Disquiet as NANS president refuses to relinquish power, 8 months after tenure expiration

… It’s nobody’s business – Bamidele Akpan

NEWS DIGEST – There is palpable anger and discontentment among key stakeholders of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) over its President Bamidele Danielson’s continued stay in office after his tenure has expired.
The New Digest reports that Mr Danielson, who emerged NANS president during the August 10, 2018 convention in Abuja, has been in office for a year and eight months, against the stipulated 1-year tenure of office.
The stakeholders, News Digest gathered have continued to shudder at the president’s refusal to conduct elections, alleging that the recent turn of events at the apex students’ body was orchestrated by the President and his co-allies.
Speaking with the News Digest recently, a NANS stakeholder, Yusuf Lawal, decried how the present executives have overstayed their tenure in office.
According to him, although it is unacceptable constitutionally, the trend has become the norm over the years.
Mr Lawal explained that the first step in the transition process of NANS is the pre-convention which is not the prerogative of the President, but that of the Senate President.
He lamented that while the Senate President’s attention had been called severally to conduct the pre-convention, he refused, saying that the President had ordered him to delay the pre-convention for some reasons.
However, following pressures mounted from several quarters, according to Mr Lawal, they held the pre-convention on March 13 in Enugu.
Also speaking, a former Vice President of NANS and presidential aspirant at the 2018 elections, SA Lukman, stressed that it is unconstitutional to overstay in office, lamenting how subsequent administrations had made it a tradition to stay in office beyond their tenures.
He reiterated that ‘NANS Constitution clearly spells out that a President’s tenure is one academic session, which may not even be full 12 calendar months.
Mr Lukman, therefore, faulted the executive for allowing the Senate and its leadership usurp its power to call for a convention as well as its full responsibility to be in charge of the transition.
S.A Lukman believed that to discourage tenure overstaying in NANS, Convention planning committee should be inaugurated right after the emergence of a new executive to start planning for the next transition.
He added that the Committee should be dominated by legitimate students most of whom are SUG Presidents who would not be mobilized for NYSC before he or she concludes the assignment given to him by Nigerian Students.
“Then we may have an effective transition at expiration of Constitution stipulated tenure of office for NANS leadership,” he concluded.
Speaking in the same vein, Umar Farouq, chairman of Kaduna NANS joint campus committee, said: “While a single tenure of one session, that is a year, is spelt in NANS constitution, executives spending over a year in office has become a sad tradition over the years.”
Umar Farouq, however, faulted the constitution as being outdated and not up to date.
According to him, “a lot has to be done. NANS Charter of demands is moribund and need review, the condition still carries 19 states or so against the 36 states we currently have.
It also carries 3 zonal structures against the 4 zones in place now, so, if the constitution can be amended to suit modern realities then it will go a long way to ensure constitutionalism in the movement’s process.”
He also said the reason for the persistence of the trend is the absence of popular participation among Nigeria Students, saying: “If Nigerian students are financial members of the Union, it will increase more participation and encourage scrutiny of the leadership.
“Currently, Nigerian students are not financial members of NANS, because their local unions don’t pay capitation dues,” he regretted.
Ibrahim Kabiru Dallah, a former NANS official, also said, “To curb the trend, elected leadership should be mandated to take an oath of office with either Qur’an or Bible. If not, they would continue to be spending more than a stipulated 1 year in the Constitution and Chatter of Demand.”
When the New Digest contacted President Danielson on the expiration of his tenure, he said the decision to hold convention does not concern “anybody”, stating there are more pressing issues than the convention at the moment.
A former President of the Union, Tijani Usman, however, revealed that except for the COVID-19 pandemic, the elections would have held.
“We have the election steering committee in place and for the Pandemic, we should have had an election about two months ago” he noted.

Read more on

https://newsdigest.ng/news/2020/05/10/disquiet-as-nans-president/

Cc
Lalasticlala, Mynd44

Now,this is what you call a f**ked up situation...


Only in Nigeria
Whoever made that statement that "power does intoxicate" made no mistake

Rogues

See our Leaders of Tomorrow

And later these same elements will be calling for heads when government officials display varying levels of tyranny!

That revolution every one is dreaming of will never be a better solution to the nepotism that has burried our system unless it starts from small sectors as this (e.g this NANS instance)

When the New Digest contacted President Danielson on the expiration of his tenure, he said the decision to hold convention does not concern “anybody”, stating there are more pressing issues than the convention at the moment

The quoted is so careless and foul. Unless the congress agrees that other pressing issues be attended to, you don't have a right to suspend a constitution of a body.

Imagine Baba saying Rule of Law be Suspended and we run a Military era for the span of this pandemic

Of what use is the NANS body today?

Inside Naija!

Ordinary students union, person dey sit tight for power.

This same set of people will come out to abuse Nigerian President.

Cheaters Leaders of tomorrow