NIGER DELTA STUDENTS INNAGURATE ELECO

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, Nov. 9 -- The Niger Delta Students Union Government (NIDSUG) has inaugurated an Electoral Committee (Eleco) with the behest to conduct the upcoming National election for the union. The formation of the Eleco took place at the union’s National stakeholders meeting which held at the River State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt.

The membership of the nine-man Eleco was drawn from the nine states of Niger Delta. They include the Committee Chairman, Kokoettte Samuel from Akwa Ibom state, the Secretary Joy Oby from Abia state. Others include Elvis Lourkumor (Bayelsa), Paul Itua (Edo), David George (Cross River), Obianme Basoene (Rivers), Oluwole Olulsoga (Ondo), Ifurueze Victor (Imo) and Oruntie Oluwasan (Delta).

While inaugurating the committee, the National President of the Union, Amb. Genesis Jeremiah, urged the committee to be credible in all its doings “so as to set a blue print for elections in the union.” The Koko-led committee is the first Eleco to be formed by the union to organize the pioneer election.

The National Secretary Comr. Tanam Gospel, in his advice, urged the committee members to be “strict and honest as this is the time we have to put our constitution to test”.

The stake holders meeting equally featured reports from various schools, topical of which was the closure of University of Calabar (UNICAL) arising from the massive protest by the students. While making comments on this, Amb. Jeremiah, first of all, accused the school management of what he described as “unnecessary delay of school calendar. We call on the National Universities Council and the Federal Ministry of Education to look into the management of the school. It is not encouraging that in less than one year of the new administration, two students have died and the school has yielded up three out of twelve months to crisis and dispute settlement. Are we going forward or backward?”; he asked.

Other issues discussed at the meeting were the “way-forward” for Niger Delta students. The students who spoke stressed the need for the government to take education as a priority. One of the students, Yalah Tumbra kicked against the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government, adding that its consequences will tell more on the education sector. He said, ”if it happens, there will be high cost of education in the country. The teachers will demand more from the government. We call on the government to look at the long term consequences rather than immediate gains.

Another student from Bayelsa state Freedom Olubolu said “if the Federal Government must remove subsidy, then it will have to declare free education to help the youths and already suffering students.

The students complained on tribalism and ethnocentricism which is becoming a tradition in admission processes in most schools. The union’s first man, Amb. Jeremiah advised that “all Vice Chancellors, Rectors and provosts of our tertiary institutions should accommodate every category of candidates in their school without considering the state or tribe the person is coming from. We are one Nigeria.

At the end of the day, the National President handed over some confidential documents to the Eleco chairman and a take off grant to speed up activities. The committee was given less than one month to be done with electoral activities.



EMMANUEL SHEBBS-+2348063400402