How I Emerged Authentic NANS President, 300 Level BUK Student, Faruq Reveals
- The National Association of Nigerian Students has a new president and he is Comrade Umar Faruq
- Faruq defeated other candidates in a keenly contested election held in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja
- The newly elected students' leader said his first priority is to intervene in the ongoing ASUU strike nationwide
FCT, Abuja - The newly elected president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Umar Faruq, has explained how he defeated other candidates and was declared winner as the one number Nigerian student at the just concluded 2022 convention of the association in Abuja.
Comrade Faruq takes over from the outgoing NANS president, Comrade Sunday Asefon who was elected in 2020.
Source: Facebook
Faruq who is a 300 Level Library Science student of Bayero University Kano (BUK), defeated his closest opponent, Comrade Usman Barambu, scoring 202 votes out the 310 total votes cast in the election.
More than 300 delegates, made up of student leaders across tertiary institutions in the country converged on Abuja during the weekend to elect their new leaders.
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Speaking with newsmen after he was declared winner on Saturday, September 3, he vowed to swing into action immediately to see to resolution of the protracted strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Faruq, popularly known as Fakky said his emergence will not only unite the association but but bring about focused leadership, progress and bring back the glory of the union.
He promised to bring all the contending voices together for the progress of the students association.
He also expressed disgust over the lingering strike action by the lecturers, saying he would immediately meet with the minister of education, Malam Adamu Adamu, leadership of ASUU and other stakeholders on the need for the parties to return to negotiation table.
His words:
“I want to assure Nigerian students that in no distant time, I will work to make sure that the leadership of ASUU will meet with the federal government to make sure that Nigerian students go back to campus.
“NANS has new president now and we will discuss the minister of education, with the leadership of ASUU, so that we can come to a roundtable to make sure they call off this long strike.
“We will make sure we protect our students at all levels because that is the first priority of my leadership.”
He dismissed reports of any faction in NANS, saying NANS remains one and that under his leadership, the welfare and issues affecting students nationwide would be taken seriously.
2023: Yiaga Africa partners UNDP to promote youth participation in politics
Meanwhile, in a bid to mobilise over 60 million young Nigerians to vote in the 2023 general elections, Yiaga Africa and the United Nations Development Programme on Saturday, August 6 organised a concert at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp, Kubwa Abuja.
The event which was held in partnership with a comedian, Chukwuyem Israel, was aimed at using the platform of entertainment to promote the importance of youth participation in the electoral process.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the event, a senior research officer at Yiaga Africa, Michael Agada, said the concert is geared towards educating NYSC members on the imperativeness to participate actively in the democratic process ahead of the 2023 polls.
2023: Yiaga Africa collaborates with OXFAM Nigeria under #RunToWinNG project
Recall that Yiaga Africa in a similar collaboration with OXFAM Nigeria under the #RunToWinNG project held a convergence of youths to sensitize them on the values of electoral and political participation recently.
At the event, youths were tasked to use their potential for their gains and participate in the electoral process.
According to Yiaga, the whole idea of the #RunToWin festival was to provide support to younger people to contest and win elections and also inspire younger people to register and vote in the forthcoming election.
Source: Legit.ng
