IDDI MUHAYU-DEEN WRITES….
After all the huggermugger regarding the
organization of this year’s NUGS congress, which was occasioned, largely by
people’s mischief, it is quite refreshing to note that the congress eventually
came off successfully. Student leaders including SRC/LNUGS executives of member
institutions comprising delegates, observers and indeed stakeholders across the
country stormed the St. Francis College of Education, Hohoe, one of the venues
duly approved by the Union’s Second Highest Decision Making Body (Central
Committee), between Wednesday and Sunday, October 5 and 9 respectively. I must
say that, the attendance was overwhelming contrary to my expectation following
the issues that heralded the buildup to the congress.
IS NUGS DIVIDED?
Anyone who claims that NUGS is divided is not
only a JOKER, but one, whose faculties need serious examination and
reexamination. Yes, it is indeed true that there was an attempt to divide the
Union with a certain “Ideal thing”, but it is also true that, that attempt
FAILED BIG TIME and has become the JOKE of town. I doff my hat for the students
of Ghana especially the SRC/LNUGS executives of almost all the institutions
under NUGS for reaffirming their decision at the last CC meeting and respecting
the constitutional structures of NUGS including the NUGS Court by attending the
one and only legitimate CONGRESS at Hohoe. But was there any NUGS congress
anywhere? A big NO.
What we saw, is essentially a gathering of
families and friends, numbering about 50, who converged at a certain classroom
near Ideal College in Madina-Accra, deceiving themselves that they were holding
congress of a certain NUGS, and sharing the NUGS positions among themselves. I
thank God that not even a single SRC attended that sham, which turned out to be
an award winning fiasco. If you wanted to be a national officer of NUGS, you
only needed to be present at that gathering and your dream would be realized
just like that. Don’t you love these guys? hahahaha
No opening ceremony, no buying of nomination
forms, no vetting, no vetting results, no regard to a lot of the entrenched
provisions in the NUGS constitution and established conventions, no quorum, no
central committee meeting, no NEC meeting, no residential congress, no audit
report, no financial statement, no campaign, no manifesto reading, no
delegates, no dues, no electoral commission, no elections, and yet, they were
able to produce national officers, all within a day… why don’t you clap hands
for them…I’m sure this would go into the Guinness Book of Records as one of the
wonders of the World.
The last time I checked, not even a toilet
prefect position or Class Rep position could be gotten just like that. And
here, we are talking about national executive positions of NUGS, which is the
largest student organization in the country and indeed the embodiment of all
the students of Ghana. This is how low these guys have sought to reduce our
Mother Association to. They are seeking to insult the intelligence of all the
students of Ghana. Okay, they said they were able to invite a certain “gullible
journalist” from TV 3, who came and covered their gathering and therefore that
makes everything CREDIBLE. Hahaha I laugh enter MahamaFord.
They are by this, telling us that, all that one
needs to produce national officers of NUGS, is to get a classroom, invite your
student friends and family members, share all the 10 NUGS positions amongst
yourselves and invite a journalist to cover the whole exercise. What a wow! If this
is all that one needs in order to divide NUGS and produce national executives, then
I’m sure some of us, who have a lot media friends and student followers can produce
as many as 1 million different sets of NUGS executives within a month or two.
I’m sure they are aware that TV 3 has rendered
an apology to NUGS when they realized that they were initially misled. In fact,
the station sent their reporters the following day to the St. Francis College
of Education, Hohoe, where the 2016 NUGS congress was being observed. They
covered every proceeding on that day, including the central committee meeting,
where vetting results were declared, the formation of electoral commission, presidential
address on the state of the union, a press conference among several other congress
activities. The TV 3 crew also spoke to some of the SRC Presidents, who did not
mince words in unleashing their disgust and outrage at the station for the
misleading reportage.
Those who fiercely kicked against the holding
of the congress at Hohoe in the V/R alleged that the organizers had mischievous
intentions of disqualifying all centre-right student politicians vying for the
various positions. This was the reason why they insisted that the congress be
held in Accra, which they claimed is a neutral ground. However, the outcome of
the elections rather showed that all the centre-right aspirants that
participated in the Hohoe congress including my “darling boy”, Akwasi Agyemang,
Betty Adwoa, Isaac Nyame and Nana Yeboah won their respective positions
handsomely as general secretary elect, wocom elect, IRS elect and PnP secretary
elect respectively. So those cynics have all been put to shame.
One thing that is clear from the outcome of the
NUGS elections is that, the student union (NUGS) has been taken away from the
political caucuses and handed over to the student caucuses and that really fascinates
me very much. Again, the ten executive positions that were grabbed shows
clearly that the next NUGS administration would be almost evenly representative
of the two “student persuasions” we have in the country. Certainly a 6-4 dispensation
cannot be said to be a totalitarian takeover by either side. So moving forward,
I can see a REJUVENATED ARMY that would occupy our national student front and
champion the student cause. It certainly cannot get better…
I am waiting for that moment when somebody
would tell me NOT to recognize nor support my guy, Akwasi Agyemang (who has
come to complete the good works I’d started before exiting the general
secretary position), and the rest of the competent executives ELECTED at the
just ended NUGS congress and we shall see. The person may as well pick a gun
and shoot at me. In fact, I am pledging my unflinching support for them and
would do everything possible to make their administration a SUCCESS for the
love of God and NUGS.
I have very little sympathy for those aspirants
who threw all the wise counsel and caution to the pigs and decided to attend
the so called “Ideal college congress”. They wasted their time campaigning
across the country, they wasted their money and other resources they had pumped
into their campaigns, they disappointed their supporters. They sacrificed their
lectures and work for absolutely NOTHING. My greatest disappointed is with
#SayItRight, Financial Charles and PK Ania, all of whom, have campaigned very
well and could have easily won their respective positions if they came to the
congress at Hohoe. But hey! why should anyone sympathize with them? After all,
the stubborn housefly that refuses to listen to counsel would always be buried
together with the corpse.
END OF PART 1
Make a date with me, tomorrow for the Part 2,
which promises to be more revealing. In the second part, which also happens to
be the final part, I shall talk about the negatives of the Hohoe congress and
make a number of recommendations moving forward. I shall also occupy the roles
played by some identifiable individuals including the “outgoing GUPS President”,
Elorm Mawuli and Frank Amoakohene. Stay tuned…
Assalamu alaikum
This piece was compiled by a concerned Ghanaian in the
business of OCCUPYING HEARTS and MINDS for the love of God and country.
IDDI MUHAYU-DEEN
Youth Activist/Student Activist
Former NUGS Secretary
(0245335197)
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