Just In: NANS Swears-In New Executives
Just In: NANS Swears-In New Executives.
National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS) has sworn in new executives led by her Revolutionary President, Comrade Sunday Dayo Asefon of Ekiti State University(EKSU) yesterday in FCT, Abuja.
In his inaugural speech, Asefon stated, “This time calls for focused and dedicated leadership for the biggest advocacy movement on the African continent, the National Association of Nigerian Students. This is a unique time of need where we must annex our creative, energetic, and innovative capacity for nation-building, defending the rights of our members and youth who form the bulk of the nation’s population and ensuring that we stand in gap always to defend the freedom and welfare of our members and Nigerians as it embedded in our nation’s constitution.
“Unfortunately, some of these rights are now being threatened by our collective enemies, the right to freedom of movement, freedom of association and freedom to be educated are all considered fundamentals, but the recent happenings around the nation and most especially in the Northern part of the nation has become a great threat under fundamental rights.
“The nation has unfortunately witnessed the bullying, kidnapping, and sometimes killing of school kids both males and females from the once sacred place “The School”. This time calls for collective engagement, efforts, commitment, and synergy to end this scourge of school invasions. I have within the time of my election and now visited Katsina State, made statement on Niger State adduction, and Zamfara State all in a bid to advocate for the release of school kids. This ridiculous trend must not be allowed to continue.
“Also, we must all fight hierarchical and systemic oppressions that are fast becoming a norm within our system and institutions. We must acknowledge the right of people to hold dissenting, unpopular and minority opinions without using the instrumentality of power and the power of the system to victimize them.
“Students must be allowed to show grievances, dissent, and opposition to seemingly unfavorable policies without fear of intimidation, harassment, unjustifiable suspension, expulsion, or rustication. Between the period of my election and now, I have successfully fought for reinstatement of five expelled students at the Oyo State College of Education Lanlate, two Students at the Kwara State Polytechnic, and reinstatement of the Students Union Government in both institutions. NANS under my watch will frown at arbitrary or unjustifiable rustication, suspension or expulsion of our students for dissent, holding minority opinion, peaceful protest, and any act of oppression. We must build an egalitarian society where policies can be debated, disagreed with, and fought in a peaceful and orderly manner.
“Within the time of my election in December 2020 and now, I have also successfully advocated for the reduction in the school fees of Lagos State University. We have a ready and listening governor in Lagos who listened to our presentation on the need for the reduction in the new tuition fees and subsequently gave the order for the reduction. We hope all other governors can show same level of understanding and commitment to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian students. Irrespective of any considerations, be it political, religious, and ethnicity, NANS under my watch will publicly celebrate governors who distinguish themselves in showing special considerations to the struggle of Nigerian students.
“We are not oblivious of the need for better funding for tertiary institutions and the need to improve institutions’ internally generated revenue. Such improvement of IGR must come through innovations, commerce, and value-added services by the institutions and not arbitrary increment in tuition and other fees even when many states still struggle to pay the meager national minimum wage of N30,000. I, therefore, call state authorities in the country to explore the innovations, ideas, and industry of our youth to widen their state’s internally generated revenue through digital entrepreneurship, optimization of local content, knowledge-based agriculture, commerce and industry to ensure adequate IGR for the states”, Asefon reiterated.
“The nation must pay special attention to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The public tertiary institutions are the pillar that holds sustainable education in this country and the decay in the public institution calls for serious concern. We must ensure that our public institutions can compare, comparably with their private counterparts and provide the same output in their graduates.
“Since my election, we have engaged in numerous successful struggles part of which I have mentioned earlier. We have agitated for extension of payment of tuition fees in the University of Abuja and the removal of late fees payment due to the economic reality of this time. In the wake of the unfortunate death of some of our students at Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko through the recent fatal accident involving one of Dangote’s Group Truck, we sprang into action, organized for the burial of the departed students, and then engaged Dangote Group on their families’ behalf to ensure they are adequately compensated, an effort that is currently yielding great result. We have also begun to engage private sector practitioners, especially those with articulated vehicles plying students’ area on way to further improve safety to ensure we do not have a repeat of the incident in Akungba.
“My administration will pursue rigorously the welfare of our members, stay committed to our charter of demand, advocate all the time in protecting the interest of our members both home and in the diaspora. NANS under my leadership will design a new path forward and redefine the image of the Association by making it the most potent advocacy movement in the country and beyond.
“NANS will engage government intellectually on issues. We have commissioned a study group to look at how the issues of the economy will be improved. So far, they have advised that we commend the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria for the Cash for Dollar policy just introduced this week. It will bring about forex liquidity and also crash the current unfavourable exchange rate thereby improving our economy. We shall seek the support of the Apex bank to put together a Roundtable where economic ideas between students and the bank will be ventilated. We also will support policies of government to generate and increase revenue. Without money, government cannot do much. Hence NANS frowns at the news of allegations of stealing of 16 million barrels of crude oil by Shell in the Niger Delta. If these allegations are verified, local companies that are owners of the oil must be paid back so that government will get its desired revenue.
Finally, the National Association of Nigeria students from inception as NUNS in the year 1956 till today do not have a National Secretariat. This is a priority on my list. From the launching of our National Secretariat building today, I will ensure through the help of God and well-meaning Nigerians that we build a befitting secretariat for our association. Later in this program, I will be presenting to Your Excellencies and distinguished guest our Secretariat project and I do hope we can rely on your support to make this project a reality within a very short time. Rooms, Halls, Chambers, Offices, Chalets and everything within the Secretariat Building will be named after people that assist us in building the secretariat and also named after our heroes and martyrs. The building will consist of a specially designed hall of fame temple which will serve as the highest honor temple in the secretariat. I call you distinguished guests to join us in this history.
“Nigeria belongs to us all, Nigeria belongs to the youth, Nigeria belongs to the students, we must do everything necessary to protect, preserve and ensure this nation reaches its full potential.
Once again, thank you very much for attending this wonderful event”, Asefon concluded.
Other executives and senate leadership inaugurated were Comrade Yazeed Tanko Muhammad, VP National Affairs, Comrade Odiah Thomas Ikhine, VP Special Duties, Comrade Adekitan Lukman Adebosi, Secretary-General, Comrade Akeem Ayinla Ishola, Treasurer, Comrade Chuks Okafor, Senate President, Comrade Usman Adamu Nagwaza, Deputy Senate President and others.
Prominent public office- holders, former students union leaders, human rights activists, civil societies stalwarts and others graced the occasion.
