figurative to see how halls of residence alike have today been hosts to fellowships hopeful of capturing UI students’ souls, for God’s work. Even Senior Common Rooms are used for weekly fellowships and Sunday services.

Wole Soyinka’s thought-provoking satire, skillfully unravels the contradictions and venalities within religious circles. It challenges readers to discern the difference between sincere spirituality and the imperfections of institutionalized faith. The use of halls of residence for fellowships is not devoid of hall management’s approval. Yet, management has in its rule proscribed religious activities in various Halls of residence. Queens Hall alongside its neighbours, Bello and Kuti Hall, continue to see men of God and their followers actively use these spaces for loud prayer meetings, soul-capturing Bible study and fellowship activities.

‘Recte Sapere fon’ becomes questionable when these religious actions are on while students try to get a rest, moreso siesta, upon their return from lectures. ‘To think straight is the fount of knowledge’ becomes zigzagging when students attempt to ruminate on theories, formulas, concepts, but to no avail. How well can students think straight when many perch on their minds against their volition?

The epidemic of these fellowships has been reported. Meanwhile, the university management continues to think economic strait, leaving its students behind. The University of Ibadan campus and students’ minds are a microcosm of the Nigerian social system with the prevailing episcopal recklessness and religious delinquency.

From the play – Jeroboam, Isaac, Ananaias, and Caleb among other prophets ran their activities on the beach by defrauding people of genuine faith and sanctimonious organization, with government approval and a designated portion for the worship center. Unfortunately, “it did come to the point where it became necessary for the Town Council to come to the beach and settle the Prophets’ territorial warfare once and for all” (Wole Soyinka’s The Trials of Brother Jero 1962, 149).

The University management might eventually have to repossess the minds of its students as it has allotted a lot of willing and unwilling minds to doctrines. In response to the religious riot of 2010 on campus, the university proceeded with “banning preaching and other forms of worship in lecture halls, residential halls and other public places outside designated areas.” But a ban is not enough. Enforcing the ban, penalizing erring individuals and groups, and allowing students to think straight is enough. With the apocalyptic realization of false teachings and half-baked prophets plaguing the earth; the University which has produced literati who thought straight as students, may not have it in recent times if this trend continues.

To boost revenue, the University management must prioritize its core mandate – fostering knowledge (recte sapere fons) – by ensuring students’ intellectual well-being. Elected student representatives should address concerns about noise from religious activities in halls, like the issue in Bello Hall in 2014. Utilizing these venues has actually benefited the university’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and promoted moral cohesion among Christian students, helping to curb anti-social behavior. It however must not be made to cause while doing good.

The proliferation of Christian worship centers in hostel spaces may compromise equity, justice, and fairness, potentially marginalizing students of other faiths and disrupting their right to rest in their dormitories. Allowing unrestricted access to these spaces for every religious group could create a volatile environment, fostering religious tensions and undermining tolerance. Just as Jesus drove out those desecrating the temple, the university management, student executives, and hall administrators must take decisive action to address the inappropriate conversion of Halls of Residence into exclusive Christian Fellowship Centers.

While Prophet Jero and his cohorts held the fort at the beach, the town council never forgot the tourist potential of the allotted space. The council settled disputes among Jero’s worshippers, neighbours and him. Everything ends at the Council table. The council decided that “they have to be evicted. They stand in the way of progress. They clutter up the beach and prevent decent men from coming here…( Soyinka 185)” As Jero rightly points out; “…the so-called prophets and evangelists. All these are not only to be immediately expelled but steps must be taken to ensure that they never at any time find their way back to the execution stadium.’ (201-202)

References

– https://www.ucjui.com/an-epidemic-of-fellowship-centres-in-ui-halls-of-residence-is-the-fountain-of-knowledge-becoming-a-house-of-worship/

– https://www.ucjui.com/halls-of-residence-or-worship-centres/

 – https://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/08/muslim-students-paralyse-academic-activities-in-ui/