JCC election: Students crisis looms in A’Ibom

 …As NANS VP calls for calm

The peace that seem to have returned to the student community in Akwa Ibom State after the June 12 mayhem in University of Uyo is about to be short-lived as students all over the state have mobilized for a violent protest coming up soon. Our investigations revealed that this is as a result of the purported NANS Joint Campus Committee (JCC) election, claimed to have been conducted recently by a one-time self-acclaimed NANS JCC Chairman, Comrade Uduak Nseabasi; leading to the emergence of one Miss Otobong Vivian Akpan of Ini Local Government Area as the new NANS JCC Chairman for Akwa Ibom State. 

The NANS Joint Campus Committee (JCC) is a platform for the mobilization/coordination of tertiary institutions in a state and the organization of programs to the benefit of students. It is usually made up of a Chairman and Exco members, where Student Union Presidents are vested with the power to elect NANS JCC officials; supervised by national officers of NANS as well as Zonal Coordinators/Exco. Further investigation revealed that there was a noticeable absence of Akwa Ibom Student Union Presidents also referred to as NANS Senators and relevant NANS officials, such as the Zonal Coordinator and the NANS Vice President Special Duties – Comrade Ubon Marcus during the purported election which is claimed to have been conducted in the State College of Education, Afaha Nsit.

Student Union Presidents of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic Ikot Osurua, and other tertiary intuitions were absent and this is not part of the process to produce a NANS JCC as stipulated. This development has triggered anger in the student community as the aggrieved students have risen to deny the existence of any Joint Campus Committee in the state, describing the Otobong Vivian Akpan led Exco as imposers and threatening to embark on a protest if she is not called to order.  

Information available to us has it that the girl (Otobong Vivian Akpan) who has already started parading herself as the JCC Chairman is currently embarking on courtesy visits across the state with the view of conducting her inauguration soon and has been bragging about her tight connections with a prominent member of the State Legislature who is eyeing the hilltop mansion in 2015 and is rumored to be her boyfriend. According to her, her entry into NANS is part of the Hon. Gentleman’s strategy to secure the plum job by hijacking the student structure come 2015. Hence, her position as NANS JCC Chairman is targeted at mobilizing students all over the state to cause mayhem should the Hon. Member fail to secure his party ticket.

When contacted, the Vice President Special Duties of NANS, Comrade Ubon Marcus responded that Akwa Ibom State is yet to set up a NANS Joint Campus Committee as plans have reached an advanced stage to organize an Akwa Ibom Students convention through the office of the SA to the Governor on Student Matters, Comrade Ini Ememobong; where Student Union Presidents and students across the state would come together to elect their JCC representatives in line with democratic principles. The Vice President wondered why a group of people would suddenly start parading themselves as JCC Excos when there has been no election. He expressed disappointment at them for exerting their personal interests over the collective welfare of Nigerian students especially at a time like this when progressive minded comrades are working hard to find a solution to the lingering ASUU strike and other related issues such as the closure of Uniuyo and bothered if they truly have the interests of students at heart.

He however sounded a note of caution to the said Otobong Vivian Akpan and other students to desist immediately from parading themselves as Akwa Ibom NANS JCC Excos as such act is capable of ruining the fragile peace amongst students in the state which he and other stakeholders have labored to restore after the unfortunate June 12 crisis in Uniuyo. The student leader called on students to remain calm, emphasizing that violence is not the best option as witnessed in the Uniuyo fracas. He stated that a date for the JCC election will be communicated to them soon.