NANS leadership condemns clean bill of health for Dogara

The president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Chinonso Obasi, has disasso­ciated himself and his asso­ciation from the activities of some student leaders who re­cently gave the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, a clean bill of health over the accusation of budget padding which is cur­rently tearing the legislative house apart.

Speaking  in Abuja, Comrade Obasi, the NANS president described as shame­ful and disgraceful a statement which was attributed to one Habib Salau, who claims to be the chairman, NANS Coordi­nator’s Forum, and signed by coordinators of its blocks of Zone A, Zone B, and Zone C, and which sought to defend the embattled speaker, who they described as having placed high premium on masses-ori­ented legislations and inclusive governance.

The statement which the leadership of NANS told our correspondent was both un­authorized and illegal, had said, among other things that, “as we critically examine the kernel of the matter, it recurs in very lucid terms that Hon­ourable Speaker Yakubu Dog­ara has remained in the fore­front of the anti-corruption war being waged by the Presi­dent Muhammadu Buhari led rescue government.”

The statement had also claimed that, “It still remains fresh in our collective memo­ries that the Speaker Dogara came out in clear and unmis­takable terms to condemn acts of corruption, going a step fur­ther in exposing the antics and tactics of corrupt individuals. Yakubu Dogara deserves an ex­cellent rating to the extent that the anti-corruption crusade is concerned and only the prej­udiced or ill-intentioned will turn around to accuse him of corruption where no evidence of such exists.”

The NANS president, who was accompanied by some members of his team to our office, on Tuesday, said that the students body which was trying to make the associa­tion to toe the line of probity and transparency, in line with the anti-corruption stance and philosophy of the Buhari administration, was ashamed that any student or youth lead­er would publicly or secretly identify with the demeaning allegation which has been de­scribed as despicable by all the segments of the society.

According to Comrade Obasi, at this time when the youths of this country should be hankering after leaders with principles who have the capac­ity to bring about a new Nige­ria of which the youths would be the greatest beneficiaries, it is a big disappointment that any youth that claims to be a leader or aspires to leadership, should identify with any person or per­sons who being accused of such heinous infractions against the long-suffering masses of the people.

For the NANS president, ” At a time when our once viral economy is going into reces­sion, despite our huge resourc­es in terms of human and ma­terial wealth, when salaries of workers are not paid and some states are contemplating the re­duction of their workforce, in order to afford payment of sala­ries, it is ignoble and insensitive for anyone who calls himself a youth leader to say the least, the zonal leadership of our no­ble association, to pass a vote of confidence on those accused of budget padding for pecuniary gains and stipends”.

The NANS leadership who alleged that it was approached to perform what it described as ‘this shameful and despica­ble act’ but had turned down the overtures, alleging that it was the same bait that the so called student leaders had swal­lowed, without considering the amount of disrepute they were bringing the students who they are leading.

“For the present leadership of NANS”, Comrade Obasi said, “integrity is everything and we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to re-orientate the students and other youths along the line of bringing back the cherished values of hones­ty of purpose and integrity in public life, in tune with the as­pirations of the present admin­istration”.

Comrade Chinomso Oba­si who was a member of the last National Constitutional Con­ference as a representative of the youths said that his associ­ation supports and backs Pres­ident Muhammadu Buhari in his anti-corruption campaign and will embark of nationwide campaigns and programmes to mobilize support for the presi­dent’s anti-corruption fight.

“ Because NANS is no long­er “business as usual” and we will not be suborned into be­coming anybody’s bulldog or appendage for cheap monetary benefits, the National Leader­ship of NANS hereby uses this medium to disassociate our as­sociation from this disgrace­ful and unsanctioned act of ig­nominy, while the Senate and Congress of NANS under the auspices of the legitimate Pres­idents of the various Student Union Governments will take appropriate steps to sanction the erring officers that had, without regards for constituted authorities, rubbed our worthy name in the mud of corruption”, the NANS president stated.

AUTHORITY