Vibrant leaders are known for their fearlessness and admirable courage in confronting challenges that may come their way. A leader hears the cry of his followers and steps up measures to salvage their plight. Lately, I have keenly watched the political activism of Comrade Yinka Gbadebo, the incumbent president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). And I make bold to assert that the comrade needs some mentoring/tutoring in the art of giving his followers adequate representation.

Comrade Yinka emerged national president of NANS a year ago in a controversial national convention held in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom. He narrowly won the heated contest and afterwards, a breakaway faction of NANS emerged led by “Prince O” a Plateau born student unionist who was once the youth coordinator for Hon. Pauline Tallen during the 2011 Governorship election.

Vibrant leaders are known for their fearlessness and admirable courage in confronting challenges that may come their way. A leader hears the cry of his followers and steps up measures to salvage their plight. Lately, I have keenly watched the political activism of Comrade Yinka Gbadebo, the incumbent president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). And I make bold to assert that the comrade needs some mentoring/tutoring in the art of giving his followers adequate representation.

Comrade Yinka emerged national president of NANS a year ago in a controversial national convention held in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom. He narrowly won the heated contest and afterwards, a breakaway faction of NANS emerged led by “Prince O” a Plateau born student unionist who was once the youth coordinator for Hon. Pauline Tallen during the 2011 Governorship election.

Since the elections however, both factions of NANS have been at loggerhead over who the legitimate winner of the election is. Being a bona fide Nigerian student in one of the Federal Universities and an active campus unionist, I must raise my voice, so as to help correct some of the ills in the system. Leaders are tested by fire, brutal challenges and hard time. The strength or otherwise of those leaders are determined, felt and seen when those daunting b;ut surmountable challenges crop up.

Since Comrade Yinka came on board as NANS president, I think the major challenge he faced was how to broker a truce between striking university lecturers and the Federal Government. I empathize and stand in solidarity with him in this respect. That said, it is disappointing that even though he is someone who can use his immense influence to engage both parties (FG/ASUU), he (Comrade Yinka) chose to paint University lectures black, casting aspersions on them and making the public have the outlook that the lecturers are money mongers and insincere. I condemn in the strongest possible terms his inability to partake in ending the crisis with maturity and diplomacy. We expect as students that he should have mediated and prevailed on both ASUU and Federal Government with a diligent sense of responsibility, as a neutral leader to broker peace for the overall benefit and interest of Nigerian student rather than being in the side of the Government.

One would easily have the notion that comrade Yinka and his cohorts and foot soldiers were given jumbo monetary benefits to embark on this completely unacceptable journey of standing at a distance and wolf crying. The truth must never be hidden. It is the oil that could change things and transform us to greatness. If Oga Yinka thinks he can pave his way in the minds of Government officials so afterwards he would be given a juicy political appointment just as Comrade Jude Imagwe who was appointed special assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on student matters having served as NANS president before Comrade Dauda Mohammed, then I think his dream is a laughable one. My brother and friend Yinka should focus well and study hard to be a hero and landmark achiever and contribute positively to nation-building without necessarily being given political appointments.

I advise him to work hard and leave legacies that would stand the test of time and respect his teachers. He should strive to bring sanity into campus unionism which has been corrupt and made dirty. Let me end this piece by congratulating both Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for reaching an amicable consensus with Mr. President last week to end the strike. Much premium must be placed on education so we could achieve progress and development as a nation and good people. I submit that a repeat of ASUU strike shouldn’t be recorded again. It adversely affects. It pains and sabotages good efforts towards institutionalizing development.

by Satmak Dapar Alexander

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NANS president and his political ambition by Satmak Dapar