Long ago, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) was formed with the vision of championing the interest of Ghanaian students until pandemoniums started emerging from it’s annual delegates congress.
It’s a progressive mass movement of Ghanaian students that is non-political, non-partisan and non-religious. The entire students populace today are in a state of uncertainty, confusion and indecisive as to which leadership front is credible (the official representation).
Oh yes, from rumors and speculations as well as hear says and the I said, the concerned stakeholders and the entire student populace are in a state of dilemma. The multi billion dollar question Ghanaian students ask today is, why was the NUGS congress which was supposed to be held at one location fragmented into two different locations with two sets of different delegates?
The NUGS held its 50th Annual Congress in Hohoe where Mr. Julian Mawuse Cobbinah was projected victorious with other executives, signed by Samuel Amoako Kusi – KNUST SRC President also the Chair, Electoral Commission of NUGS at the premises.
Mr. Luqman Abubakari and other approved executives were also recognized as the winners of another congress held in Accra.
I kept wondering where we were heading as a Union with this kind of division.
Mr Luqman Abubakari led administration on the 9th December 2016, came out with a press statement congratulating the president-elect of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and all elected members of parliament. I read another press release with photographs on Wednesday 19th December 2016 proving that this same administration represented Ghana in All Africa Students Union (AASU) in Sudan.
The entourage led by Mr. Abubakari on behalf of Ghana Students visited the unfortunate injured persons who were victims of the La gas explosion in the 37 Military Hospital on 29th December, 2016. I must say that all these leadership responsibilities assumed by the Mr. Luqman Abubakari led administration all firmly transpired after Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was declared the president-elect of the Republic of Ghana.
Before then, I still remember the brouhaha that emerged when these two differently led administrations on Wednesday, 12th October 2016 clashed at TV3 premises amidst controversies and political heat to sabotage one another. The presence of the police and arrest of an executive raised a lot of concerns and day by day I wondered if NUGS hasn’t lost its essence of existence.
After this incident taking it cause, an immediate press statement was released by Mr Paa Quecy Adu, NUGS President 2015/16, stating that “We don’t know Luqman Abubakari as NUGS President”, and continued that he is a fraud and has no legitimate right to that title of our noble Union. This is clearly the nature of the then trusted NUGS today. Perhaps, one way or the other, we can go a point blank to conclude that Mr. Cobbinah led administration is affiliated to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) whereas the Mr. Abubakari led administration is associated with the New patriotic Party (NPP).
If NUGS’ congress is now a political infiltration and characterized by disunity, individualism and violence and our leaders putting their selfish interest ahead of the Students interest I leave it to the political experts.
The National Union of Ghana Students is becoming more than a political party as stated by King Midas Amoateng in his recent article and I wholly side with him if I have come to the realization that NUGS had allowed itself to be misused by cheap propagandist politicians and has lost its credibility as a noble union to champion students interest.
Are Ghana students safe in this NUGS political era?
Submitted by Emmanuel (Okrazion) | KNUST
