SIMBO OLORUNFEMI
Circumstances surrounding this year’s JAMB Examination didn’t offer much hope with reports of frustration and anger dominating every step of the process. From the mock examination, to the actual examination itself, with reports of logistical and technical difficulties renting the air, to the eventual release of the statistical breakdown of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results, with reports that over 75% of the candidates scored below 200 out of 400. That was greeted with a lot of lamentation, some calling for the scrapping of JAMB.
That was even before those who wrote the examination began receiving the result. The first I heard of the results was from a gentleman on X who joyfully announced that his son had just received his result, scoring over 300. While many were quick to offer congratulations, so did others jump in querying the veracity of the score. Some said results had not been released, one even claimed that the format of the result shared is different from JAMB’s. It didn’t take long for things to degenerate to the point where the man was not only accused of posting a fake result, but the poor boy becoming an object of ridicule, mocked for his physical appearance. Unfortunately, the boy got to see some of these comments, and prompted his father to take down the post.
So sad to witness the kind of animalistic behaviour we see on these platforms in the name of social media banter. A day after it would become clear that JAMB had indeed released results, and that it started with the underage candidates (those below 16) with exceptional results. The young boy, having scored over 330 falls into that category, which explains the ‘early’ release of his result. But cynics and those whose stock-in-trade is milking sadness from joy and wailing rather than hope would not let any good news settle in before they begin to puncture it.
Each time we express and preach hope here, there is a ready herd of firefighters who immediately jump in with fire extinguishers seeking to take out the fire of hope on account of their reality or perception, as if their perception or reality nullifies a contrary one from somebody else. There is only so much to each reality, with most of us ensconced in bubbles. To insist that others should put out their candles just because yours has burnt out or you no longer believe in the candle as a source of Illumination is awkward.
While the JAMB announcement that only 25% of the candidates scored over 200 might have triggered panic, distress or loss of hope in some quarters, that same statement indicated that about 25,000 of the candidates scored over 300. That must have elicited hope in other quarters.
I was not surprised as good news began to trickle in, starting with the gentleman on X. Oshioze Okolo scored 332. A young man, Kennedy Okadike with 370. The icing on the cake for me is my nephew, Richfield Babalola, who scored 338. That is particularly instructive for me. I had spoken with him just after he aced his GCE about his plans. He still had his WASCE to write and I had to impress upon him the need to improve on the grades he made in the GCE.
But my major area of concern was his university of choice. I felt his Mom, my Sister, was rather conservative about her choice, so had to talk to the young man himself. I told him that he had nothing to lose by aiming high. I told him those who gain admission to these top universities on merit don’t have two heads. I told him he could do it. He smiled. I am happy he believed it, boldly chose the top schools as advised and put in the hardwork in preparation for the exams. And here we are today, thanking God for his success.
For me, that is it. I don’t understand what anyone stands to lose by holding on to hope no matter the circumstances. Hope doesn’t stop one from doing the work, rather it spurs on to put in the shift. I just can’t imagine what it means to live a life of hopelessness, grumpy, raising one post after the other in despair, retailing melancholy. I don’t understand how one can get to the point where one has a readymade cynical or negative comment for every post that speaks to hope. How?
I see that hope is now political. It has been politicised. To some, to talk about hope is to be deemed to be supporting the government, as if that in itself is a crime. To express hope is to be a sycophant. Patriotism has been redefined as an unending capacity to dig for what to mourn about from every situation. To be positive about anything is a crime. Negativity has become religion, a badge of honour for speaking truth to power.
So, when we say we cannot but hope, live in hope, speak in hope, as they not understand it, they take it to be something else. But we can’t but be hopeful! One does not need to have two heads to live a life of hope!
Well, some of us can’t help it. We are configured this way. We have always been this way. My Sister calls me, ‘Apostle of Hope’. I can’t help it. But I do not believe that hope is, or should be, the exclusive preserve of some. I believe that hope is a currency, just as despair is. Each one with its own value. I remember the Barcelona-Inter match. The Inter boys could have given up conceding what appeared then to have been the winning goal a few minutes to the end of the match. But they didn’t. They went on to equalise and win in extra time. That is it. One has to have hope to have a shot at winning. Those who win don’t have two heads. Why should I give up hope? Why should anyone give up hope? Those who have hope don’t have two heads.