NANS president distances self from public fight, clarifies Fayemi’s involvement in students’ politics
By Mike Adebayo, Ado-Ekiti
The President of the National Association of Nigeria Students, comrade Sunday Asefon has distanced the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, himself and other members of the executive of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) from the much touted on a disgruntled element, Abdumajeed Oyeniyi who parades himself as NANS President in Oshogbo, Osun State capital.
Abdulmajeed Oyeniyi was one of the contestants to the NANS Presidential seat but lost to Sunday Dayo Asefon in a keenly contested election held in Abuja on 4th of December 2020.
The Ado-Ekiti born student activist said, “But instead of him to accept the defeat and the result of the election in good faith and move on with his life, Abdulmajeed became a villain of a dramatic character by setting himself up to become an opposition to the incumbent NANS President.
“This development and many other things he has perpetrated did not go down with the authentic NANS Presidency and entire students nationwide who have declared him Persona-Non-grata in their campuses as he was told to stop parading himself as NANS president.”
The NANS President, comrade Sunday Asefon in a Press statement made available to Nigerian NewsDirect in Ado-Ekiti clarified that the Executive Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has no link with the state of confusion that greeted the illegal meeting of the NANS allegedly conveyed by Abdulmajeed Oyeniyi in Osogbo, adding that the students body in their domain stopped him and his cohort from continuing with the meeting under the umbrella body of NANS.
Asefon who further stressed that he was nowhere near Osun state when the alleged attack occurred, also said he had visited the state earlier where he was given a red carpet reception by students Union leaders in all the campuses visited in the state, including his own campus.
“Let it be noted that on the said day of the alleged fight, I was nowhere near Osun State where the alleged fight broke out. I was in Osun State a week earlier where all the students union presidents came to receive me and met with me, including that of the institution claimed by the impersonator.”
“My attention has been drawn to the news making the round on some blogs associating the Executive Governor of Ekiti State Dr. John Kayode Fayemi with the fight that broke out between an impostor impersonating himself as the NANS President.
“Let it be expressly clear that Governor Fayemi who is the Chairman of Nigeria Governor’s Forum does not have anything to do with the fight and any attempt to blackmail the governor on exclusive students issue is not only laughable but ridiculous.”
Comrade Asefon pointed out that he has maintained decorum irrespective of how low those he described as marauders and impersonators have gone, adding that he refuses to be joined in their mirage and empty dream, rather than continue praying for his friend Comr. AbdulMajeed Oyeniyi who was physically present during his inauguration in March 2021 to show support.
He added that to demonstrate more support, Abdulmajeed also joined in solidarity rally with Asefon’s leadership twice during the students protest in Kaduna State.
He wondered how “a fellow who protested side by side with me in solidarity in Kaduna can suddenly wake up three months after his inauguration he personally attended to now declare himself NANS President.”
The NANS President urged him to sheathe his swords in the interest of peace and retrace his steps because of the legal implication of his action, while urging members of the students body, well meaning Nigerians, both home and in the diaspora to pray for his quick recovery, to regain his full sanity.
“In my capacity as the President of all Nigerian Students, including the good, bad, and the ugly, I will continue to pray for him to get well soon, and anytime there is a need to raise funds for him to get the needed psychiatric attention, I will personally contribute and mobilize all our structures across the country to come to his aide because he had once identified with the struggle before his mental health issue began.”
He called on the security agents in the country to beam their search light on the factor responsible for the attack and bring the perpetrators to book.
