His Excellency,
Alh. (Dr.) Abubakar Sani Bello,
Executive Governor,
Niger State.
Dear Sir,
WHEN SILENCE IS NO LONGER GOLDEN
“No man is good enough to govern another man, without that others consent”
The leadership of NANS is compelled to write this open letter to you haven carefully observed with uttered dismay the share disregard, neglect, repugnance, antagonism, emasculations meted on the entire Nigerian Students Community in Niger State, by your administration and cabinet members towards our rights and privileges as Nigerian Students and all other citizenry (Nigerlites).
For the avoidance of doubt NANS is the apex umbrella student body, that rotates the wheels of students activism in Nigeria, being the voice of the voiceless, vanguard of the oppressed masses and custodians of the sacred trust of Nigerian Students, after exhaustive consultation with all relevant Stakeholders, SUGs, Tribal Association on the prevailing quagmires we resolve that the status-quo is completely unacceptable considering the significant role we students played in the enthronement of the present government, hence the dire-need to address you in this open letter (press conference).
As a responsible organization and for the purpose of setting the records straight, the role Nigerian Students played towards decapitation, decolonization of our oppressors the PDP and making the former administration completely IRRELEVANT and unpopular in the society through the social media and awareness channels made the change slogan a song on lips of all sundry cannot be jettisoned.
Mr. Governor Sir,
Apart from monitoring the election at the Control Room which some of your cabinet members are aware of, we pluck all the lope-holes and leakages to stem the PDPs stock-in-trade (rigging) towards subverting the votes of the masses, after which many press conference, rejoinders e.t.c to debunk the desperate phony attempted endorsement they had wanted to foist on Nigerian Students in favour of their Candidate Umar Nasko.
Our members indeed served as INEC Adhoc Staffs, standing there ground, refusing all overtures and Money-Bags thrown at them to ensure that the actual results collated in your favour Mr. Governor Alh. Abubakar Sani Bello suffices all in the interest of the progress and development of the state.
We equally mobilized our members to follow your campaigns for months as well as votes massively at the polls for you, defying all the money shared by the PDP government.
We did advocacies, press conferences which help a greater extent in reawakening the consciousness of the society and youths to avoid being tools for election malpractices, thuggery and other vices to cause may-hem during and after election which paid off.
A lot of Students paid the Ultimate Prize, for the change we enjoy today, as many leaders faced brutalization, self-exile, molestation, Intimidation, persecution etc. But almost one year after the Mr. Governor you have not find it worthy to engage the students on the policy direction of the state in the Education sector and other relevant sectors, but Globe-trotting the world on weekly basis at the expense of the state governance with little or no investment/investors to show for such trips.
This is a complete departure from the promised of an all inclusive participatory Change Government you promised. It is highly regrettable that Letters of Audience, Invitation, Request for Support to programs of National importance send to you Mr. Governor and other relevant stakeholders in the cabinet are all dump in the trash-can, while we have kept fate with believe that this bad posture would change soon, we are abash and astound to hear that certain cabal have appointed more than thousand Special Assistant/Advisers with salaries running into HUNDREDTHS OF MILLIONS at this critical economic hardship leaving Education and other critical sectors yearnings for emergency, obvious it is to all eyes that we do not need a 3Star Hotel, but 3Star General hospital, 3Star Educational Infrastructure, 3Star Portable Water, 3Star Electricity e.t.c Mr. Governor this was not Change you promised Nigerlites
“Evil triumph not because of the men who do evil, but because of good men who sit and allow evil happened”.
Consequent upon on the foregoing, Mr. Governor we believe you may have good intention for the state, but the continued exclusion of Nigerian Students and its leadership, while we see things go wrong day-by-day would no longer be tolerated. We have shown abiding fate in the government of President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR that far-reaching measures are up soon, for the betterment of the masses, much cannot be said of you Mr. Governor thus we call for;
- The immediate convocation of Town Hall Meeting/Pearly with Nigerian Student Leadership across the state to hear all their views, challenges and contributions. In a quest for progressive Niger State.
- While we would not be a party to pulling-down the government we labored with sweat and blood suffering incarcerations, exile, intimidation e.t.c to watch the continued visionless and directionless disposition of your government in policy direction towards us.
iii. The need to introduce Overseas Scholarship in specialized field like Medicine, Nursing e.t.c as well as restructuring the moribund Bursary Scheme inherited from the previous administration, constituting committee having at least two (2) former students leaders (abolish the criminal KATIN TALBA SCHEME).
- Mr. Governor Sir, you have shown signs of moving the state forward in the face of dwindling economic fortunes of the country, thus far; we’ll support every genuine efforts to move the state and Education Sector forward, but there is a dire need for State of Emergency in Poly Zungeru, College of Agric Mokwa, IBBU Lapai and all Health Institution in the state.
- Moreso, the leadership of NANS recognizes its place in the history of the present administration, Alas! thugs have continued to take centre stage in appointments and other benefits, while the graduates and former leaders have remain jobless and unemployed, even in the face of retirement, death transfer of service e.t.c which would have warrant replacement of such, the salaries of the state civil service have remained the same or even more than the previous government.
Lastly, Your Excellency Mr. Governor, Nigerians and by extension Nigerlites are suffering, hence the need to critically and quickly take drastic action on the epileptic power supply owing to the fact that we housed three (3) Hydro Power Station in the state and yet we have no constant electricity. The lack of portable water in the state capital has become very imperative (indeed this is shameful).
As responsible and law abiding children, we have agreed to rescind all our supposed plan of Mass Action for Seven (7) Days Ultimatum starting from today 10th May, 2016 to address both open and salient issues raised in these memo, failure to which would indeed be occasioned with a Three (3) Days of National Action (Protest) to occupy Niger State (#OCCUPY NIGER STATE) and redeem it from the Jaws and claws of hawks who do not mean well for the states, a stitch in time they say saves nine, our doors are widely open, for “a word they say is enough for the wise”.
We have refuse to be cowed, we have refused to be silenced, we have refused to remain on-lookers in the affairs of the state, especially in the Education Sector, we need to gets our priorities right, and away from the former Jamboree that have brought us into this in the first place, be warned our students are primed only awaiting directions.
Thank you.
Aluta Continua Victoria Ascerta
Sign:
COMR. FARUK MUSA .M. COMR. ISMAIL OYEBANJI
Executive Chairman Secretary General
Joint Campus Committee NANS Zone “A”
Niger Axis
COMR. USMAN BABA ABUBAKAR
Coordinator,
NANS Zone “A”
Cc:
Commissioner of Police
DSS Niger State
Commissioner of Education
Press
