NEC HAS FINALLY DECIDED, HOHOE IS THE VENUE FOR THE 2016 NUGS CONGRESS…

Iddi Muhayu-Deen Writes….

After several weeks of uncertainty regarding the venue for the 2016 NUGS congress following the Akatsi disappointment, it is now very gratifying to note that a FINAL DECISION has been arrived at and congress would be held at the St. Francis College of Education in Hohoe. I do not want to take you through a trip down memory lane because I am not sure you are oblivious of these details but let me give you the latest development. 

After the aspirants and other stakeholders served strong notice of their resolve to boycotting the then “dual congress” because no one wanted a division in NUGS, NEC was charged with the responsibility to SETTLE on ONE VENUE and communicate same. Mind you, everybody knew that this decision by NEC was NOT going to be UNANIMOUS but one of SIMPLE MAJORITY which is also in tandem with democratic principles. If we were to wait for all the NEC members to agree on a particular venue before we hold congress, then we may as well forget it or think of holding congress in 2090 because that is NOT possible. 

When NEC initially voted, there were issues with the elections because the president voted twice, which was a defilement of the NUGS constitution and democratic principle. A lot of people, including myself, were OUTRAGED by the president’s action and fortunately, our position has since been vindicated by the Judicial Board. I doff my hat for our law lords for upholding the truth under the circumstances even though I had initially cast doubt in their ability to do justice to the issue. Consequent to this, NEC had to meet again and vote. 

At the end of the poll, 6 out of the 11 NEC members voted for Hohoe (which was one of the venues approved by CC). They include, the NUGS President (0242548796), Treasurer (0545146635), GUPS President (0248636829), TTAG President (0543692766), RSRC Rep (0264347528) and NAHSAG President (0274338638). I called each and every one of them and they confirmed their vote. You can also call them if you doubt me. 4 out of the 11 NEC members voted for Ideal College (which was NOT part of the venues approved by CC anyway). They include the Coordinating Secretary, Press and Info Secretary, “General Secretary” and the USAG President. So it was a 6 – 4 decision in favour of Hohoe. 

The remaining NEC member, who happens to be the GRASAG President chose NOT to vote for either venue and rather suggested to NUGS to consider a third venue, which he describes as neutral ground in his latest statement. Well, that’s the beauty of democracy; you can choose to vote or not to vote and he chose the latter. We all know that neither CC nor NEC is mandated is take his suggestion no matter the plausibleness of same. Likewise the USAG President or any of the NEC members for that matter. In any case, it is practically impossible for everybody to agree on one thing and that is why, we always go for the MAJORITY VIEW. No individual or bloc can dictate to NUGS where to hold its congress; just as NUGS cannot do same to these blocs.

So from the foregoing, there is no NUGS congress at any Ideal College and my checks have also confirmed that. The 50^th NUGS Congress shall be held in HOHOE and this is OFFICIAL, SIGNED and SEALED. I do not expect any discerning SRC/LNUGS executives to waste their resources and travel to any ‘Ideal thing’. In the same vain, I do not expect any RESPONSIBLE NUGS ASPIRANT, who has GENUINELY campaigned to serve this Union to waste his/her time with any ‘Ideal thing’. There is going to be ONLY ONE CONGRESS and that will be at Hohoe, where the VETTING RESULTS would be declared and elections, conducted. 

Finally, I wish to appeal to the NUGS President and the rest of his executives to consider reducing the amount payable as capitation per head, because some two days have already been cutout from the initial number of days to be spent at the congress. I wish NUGS a successful 50^th Congress and pray that delegates elect VERY COMPETENT LEADERS to man the affairs of the Union, which has rather regrettably, gone through several adversities in its Golden Jubilee Year. Let’s meet in Hohoe tomorrow to climax this important milestone in the history of our beloved Union. Long live NUGS! Long live student activism! Aluta Continua…..

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)

MY TAKE ON THE RECENT ISSUES REGARDING THE 2016 NUGS CONGRESS

Iddi Muhayu-Deen Writes...

Quite regrettably, a few friends of mine who hitherto, never questioned my objectivity in NUGS matters are surprisingly beginning to do that because of my position on the current brouhaha that has characterized the organization of this year's Congress. To start with, I wish to state on record that I haven't jettisoned my principles and that, I am the same Iddi of NUGS fame they've always known. 

I have been very consistent throughout this impasse. All I fight for, is to ensure that we don't have two NUGS congresses and for that matter, two sets of NUGS executives, which would render the Union, USELESS. That is why I wanted NEC to make the necessary compromise and agree on ONE VENUE for the congress willy-nilly. Unfortunately all my efforts have proven futile even at this penultimate moment. 

Now, to set a few records straight, I have strong reservations on the propriety of the decision of the chairman of NEC to VOTE TWICE in order to make a case for Hohoe. My reasons are that, this action defeats the very fundamental principle upon which every election in this World is hinged. That is the principle of ONE MAN ONE VOTE, which is NONNEGOTIABLE. I therefore can't be a party to this democratic blunder occasioned by the president's action. 

