The newly elected National President of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Sunday Dayo Asefon has debunked viral reports claiming that he is 48, 45, 43 years old.
In a statement personally on Friday by his campaign team, “Symbol of new NANS”, Asefon disclosed that he is 35-year old.
He further revealed that he is a post graduate student of the Department of Public Sector Governance and Administration, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti.
According to the statement, “The attention of Comrade Sunday Asefon the newly elected President of NANS has been drawn to campaign of calumny sponsored by his opposition to undermine his yet to begin administration by sponsoring frivolous claims concerning his age and his legitimacy. While some put his age at 43 years, others put it at 48years.
“Sahara reporters while claiming Asefon is a civil servant also put his age at 45years, instablog9ja put it at 43 years and other blogs also put it at different age.
“Common sense demands they all agree at a number since they have thrown away the ethos of journalism and refused to contact Asefon in person for clarification concerning his age. While there is no age limitation in the constitution of NANS, we are compelled in the interest of the public to publicly announce the age of Comrade Sunday Asefon. Let it be on note that Asefon is 35 years old and a post graduate student of the Department of Public Sector Governance and Administration, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti.
“Comrade Asefon wishes to reiterate again for the umpteenth time that he will be open to answering clarifications about his person or the association he will lead for the next one year from members of the fifth estate of the realm and advise journalist and journalist in training to appreciate the importance of evidence based journalism and priorities the ethics of story balancing before rushing to the press or blogs.
“Asefon wishes to assure Nigerian students of his readiness to change the public perspective of NANS by providing focused leadership. A constitutional review programme will be initiated in months to come where students can sponsor memoranda for considerations. Issues such as age of NANS leadership and programme of studies will be addressed once, using the constitutional review process.
“Also leadership under Asefon will be pro-students and pro-Nigerians. On this note, he will be dedicating his time in the immediate to ensure that ASUU strike is called off and students return to campuses. He will also be meeting the NBA Chairman to discuss the possibility of setting up legal students intervention programme in each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital territory to take over the cases of victimized and rusticated students leaders across the country. He will also be reaching out to tertiary institutions that has proscribed students union activities with the aim of returning students union in those institutions. It is Asefon’s believe that if ASUU, SSANU, NASU etc cannot be proscribed, the students union should never be proscribed in any campus.
“Let me reiterate again that Sunday Asefon is neither 43, 45 nor 48years and his commitment to the emancipation of Nigerian students will not be undermined by non-factual claims aimed at distracting him.”
