Juliana Francis
A 24-year-old Nigerian, Chukwudi Kosi Ezenyi, has emerged the first Black Student President of the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom (UK).
Ezenyi made history by beating two other Britons to end the 28-year white dominance of the leadership of the university’s Students’ Union.
To emerge as the President of the students, he polled a total of 1,817 votes out of the 3,412 to lead the other two contenders, Jennike Smye and William Styles, who scored 925 and 631 votes to place second and third respectively, while 39 votes voided.
The victory of Ezenyi, who hails from Nnobi in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, was said to be remarkable since a winner was required to secure at least 1,706 to emerge President, but at the election he scored 1,817 to make Nigeria proud.
Until now, Ezenyi a graduate of two first degrees and who is currently studying for his Master’s programme in Operations and Supply Chain Management was the Vice President of University of Plymouth Students’ Union in Britain.
For his first degrees, he graduated in Computer Systems and Network, and International Trade and Operations Management.
In a telephone chat with Ezenyi, the new Students’ Union President, he said that he was very confident that he would win the election because he had a very good team to pull the curtain down.
He said that his leadership and role as the Vice President as well as his campaign promises which according to him, endeared him to all despite race, colour or religion among fellow students.
He, however, pledged that he would leave a robust and positive legacy that would earn high respect not only for his fellow Nigerians, but other black students in the Diaspora.
Ezenyi, who urged fellow black students to be broad-minded in all they do and ensure they eschew all forms of vices, crimes, drugs and anything that would negatively affect them or their country, noted that Africa had a lot of potentials in the youths, but only needed to harness them for the effective growth and development of the continent.
Meanwhile, his father, Chief L. Chukwudi Ezenyi, the Ichie Udoka Nnobi, in his reaction to his son’s victory, said he was grateful to God that the values the family imbibed in him were being sustained. He said the only way in which the society would move forward was for everyone to collectively ensure that real values were sustained and imbibed in the younger generation to ensure that we harvest a positive society.
First Published 2020
