The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Pedro Obi, has accused Seyi Tinubu of NANS convention disruption with Department of State Security (DSS) operatives against the interests of students.
Obi, a PhD student at Delta State University, Abaraka in Delta State, disclosed this on Saturday at a post-NANS National Convention press conference in Abuja.
Seyi Tinubu was blamed for the violence witnessed at the NANS Convention venue in Abuja. Reports accused Seyi Tinubu of abusing his privilege by deploying DSS operatives to interfere with the activities of the student body, influencing the selection of the NANS President.
“As you may recall, the NANS National Convention was slated for November 27–30, 2023, in Abuja, and student leaders across tertiary institutions mobilized themselves to Abuja for the election of a new leadership.
Unfortunately, and as you may have seen, certain individuals masquerading as government agents picked unnecessary interest in our organization to the extent of making strong attempts at forcefully imposing unpopular leaders against the popular choices of the students.
“Many biases, such as political party affiliation, closeness to the corridor of power, and subtleness of candidates, were considered. However, the fierce resolve of student leaders who gathered frustrated these inimical attempts at hijacking the leadership of the organisation.
“The senators resisted the imposition of Mr. Seyi Tinubu’s candidate, who is not a known student of any tertiary institution in Nigeria.
“The Department of State Security (DSS) was excessively deployed for partisan roles, working for Mr. Seyi Tinubu to determine who should enter the venue and who should not, unleashing mayhem on comrades and genuine students leaders who did not align with their ungodly interests. Against all odds, Nigerian students resisted all the intimidations and elected the new leadership of our organisation, now led by me, Comrade Pedro Obi, a PhD student at Delta State University, Abraka.
“The convention is successfully over, and as espoused in my campaign manifesto, it is a new dawn for the students. The 3 Cs—capacity, content, and competence—which I promised to bring to bear will be fully utilized in serving and protecting the interests of Nigerian students.
“This administration shall strive to work with the utmost intellectual sagacity in resolving challenges that may confront us. But we assure you that we shall not be tools in individuals’ hands at the detriment of their interests. Ours shall solely be tailored to restoring order, dignity, and the elimination of all anti-educational policies against students as we collaborate with the federal government and government at all levels to uplift the Nigerian educational sector.
“Let us at this junction call on the general public to give the necessary solidarity and support to the newly elected NANS President and his executives as we begin to consciously serve as the voice of the voiceless and genuinely defend the interests of Nigerian students.
“Soonest, we shall have reasons to invite you again for the unveiling of our irreducible minimum agenda for the administrative year for which we have been elected.
“On behalf of my executives, I thank Nigerian students for their resilience and confidence in us and urge them to support us as we journey along to reposition our beloved organisation, NANS,” Obi stated.
