- begins reconciliation with aggrieved members
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The newly elected President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Lucky Emonefe, has promised to introduce a reinvigorated spirit in NANS and student activism in general through the known NANS structures.
He promised to restore the lost dignity, integrity and voice of NANS through quality leadership and representation, and return of stronger and united students’ activism in school campuses.
He assured students that the era of docility is over, and that the new NANS executives would be on the frontline in championing anything will bring good fortune and opportunities to the students.
NANS President, at a press conference in Abuja, on Monday, however, said that his good plans for NANS won’t come to fruition if there’s divided voices, support and loyalty, which were part of the fallout of the recent convention that produced the new executive led by him.
He, thus appealed to aggrieved members of NANS, particularly Pedro Obi and his co-agitator who were unsatisfied with the outcome of the elections to shield their sword and support the new executive for the good of Nigerian students.
He maintained that NANS has no factional leadership as being reported in some sections of the media, insisting that he won the election which was transparently conducted under the watch of several observers with the officials security agencies providing the needed security.
“Nevertheless, we won’t be distracted as we have hit the ground running already to better the lots of Nigerian students. As a mark of recognition, we were invited to the National Assembly for a public hearing on the Appropriation Bill, and we represented the students well.”
He commended the President, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, for the students’ loan scheme that was included in the 2024 budget, expressing hope that it will go a long way in providing succour for less privileged students.
He said: “Our eyes and ears are on the implementation process of the programme. We would set up our own oversight team to beam a searchlight on the student’s loan programme and other education policies of the government to ensure maximum benefit.
He finally appealed to Pedro Obi and his co- agitators to call off whatever agitations they are presently carrying out in the interest of the organization. “Maybe, they have reasons to be angry or it could just be about their ego; but whatever it is, it will be better sorted on the table of comradeship.”