NANS elects Obande, Bamigbade, others as new Exco

Gideon Obanda

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has elected a new administration led by Mr. Gideon Obande; a student of Nasarawa State University, Keffi as its 32^nd President and Comrade Taiwo Bamigbade as the new Vice President (External affairs) amongst others.

Obande, a former speaker of the Northern Youth Assembly of Nigeria succeeded Chinonso Obasi while Comrade Bamigbade who was until the election the NANS Senate President now joins a set of number two officials of the association.

According to sources, the new national president defeated other contestants after securing 102 votes. In his words, he vowed to stand against the molestation of students in any way by authorities adding that end has come to oppression on students.

Other newly elected officials are Usman Baba Kenkia from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria as the new Senate President and Obot Godwin as the Deputy Senate President.

Speaking with newsmen after the election which was held in Abuja on Tuesday, Comrade Bamigbade who is a student of Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State expressed gratitude to the students for the confidence in him to be designated as the new Vice President (External affairs) which he said will largely endow the association towards achieving its goals beyond in-house issues.

Taiwo Bamigbade

Bamigbade stated that amongst pressing issues and targets the association will pursue to a logical conclusion vis-à-vis external responsibilities is the protracted injustice and oppression by authorities against law graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) that were denied admission into the Nigerian Law School since graduation for no justifiable reasons adding that the new administration will make it amongst priorities.

The new VP fondly called ‘Egalitarian’ added that he believed in the understanding and comradeship of the new National President as a man of action and expressed confidence that with teamwork, the new administration will surpass its target on account of the personality of the new cabinet.

It will be recalled that NANS issued a 3-month ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari to facilitate the immediate admission of all NOUN law graduates into the law school as provided in their students’ handbook without further delay. The petition was copied to the Senate president, Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara. Others copied were the Honorable Minister of Education; Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) and Director General, Nigerian Law School. The ultimatum is expected to terminate in August 2018.