All around the world, universities are established to push forward the frontiers of knowledge, transform people’s lives and contribute to the health and wealth of nations through their deep involvement in result oriented researches which is expected to have impact in the wider society and the economy.”
This was my opening paragraph in a three part series I wrote on the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) last year titled: “Is all well with the house of NANS?” I made mention in the articles the leadership crises the student body was facing where three individuals all claim they were “president” of NANS. That was the situation until the present executive led by Tijani Usman took over earlier this year.
It is saddening that undergraduates could not provide a coherent voice in the run up to the just concluded 2015 elections. Other than the gale of suspicious and spurious endorsements of some candidates, the “students” could not even produce a position paper to their preferred candidates on what they desire for the education sector should the candidates win. Just like the society they live in, our students were mainly concerned with the candidates that can haul in the largest amount of cash. This cash for endorsement strategy further factionalised an already distressed association.
Nigeria has in the past seen the best in student unionism. For those old enough to remember the military era, they will recollect the part the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS), the precursor of NANS, and later NANS itself, played in giving the military sleepless nights. How can one forget the late Segun Okeowo, Chris Abashi, Akintunde Ojo, Chima Ubani, Chris Mammah and a host of others?
Then student unionism was ideologically driven with detailed and intelligent analysis of the state of the nation, regular communique that are deep with insight and knowledge are released, not the shallow statements that we see from the stable of representatives of Nigerian students these days.
Student unionism in Nigeria has a cherished and glorious history that is worth reenacting here. The emergence of West African Student Union (WASU) pioneered by some Nigerian students in London in 1925 opened the floodgate of student unionism in the country. WASU fought the colonial masters for the rights of Africans.
This was followed by the National Union of Nigerian Students, (NUNS) whose last leader was the late Segun Okeowo. The NUNS was proscribed by the regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo. But with the advent of democratic rule, Nigerian students converged at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos to establish NANS. NANS inherited the same idealism from WASU and NUNS and the student union matched on as a platform of change and of informed activism. Has that same cherished tradition continued to date? We’ll find out.
The last NANS leadership led by Yinka Gbadebo is perhaps the most controversial in its history. At its 26th convention held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, students elected Gbadebo of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife as the president. However, one notable feature which has been the norm in past conventions since student unionism started was left out; the students did not discuss the state of the nation.
I recollect reading a report then where one disappointed delegate described the failure to discuss current issues as “evidence of the level of degeneration in NANS.” He added that the organization used to be at the forefront of the struggle for the liberation of Nigeria’s downtrodden and oppressed classes. This, no doubt, was one informed delegate.
I can still vividly recall how NANS served as an active resistance group during the era of military regimes in Nigeria. It was part of the movement that fought for a return to civil rule in the country. By 1990, NANS was at the peak of its glory, having played a significant role in rousing Nigerians to protest the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) imposed by the Ibrahim Babangida regime at the urging of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The year also marked the beginning of what would be a split within the organisation later. NANS annual convention had been fixed for November 30, 1990 at Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi Edo State, but because of disagreements it was moved to the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
After the controversial and heated convention, NANS – for the first time – witnessed a split along ethno-religious lines when a former undergraduate from Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto (UDU), announced a “Northern NANS.” This almost tore the union apart, but the students eventually came together after finding a common ground of agreement.
However, that split fostered deeper ideological conflicts and schisms between different interest groups and weakened the broad platform of the body which unfortunately has continued to date. This compelled another delegate month later to allege that: “Student unionism has been infiltrated by dirty money politics as well as brigandage by members of some confraternities and cult groups.”
But some activists from the past strike more sympathetic notes as they see the new developments as not simply evidence of student leaders’ “degeneration,” but as a symptom of broader problems in the larger society. They point to the 2005 case when the then NANS president Orkuma Hembe used the platform to campaign for Obasanjo’s third term gambit and even went further to award him “Defender of Democracy” award.
This was against the backdrop of a groundswell of opposition that this same defender of democracy proscribed NUNS, expelled and rusticated several of its leaders from their various university campuses across the country.
To try to understand the situation in NANS is to also understand that the larger societal malaise is also affecting the association. If you think the principle of zoning of political offices is a creation of the Federal Character Commission or the PDP, then you have another think coming. There is zoning provision in the constitution of NANS as well. Last year, this does not permit anybody other than a Student of an institution of higher learning in the South-West to contest the presidency.
It was widely alleged by students that he last leadership of Yinka Gbadebo capitalised on the larger societal ills for pecuniary gains. Inibehe Effiong, a former Law student of UNIUYO castigated the leadership for not “taking a responsible and pro-student stance” to end the almost one year ASUU strike. He also accused him of “taking over the propaganda machinery of a government that does not appreciate the sanctity of agreements from Doyin Okupe, Reuben Abati, Labaran Maku and Reno Omokri… The order day, he travelled to Onitsha in Anambra State to endorse the candidature of Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah for the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Anambra State.”
So has things changed with a new leadership? It will be difficult to say at this point because the Tijani Usman leadership also caught the endorsement bug during the last election when he endorsed the out-going president. As expected from a factionalised body, other zones, especially the south west zone released a statement dissociating itself from the endorsement.
However, the body has found its fangs again and has started commenting on national issues. Last week, it says it will not support the removal of fuel subsidy either by the outgoing or incoming administrations. It also says it has resolved not to sit aloof anymore when critical issues of state are being worked out, adding that it has over the years been at the receiving end of programmes and policies of government whether good or bad.
These are positive steps, but what impact they would make is left for time to tell. While this is going on, the body needs soul searching and articulation of thoughts and ideas, especially those that immediately affect the education sector. This should be one of the areas its leadership should hone into.
For a student body in the 21st century it is appalling that its website and twitter handle are all dormant- in fact, it has been dormant for more than two years now. It is shameful that while the leadership was busy endorsing politicians it could not activate a common website! So what have all the undergraduates of computer science been doing?
The rebranding and repositioning of the NANS should start from here; but this can only be carried out by a purposeful leadership.
