Reactions have trailed the visit of the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students to President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday at Aso Rock.
The zonal coordinator of the association in South south and South East geo-political zones, Comrade Okereke Godson has given the account of his experience during the presidential visit.
Read his statement… 
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS ZONE B.
“MY JOURNEY TO ASO-ROCK WAS NOT FRUITFUL!!”
PS: Recall, in the structure of NANS, that we have the National, the Senate, the Zonal, the JCC and SUG Presidential structure…
On 2nd January, 2019, I received an excitement call from the President of NANS, Comr. Danielson Bamidele Akpam (GCONS), in his usual way, we cracked few jokes and he landed with a message of hope that, His Excellency, President of Federal Republic of Nigeria wants to talk with NANS leaderships. I was happy with excitement that the ongoing ASUU strike will soon be a thing of the past. I started calling my fellow Coordinators in the Aluta Struggle to acertain their level of preparation for the visit, everyone was on a high hope for immediate resolution of ASUU issue.
Be aware, that I am a Master’s Degree Student of FUTO, almost done with my class duties, just waiting for the defence of my thesis, lo and behold the ASUU strike strook like a tsunami which stands as an obtacle to all important programmes am doing.
I boarded to Abuja in my usual way, after notifying the entire NANS ZONE B on my Facebook wall. On my arrival there was no hotel reservation, so I had to pay for one as some of my associates came visiting after which I received a text requesting for my presence in the morning to the arranged place before departure to ASO ROCK.
I was convinced that it’s true I am seeing Mr. President one on one for the first time since 1999, I have been hearing the name Buhari in Nigeria Political space. I quickly said to myself, I am the mouth piece of other Coordinators at least, I will have the singular privilege to say the bitter truth of our poor educational system and condem intoto the level of politics that the cabals are playing with our collective future.
At the ASO-VILLA; Behold I saw myself in an unusual environment, beautified with ornamental trees with several degrees of security well positioned and at alert in their respective stationings. I was asked to submit my phones alongside my colleagues and multi-faceted formal leaders of the association. I horridly checked on the programme of the event, no scheduled time for Coordinators to speak, I said ok, I trusted the NANS President to understand that the World(Nigerian Students, etc) is watching our attitudes in issues of national importance. However I sent the ZONE A Coordinator to remind him of many things as possible in case if it’s not part of his agenda because he didn’t brief us the nature of the struggle.
Leadership is a misunderstood term. It is overused to describe everything from “running an organization” or “managing people” to “being on a board or council”. Many people can do those things, but very few can actually “lead”. True leadership requires a complex set of skills and a great passion on the part of the leader – to get the work done through other people. It requires a huge amount of emotional intelligence, a dedication to succeed, and a willingness to keep going despite overwhelming obstacles.
I am perturbed because of the outing, my expectations wasn’t met, I expected immediate sack of the Minister of Labour for his groose failure in resolving ASUU impulses that have lasted more than three months in a government that promises “CHANGE”.
If during PDP regime, ASUU went on strike on the same outlined issues, now in APC government, ASUU is equally on strike because of same, WHAT IS THE PROMISE OF CHANGE…?
I expected His Excellency, President Mohammed Buhari (GCFR) to first tender apology to students for keeping us at home even when we hoped for the best in his government with a salted promise of resolving the matter within a certain period of time, but he didn’t give us such hope, it was indeed a pitiable outing and I apologize to NANS ZONE B for going to ASO-VILLA and coming back without a positive result yet.
They say “everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” In the NANS President’s speech, he started well by condemning the poor funding of educational system in Nigeria, along the line he blamed ASUU of selfishness in most of the demand which I kicked against, I said No to it, ASUU is not demanding much than what both FG & the union agreed on in 2009. ASUU is not demanding much than what we use to fight insugence in the Northeast, assuming ASUU demand was met since 2011 to train every Nigerian to be educated under a refined environment there will be no weapon of war in Nigeria. The only war we could have been having will be intellectual war of “do it right at the first time”, it dawned on me that the intellectual ZONE like South-South and South-East will not swallow the fruitless outing and clap gbosaa for the presidency.
We proposed a total shut down of economic activities in major cities by NANS on the 7th of January before the visit to ASO ROCK , it’s important for FG to understand the urgency to revive the educational sector in Nigeria. We have witnessed many administrative rascalities by those who doesn’t want the system to work, scrapping of already structured discipline in our campuses, extortion and all forms of criminality nobody is talking about. FG as a matter of urgency should set up high powered Tertiary Educational Presidential Intervention Team cum declare state of emergency in our campuses not only to release money.
The president of NANS also promise to support His Excellency, President Mohammed Buhari (GCFR) re-election if he resolve ASUU issues fast. To NANS ZONE B under my watch it’s not a Panacea to support him. Resolving ASUU crisis is our right and can never be the reasons why Nigerian Students should support his re-election, NEVER! Rather it will be by his score cards, antecedent, pedegree cum manifesto.
I therefore, state categorically that I exonerate my ZONE, the South-South and South-Eastern region from such promises until the needful of returning ASUU and students back to classroom is met, then we can talk politics because we must be involved for I do believe in exertion that the fastest way of Solving a social challenge is through political involvement.
However, it’s pitiable that we are meeting His Excellency for the first time since three and half years in office, NANS has the highest population as an association in African black race of such deserves a place in the heart of any head of state not only on crisis like this.
I commend, Comr. Danielson Bamidele Akpan, NANS President for attracting this visit, but regrets absolutely the outcome with fundamental Aluta higihagaaaa.
During the visit of NANS to the former Nigerian Presidents, almost all the Zonal Coordinators bought a new car after the visit as evidence that the met Mr President! outside the struggle, but I announce regrettably that I didn’t see the least fifty thousand Naira (#50,000) as a Zonal Coordinator of the largest ZONE in NANS. I fed myself, paid my hotel bills , paid my flight bills of such you now know that there’s no resources from the Rock at the VILLA.
This is necessary to note, hence debunk the news of being empowered by the presidency. I know by now, no one will henceforth call me for any share of ASO ROCK struggle.
Therefore, I appeal to ASUU passionately to understand that this is Political era by this strike, over 20.1million votes will be void that means this number of people have been disenfranchised of their right to vote indirectly because many of them registered close to their campuses. As a matter of conscience, negotiate with FG and resolve fast, he who fights and run will live to fight again.
GOD BLESS FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.
Yours in Struggle…
Comr. Okereke Godson C Bishop
NANS ZONE B COORDINATOR SS/SE.
FUTO SECRETARIAT!!!
TEAM-BISHOP, BRINGING NANS BACK TO CAMPUS!!
