By Amaka Abayomi

The National Association of Nigerian Student, NANS, is a body covering all higher institutions in Nigeria and protects the interests of all students before the institutions, government, stakeholders and even other countries’ policies.

But recent happenings have led to factions and the emergence of two presidents in the association. The two presidents are Dauda Mohammed and Adakole Ochai. This has left millions of students wondering who their leader really is.

According to one of the presidents, Dauda Mohammed, he was elected president on August 3rd, 2011 at the Bayelsa Congress and inaugurated on 23rd September, 2011 in Abuja, while the other, Adakole Ochai, claims the Bayelsa congress was annulled and he won the election that was later conducted in Awka, Anambra State.

Mohammed said the process of his emergence as the NANS president remains one of the most credible in the history of the association and that Ochai has never, at anytime, been elected as the president.

“Every action of Ochai, including his recent interview with Vanguard, are considered as an act of impersonation by the association. There has never been a doubt about me being a bonafide student of the University of Jos and that is why the VC of UNIJOS was present at my inauguration as the President of NANS.

Adakole Ochai and Dauda Mohammed

Also, present were several other notable personalities such as the Governor of Niger State, the Minister of Police Affairs, the Education Minister and nine past NANS Presidents.

“It is laughable to see someone who came a distant third in the election now masquerading as the president all in the name of extorting unsuspecting members of the public.

“The convention that produced the current leadership went through a painstaking process that involved past leaders of NANS, the National Universities Commission, the State Security Service and other relevant agencies to ensure fairness of the electoral process at the Bayelsa convention. There was verification of the studentship of all participants at the convention and participants swore to an oath backed by court affidavit to abide by the outcome of the process.”

In defense of his presidency, Ochai claims that Mohammed has been rusticated from school, making him ineligible to be a leader of students, and the election that led to his emergence as president was annulled.

“We went to Bayelsa to give an award to the former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva. After that, the Congress of Nigerian Students decided to pass a vote of no confidence on the Bayelsa convention. It was annulled and we decided to hold it in Awka, Anambra State. Two of the people that contested the election in Bayelsa came and contested. One of the aspirants stepped down for me.

“But we began to hear that some people are holding on to the Bayelsa convention that had been annulled and are parading Mohammed as the president. I have evidence that he has been withdrawn from UNIJOS because of his low CGPA.”

Investigations by Vanguard Learning to ascertain who the NANS President is revealed that some people in government are the brains behind the factions in the association with the aim of setting the students against themselves.

According to a source close to both NANS and government, though Mohammed emerged winner at the Bayelsa congress, but it was marred by irregularities which led to the cancellation of the outcome of the elections. But it would not have degenerated to this level if a top official had not introduced both of them to his boss on two different occasions.

“I heard Mohammed is not a student and he went back to school just to qualify to contest for the elections, but we are meeting to resolve this issue once and for all.”

But a security personnel who declined to give his name, insists that Mohammed won the elections while Ochai came a distant third and has no business parading himself as the NANS president.

For the SUG leader, Imo State University, Samuel Opara, Mohammed is the democratically elected NANS President. If he were rusticated from school, as claimed by Ochai, other SUG leaders would have been informed and would have moved for his removal as the president.

In agreement is Elendu Otis, SUG leader, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, who said “Mohammed is the known NANS President by Nigerian students not Ochai. I think Ochai is claiming to be the president because losing is not something you will want to accept if you spend huge sums of money campaigning. Though there are factions in the body, but Dauda is the president elected by Nigerian students.

For Usman Shauibu Reno, SUG leader of Bayero University, Kano, “Mohammed is the elected NANS president while Ochai lost in the elections. We are taking steps to get Ochai to stop parading himself as the NANS president because he is not.”

Pointing out that there are factions in the association, the past SUG leader of University of Benin, Martin Luther Obiaka said Mohammed is the elected president.

“Even if he has been rusticated from school as claimed by Ochai, that doesn’t give Ochai the power to start parading himself as the president because there is a Senate that would deliberate on the issue and decide the next line of action.”