Comrade Adakole Ochai is the president of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS). In this interview with some journalists, he talked about the controversy trailing the association and other issues. JOHN OBA was there for LEADERSHIP WEEKEND. Excerpts:
How has it been, presiding over the Nigerian students?
There have been so many challenges ranging from pressure from the students, the government, and some people that call themselves stakeholders, who try to project someone against me because they feel I am not their interest and all that. Nevertheless, we have been fighting for the student body and the Nigerian students.
Recently, we spoke with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on issues bordering on the Nigerian students. It has not been easy to reach students at various institutions. We have 119 institutions accredited by the NANS and we have embarked on campus-to-campus visitation.
We have been to the Lagos State University (LASU) to address the issue there. Having spoken with ASUU, we have also been updating the media about our activities and resolutions on issues affecting the body.
What was the circumstance that brought you into office?
A NANS convention was held in Bayelsa State and it was discovered that most of the people at that convention were non students. Some of them were students expelled from various institutions and were hired by some of our past leaders.
As a result, the whole process was marred with violence to the point that we lost one of our students during the clash. So, the election was inconclusive. It was in the process of gathering ourselves again that we decided to reconvene at Awka. Before our government, NANS had four presidents because of the factions and different interest groups.
NANS had four factions’ presidents: Ini Emembong from Akwa Ibom State, Jude Imagwe from Edo State, Etuk Bassey Williams from Akwa Ibom State and Kingsley from Anambra State. Jude Imagwe and Ini Emembong were the people that conducted the Bayelsa election.
We invited Kingsley and Bassey, they came and conducted the election at Awka. They were presidents of NANS and they duly handed over to our government as legitimate government of the NANS. Surprisingly, we hear that some people are parading the winner of the Bayelsa election that had been annulled.
Should we hope for a unified government before the expiration of your tenure?
Yes. By the grace of God, I intend to harmonise the organisation.
Are you confident that the other parties would yield?
I don’t know their mind, but we will talk because I believe in dialogue. With dialogue, we can resolve the issue.
What are your giant strides so far for the Nigerian students since you took over the mantle of the leadership?
For the first time in the history of the NANS, the first programme we organised was the ‘Nigerian Students Pray.’ Knowing that our country is going through so many problems, all we need is divine intervention.
We organised the programme, the Nigerian Students Prayed in Makurdi, Benue State. Students were gathered, while religious leaders from different churches and the Imams were invited. We prayed for the country and addressed the media afterwards. We have been going from campus to campus and we have been able to reinstate those that were expelled at Kogi State Polytechnic.
Just recently, my Vice-President, External Affairs, Adeyemi Aziz, reinstated the Student Union Government (SUG) that was dissolved in one of the polytechnics in Ogun State. My government is poised at serving the Nigerian students.