No where in the NUGS Constitution does it say that the President or any officer of the Union can vote more than once. And throughput my years in NUGS and in student activism, I have never heard nor experienced this democratic absurdity. Not in NUGS and not in any other disciplined organization. Article 40(g) of the NUGS Constitution, which says that the President shall have a casting vote is NOT a departure from this established practice.

Essentially, a casting vote, is one that is cast to break a tie. So the president/chairman only votes if his vote will make a difference or break a tie. How can the president vote to deliberately cause a tie and still go ahead to vote again in order to break that tie? This is highly preposterous. The President has ONLY ONE VOTE and he can decide when to exercise it, preferably, to break a tie. 

I also found something very intriguing in this whole arrangement. The outgoing GUPS President, Elorm Mawuli who earlier issued a statement, where he made a strong case against Hohoe and essentially suggested that going to Hohoe was the most risky thing to do, shockingly made a U-turn and voted for Hohoe at the NEC meeting. Maybe there are two Hohoes I'm unaware of. Don't u love this chap? 

My personal opinion on the way forward is that, as indicated by the aspirants, they should go ahead and BOYCOTT both congresses if they were to come off at all. All SRCs and LNUGS executives should also do same because they ought not to waste their scares resources to go and vote for candidates who would eventually have credibility issues. The students vigilantes  must resist that.

They should, in the stead, give these NEC members one last opportunity, which should not go beyond a week, to meet again and think with their head rather than with their stomach in order to settle on ONE VENUE in the interest of NUGS. Anything short of that, I'm afraid, would take this Union to those dark days where we are going to have two sets of NUGS executives fighting each other at the expense of the ordinary student. 

#Mutashi

#TheNonsenseMustStop

#StudentsDeserveBetter

#NecMustActImmediately

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)

Please it is shareable…

A MUST READ PIECE ON OPERATION "NO DUAL CONGRESS" FOR NUGS

 

Iddi Muhayu-Deen Writes...

Furtherance to the statement issued yesterday by the 2016 NUGS aspirants regarding the malignant uncertainties that have characterized the 2016 Congress, I wish to first and foremost, SALUTE these aspirants for taking such BOLD STEP. They have by this, proven that indeed they have the Union at heart and can UNITE when it matters most, to champion a cause that seeks to protect the Union from distraction and waterloo.

Having said that, I wholeheartedly wish to associate myself with their GENUINE CONCERNS and accordingly call on NEC to act with the NECESSARY DISPATCH to PREVENT the imminent BOYCOTT of "both congresses" as clearly indicated by the aspirants and endorsed by all well-meaning stakeholders of NUGS.

Please this is not the time for anybody to come telling us that they have the constitutional right to organise Congress because when COMMONSENSE is at play, every other thing is SECONDARY. In any case, all the parties involved have contributed to this MESSY SITUATION we find our Union. The fact of the matter is that, even if majority of the delegates go to Hohoe, there would certainly be some delegates that will go to Ideal College in Accra and at the end of the day, two sets of NUGS executives would be announced to the general public as the "legitimate NUGS executives", then the media war for credibility begins forthwith. A similar thing happened in GUPS this year and we can't allow our mother union, NUGS to suffer this fate. 

Now, to the SRC/LNUGS Presidents, it will not only be an indictment but also "foolish" on your part to WASTE your scares resources and risk your lives and that of your students in attending "congresses" that have been BOYCOTTED by the very aspirants, because of whom you may be attending. And I would be surprised and stupefied if you are not IMPEACHED by your constituents/students for wasting their SRC dues on a "fruitless endeavour". I know your students are SENSIBLE and will do the right thing under the circumstance. Do not put your parochial interest ahead of your students' and that of NUGS.

Finally, if these outgoing NUGS executives think that they will continue to be in office if we all boycott the “two congresses”, then they will be tickling themselves and laughing. If they fail to unite and get us a SINGLE VENUE for congress 2016, then they will be doing a lot of disservice to themselves. Indeed, I wish to remind them that this October, is exactly one year the mantle of leadership was handed over to them. They have thus, exhausted their stay in office and must necessarily hand over latest by the end of the month. And they MUST handover a UNITED NUGS as they inherited else their conscience will forever haunt them. 

Again, their failure to do that, would leave CC members with NO OPTION but to invoke the powers of CC under Article 24, 25 and more importantly, Article 84 of the NUGS Constitution. In an emergency CC meeting, chaired by the Chief Justice, CC would then appoint interim executives pursuant to Article 25 (b) and 84 (c), who would then be charged with the responsibility of organizing congress as early as possible. After all, these outgoing executives have proven beyond doubt that they are INCAPABLE of organizing a successful congress. We are tired of their excesses and the several unending pettiness. Enough is enough. NUGS should not and must not die. We can’t have a divided student front or NUGS again and make nuisance of ourselves. 

#Mutashi

#TheNonsenseMustStop

#StudentsDeserveBetter

#NecMustActImmediately

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)

Please it is shareable…