Despite killing of Nigerian students, NANS remain silent
NEWS DIGEST – Nigerians are beginning to ridicule the leadership of National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), the apex body for all Nigerian students home and abroad, for opting to remain silent, days after the gruesome killings of two Nigerian students.
The News Digest recall that on May 26, a 16-year-old senior secondary school student, Tina Ezekwe, was hit by a bullet of a trigger-happy policeman Tuesday night and was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died two days later.
On May 29, another Nigerian student, Miss Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a 100 level Microbiology student of the University of Benin, had died of injuries sustained after being raped at her church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), near Ikpoba Hill in Benin City.
Following the killings of these students, Nigerians took to their social media handles to register their displeasures using #JusticeForTina and #JusticeForUwa, demanding for justice for the murdered students.
Prominent Nigerians, including Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State; Nasir Adhama, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Youth and Student Affairs; Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu and the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor EA Adeboye, also joined the fray in demanding justice for the dead students.
Also, celebrities and influencers also lend their voice in lamenting the unfortunate death of the students and also called for proper prosecution of the erring officer.
NANS deafening silence
While the condemnations and protests continue, many Nigerians have expressed shock and disappointment over the silence of the student’s apex body as it is yet to neither release a statement nor make any public condemnation of the incident.
Read Also:
A students’ activist and public affairs commentator, Adeyeye Olorunfemi, while speaking with The News Digest said the NANS silence was not surprising, saying that past actions of the student body had shown that they are not representing the Nigerian students.
According to him, “I think most times, we mistake NANS for NANS leadership. So to say NANS has not been saying anything might be erroneous because Nigeria Students have been speaking.
“Even this morning there was a protest against the rape of Uwa by students and tomorrow, Obafemi Awolowo University students will be holding a protest. So NANS leadership is what we should challenge or attack in cases like these. They are not lawfully constituted, the leadership is made up of people who are not student,” Mr Olorunfemi added.
Also speaking, Sanyaolu Juwon, the National Coordinator of the Student’s wing of the Take It Back movement said NANS leadership are evidently not pursuing the interest of the Nigerian students.
He, therefore, urged the students to “either take charge of their unions or form their own NANS”.
Another public affairs analyst, Samuel Asimi, said:”Just like when Rinji Bala was murdered by soldiers in Jos, we won’t see @NANSNIG demand #JusticeForUwa.
“If it is time to play politics or chase themselves with weapons at convention grounds in the name of “struggle”, they will appear.
“Association of 40 million students indeed! They can mobilize against school feeding program, attend conventions of political parties and promise 20 million votes left, right and center.
“When it is time to stand by students who are being murdered or assaulted, we fail to see the same energy from @NANSNIG.”
Others who spoke to this newspaper also condemned the action of NANS in failing to amplify the voice of the students especially at critical times like this.
