I write with heavy heart and disappointment in the way and manner the 2023/2024 National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) convention was conducted from November 27 to December 2, 2023, where one Lucky Emonfe from Federal College of Education Warri forcefully emerged as a winner despite being declared unqualified by NANS guidelines.
As an active member and also a former elected personality in NANS, it baffled me the way and manner the rules and regulations of NANS convention were bastardised, bent over forcefully and neglected in the conduct of the convention. It was so unfortunate that money was openly used, various types of weapons were also used to instigate fear in the minds of the delegates who really wanted to play by the book. However, those that have chosen to play along were paid handsomely to throw cautions to the birds and vote who they were told to vote for.
The whole episodes were so glaring that we thought the attention of stakeholders on issues related to security would be attracted to the happenings and also come to the aid of the student union, but nothing seemed to matter to them (Security agents). Probably, they were not aware or they have closed to compromise the situation, and that is why I have decided to use this medium to draw the attention of all parties concerned to wade in and address the issue that has been threatening the association as an independent entity which I strongly believe would only mar things for the students and the nation in general.
I am sure that many students who attended the convention can attest to the fact that they have never seen weapons such as guns being brandished like no man’s business in public, the way guns were used was really alarming. Those with the guns kept shooting on the air sporadically, sending fear and confusion in the minds of the delegates. We were forced to allow their planned selfish moves to have its way because we want to save our lives, and we have no alternative.
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The NANS convention has been a strong and reliable breeding ground for future political leaders, but with this new development, it is clear that the nation’s future political leaders that may come from the NANS wing would be a questionable set of leaders.
We have reliably gathered that delegates were offered the sum of N100, 000 each for them to drop their conscience and succumb to the bidding of the bad eggs of the association. However, even though many received only N50, 000 as against the promised amount, that didn’t deter them from succumbing to the pressure and threat, it was obvious that hundreds of millions of Naira was set aside to finance the will of some big weights in the country to thwart a simple and harmless students’ affair to something else.
No doubt they tried to make the convention so bloody, but God intervened in the whole matter and it ended the way it ended. As an attendee let me say this, I have never been involved in a situation where guns were freely used without any form of fear the way guns were used during the concluded convention. It was indeed a gory sight to behold and a bad experience.
We have waited for those that ought to have done something to do what was expected but to our dismay, they haven’t done anything, unfortunately they have allowed what we feel is a rape on the association’s mandate and a total deviation from the norms and values that have established NAN, to take place freely It is time for us to call a spade a spade, we urge all stakeholders to review the conduct of the said concluded convention and do the needful.
We are watching, and we are monitoring, but one thing remains statice, we would not accept the verdict of the convention and as such, we are ready to follow all legal avenues to challenge it.
Comrade Elayo Hamza Salisu NANS cadre
Email – salisuhamza [email protected]
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