NANS Accuses Ortom Of Polarising Union
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Monday accused the governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom of infiltrating their national leadership to polarise the union.
NANS has also warned Governor Ortom to desist from an alleged plans to use the Nigerian Students’ body to rig the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
The students at a press conference addressed Monday in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital by the National Publicity Secretary of the association, Comrade Adeyemi Azeez Amoo, accused the governor of working with one Gideon Obande towards polarising and causing division within the national ranks of its association.
The students’ body claimed that Obande who was allegedly rusticated from his institution over cultism related offences, had earlier in September 2018 been arrested by the police wherein he wrote an undertaking to desist from impersonating the NANS President.
While declaring Ortom “a personal non-grata”, NANS also advised the governor to keep away from a 50 meter radius of all higher institutions across the country or risk being stoned.
Adeyemi explained that the association’s hard stance against Ortom was premised on the their conviction that the governor was not ready to listen to the truth despite their many meetings with him as well as several other correspondences which he would not reply.
“It is highly saddening that some public figures now see NANS as means to aid rigging. We are sure and ready to tell the governor that he will be disappointed.
“We really wonder why the quantum leap by the governor to lobby fake NANS official in his state towards rigging the forthcoming general elections. It is amazing to see Governor Samuel Ortom sharing money to fake NANS and rusticated students to make the elections a do-or-die one.
“It has been brought to our notice, the purchase of Lexus Jeep by Governor Ortom to one Mr. Obande Gideon to move ballot papers and thugs to disrupt peaceful conduct of the general elections and disenfranchise the Benue state people”
He was flanked by other national Executive members which included: Vice President, External Affairs, Comrade Ojo Raymond (OAU), Director of Mobilization, Comrade Damilola Kehinde (UNILAG) and Director of Contacts, Comrade Ogunrombi Gbemileke (U.I) among others.
He explained that the entire Nigerian students will be converging on the state capital in Markudi on Monday December 3 to protest an alleged plan by Governor Ortom to infiltrate the national leadership of NANS.
The students however, called on the Benue state House of Assembly to probe Governor Ortom’s spending, particularly that the state’s Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programmes (GEEP), stressing that the governor has through the project corruptly enriched members of his family.
NANS also urged the governor to concentrate efforts at improving the welfare of workers in the state by paying pensioners and state civil servants their dues and salaries