Being The Text Of Press Release And Acceptance Speech By Comrade Bamigbade Taiwo (Egalitarian) On July 20th, 2016 At Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Nigeria

By Comrade Jeremiah Olatinwo

Greatest Nigerian students, fellow Executives, SUG Presidents, other student leaders here present, stakeholders, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen.

You are welcome to this press conference and official acceptance ceremony of the newly elected NANS Senate President.

We give all the glory and gratitude to the Almighty, omniscient and omnipotent God who led the campaign team of Comrade Taiwo Bamigbade (Egalitarian) to victory after scaling the many hurdles of campaign, consultation and election.

The Senators (SUG presidents) of our great organization have once again used their votes to make history. They have gave their support to the vision and agenda for the emancipation of Nigerian students and the Nigerian masses at large from fangs of myopic, draconian and insensitive leadership at every sphere of the Nigerian space.

I will like to express my deepest gratitude to all the Senators that traveled from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT to cast their sacred vote against all odds.

The democratic expression was the most important meaning of this election.

Heartfelt gratitude to my opponents and all the other aspirants and my opponents who exhibited the spirit of sportsmanship and maturity throughout the electioneering process. Viva!

I, BAMIGBADE TAIWO, student of FUTA (Agricultural and Resource Economics) hereby accept the mandate and the call of the senators of NANS to be the Senate President for 2016/2017 academic year.

ANOTHER CHALLENGE!
Nelson Rolhilahla Mandela said, “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”

Today marks the first step in our journey to reforming our organization. As the Senate President of NANS, I promise to turn the expectations of the teeming student population into reality as a matter of utmost priority promise to discharge my duties as spelt out in the constitution of our organization and uphold the prestige of NANS.

STATE OF OUR CAMPUSES
We call on the Minister of Education to wake up to the realities of the 21st century and be proactive in the discharge of his duties as the helmsmen of the ministry that determines the future of over 40 million lives in universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education. Measures should be put in place to avoid a repeat of Unilag, OAU, UNIPORT, UNIABUJA crises among others, where academic activities were halted and students were asked to vacate campuses indefinitely.

NANS also share the tenet and credo of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on its position as regards the scrapping of the post-UTME. The leadership of NANS unequivocally declare that the scrapping which was done on the spur of the moment and as such is unacceptable in its totality. Going by the various irregularities that marred the conduct of the 2016 UTME tests, where candidates were issued different scores on the different result platforms (SMS, website and result checker), the litmus test of post-UTME would be the chromatograph for separating the wheat from the chaff. We say no to mediocrity and average standard.

STATE OF THE NATION
We call on the Federal government to as a matter of urgency to roll out programmes to ameliorate the pains and the hardship experienced by the Nigerian masses as a fallout of her untoward economic policies including – the floating of the Nigerian Naira which has hampered budget planning and allocation in businesses and industries which are responsible for driving the economy of our nation. We also call on the President to reverse the increment in the price of fuel, kerosene and diesel. Lots of jobs are been lost everyday due to the organizational shakeup of many organizations to weather the storm of the effect of the hike in the prices of PMS, kero and AGO (diesel).

I wish to close this press conference by calling out to educational administrators in Nigeria (VCs, Rectors, Provosts) that the current leadership of NANS frowns at the victimization and the intimidation of student union leaders. Any such attempt will be met with the wrath of Nigerian students as we won’t hesitate to relocate the secretariat of NANS to every campus that infringes on our fundamental right to expression and free speech.

Aluta Continua, Victoria ascerta
Signed
COMRADE TAIWO BAMIGBADE
SENATE PRESIDENT, NANS
07054044168
07067995571