The National Association of Nigerian Students has vowed to use the votes of its members in the 2019 general elections to determine the next leaders of the country at all levels.
NANS President, Mr. Chinonso Obasi, disclosed this in Minna, Niger State, while soliciting financial assistance for a former national president of the association, Dauda Mohammed, who has been diagnosed with a liver disease.
Obasi expressed the disappointment of Nigerian students with the leadership of the country.
He argued that the government had failed Nigerian students as they had become the most marginalised in the country.
Obasi said, “Although we have no financial strength to run for election, we’ll use our voting veto power to determine the next leader in the next general elections.
“Most of the people in leadership positions are there because of the support and goodwill of the Nigerian students. But on getting to office, they end up marginalising the students and youths generally.”
Decrying the state of health in the country, the NANS president said, “Comrade Dauda’s health has deteriorated to the state that he cannot speak or walk and we have exhausted all odds to get financial assistance for him to go to India for treatment.”
Obasi further revealed that the union had approached the Niger State Government for financial support and the sum of $38,000 had been approved, but bureaucracy bottleneck had made it impossible to collect the money.
“We came to Niger State because Dauda is a Nigerlite, and since all moves to raise funds proved abortive, we decided to approach his state government. We have been informed that the Governor has approved the release of $38,000 dollars, but government bureaucracy has stopped the money from being released,” he said.
The NANS president then urged the state Governor, Alh. Abubakar Sani Bello, to urgently assist in the swift release of the money he had already approved for Dauda’s treatment, saying, “as days goes by, his health deteriorates and he gets worse.”
