Recognise contributions of student union icons to democracy, FG urged

…As tributes pour in for former NANS senate president, Abdullahi Ali Kano

The Federal Government has been urged to acknowledge and immortalise student union icons who played pivotal roles in Nigeria’s democratic development, as tributes poured in for the late Abdullahi Ali Kano, a former Senate President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

Speaking on Thursday at an evening of tributes held in Abuja in honour of the late student leader, Chairman of Partners for Electoral Reform, Ezenwa Nwagwu, lamented that successive Nigerian governments have consistently worked to undermine the student movement out of fear of its unifying potential.

Nwagwu, himself a former student activist, described student unions as powerful platforms for national engagement. 

He noted, however, that politicians—much like the military before them—have often sought to infiltrate and divide such movements to neutralise their influence.

He commended the contributions of student union leaders like Ali to democracy.

Asked if he believes the current NANS leadership is living up to expectations, Nwagwu said: “In the affairs of a new generation of students whose dynamics, needs, and challenges are different from those I faced, NANS under military rule is not the same as NANS under civilian rule. Under civilian rule, you expect a NANS leadership more interested in consultation and engagement than in confrontation.

“But politicians, being what they are, always want to take dubious advantage, just like the military. So what they do when they see a unified body that can be a threat is to infiltrate that organisation. It was even the case during our time. They infiltrated the organisation then. But the unity of purpose we had was part of what held us together.

“NANS is not a revolutionary organisation. It is an association of Nigerian students whether Christians, Muslims, progressive, reactionary they all belong to that association. But the leadership that emerges may take on the complexion of radicalism. If the students don’t vote a radical in, I cannot force one on them.

Nwagwu, who was among the organisers of the event described the late Ali as one of the last symbols of that era, where he said students rallied across ethnic and religious lines for national transformation.

He said: “Ali is not from my generation, but because of how outstanding he was in his own time, it is the responsibility of those who lead NANS today to take ownership, read their history, and find how to impact democracy.

“What I always say is this: the method of engagement for the military is not the method of engagement for civilian rule. Civilian rule creates vistas of opportunity for engagement. Student leaders can take advantage of that and make life meaningful for students.

Speaking, a Professor at the University of Abuja, Umar Kari called on the Federal Government and the Kano State Government to immortalise the late student leader for his contribution to Nigeria’s democracy. 

The don described Ali as a patriot, a detribalised Nigerian, and a unifying figure in the student movement whose legacy he transcended ethnic and political boundaries.

He said: “Most of us met him at the level of the student movement. Personally, I met him almost 30 years ago, and up to his demise, he remained widely known across many spheres as can be testified by the presence of friends and comrades from all over the country.

“Ali led students during the military era. Now we’re in democracy. I wish the government would immortalise him that. Probably, our organising this event was driven by a belief that the government might do it. But up until the end of his life, he remained politically active.”

READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE