Rag day
I was greeted on my way to work this morning by a group of girls that were dressed in several combinations of Mock-attires. I recognized one of the girls; she is an acquaintance from the street next to my street. It took me a while to recognize her because of her outfit (she dressed like an insane woman under the bridge). She held a rebranded tin container containing a pebble or little stone that she shook with vigor. She greeted me and continued the shaking, a subtle sign language urging me to support her course. I gave her a naira note. She thanked me. The other girls that accompanied her had dispersed to approach some other passers-by. It skipped my mind to ask her if she knew the significance of what she was doing.
This leads me to my monologue: Rag-day! How bad has it lost its significance and true purpose?
Wi-ktionary defines rag day as a day on which university students do silly things for charity; often the culmination of rag week. My neighbor’s sister who was in her final year at school at the time, explained to me that rag day is usually observed by students (freshmen) for charity campaigns during student union week. She further explained that the monetary donations would go to charity at the end of the exercise. She told me this some years back before I enrolled in my undergraduate program.
When I gained admission into the University, I abstained from the rag day. I was in doubt if I would remit the money I receive from people during the exercise to charity. Also, the student union government did not make any announcements about donations or charity, thus I did not partake in rag day. I asked some of my colleagues who participated if they had donated their proceeds to charity. The answers I got from them were all negative. It then dawned on me that most students who partake in rag day know little about the sole essence of the exercise. They view it as a medium to gather money for themselves from the general public.
It is sad to know that rag day in most Nigerian Universities has lost its true purpose for charity. Students need to be reoriented by Student Union Government about the purpose of rag day.
