The dieing NANS: National Association of Nigerian Students- the supposed civil society body that has given itself the job of endorsing one president afþer the other. Lately, it announced it had thrown its weight behind jonathans re-election. When and how it became the duty of a student association to endorse incumbent presidents continuation in office remain foggy to discerning minds. Here is the conclusion of the whole matter: TAN and its allied outfits will eventually peter out but NANS will not. And, that, is a huge disappointment. Given the steady decline of NANS into an anything goes outfit over the years, its endorsement of jonathan is not out of sync with its previous sophistry. NANS supported president Olusegun Obassanjos infamous third term agenda and hoorayed him with a shambolic Defender of Democracy award. This same group lost three members to a road accident some years back while on a similar errand to bestow a Governor of the year award on Olusegun Mimiko of ondo state. A couple of years ago, it was going to confer a high kirikiri returnee with kwame Nkrumah award in the name of the all All Africa students Union. Last week, they eventually slapped the Nelson mandela Icon award on the same Olabode George. Over the years NANs has been involved in a lot of amoral activities that one wonders if members of its body have a say in its affair or they have surrendered all their political judgement to their leaders. The president of the association , Yinka gbadebo, was quoted as saying he would mandate all students to cast their votes for jonathan. How he proposes to mandate his colleagues into voting a caandidate of his choice is not as worrisome as the blatant manner he makes these declarations without any scruples about being embarrased if contradicted by his constituency. Are members of the student body so politically apathetic that someone can make these claims on their behalf and they just keep shut? So, what do folks learn in Higher institution of learning these days if not to speak up for themselves? NANS, obviously, is a band of opportunists looking for what to eat and for whom no perfidy, no level of ignormity, would be too low to wallow so long as it guarantees supply of stomach infrastructure. Their desperation to be included in the routine sharing of the National cake perhaps explains why you never see these professional students ever associated with anything associated with anything academic. The same students that hail jonathans transformation in the education sector are the same ones whose schools were shut for extended periods losing a year or more. Can they not see that they are victims of the structural deficiencies and rot that set the Nigerian educational system Backward by decades before running their mouths about jonathans students Posture? Where were these Students Leaders months ago when fellow youths, graduates and job seekers were trampled to death in a badly managed employment excercise? What effort have they put up for the abducted chibok girls? If they can not engage the government productively on key issues that affect Nigerian students, why cant they just limit their activities in their various campuses instead of meddling in National politics? Why this feels like a major let-down on the part of NANS is that when their present activities are viewd against the backdrop of association history- the times in the past when students. When students had combined the intellect, youthful drive and genuine activism as drivers of change in the society- what emerges is a picture of how the mighty has fallen. Aristole AA jimoh
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 09:27:20 +0000
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