The Kwara State students under the aegies of National Association of Kwara State Students have chided the state government for not fulfilling campaign promises to students.
This was contained in a statement signed by the media aide to the NAKSS President Adisa-Jaji Azeez, Aliu Ahmad Gold and made available to newsmen in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital today.
Referencing a report made by PUNCH NEWSPAPER on student bursary, Adisa-Jaji alleged the state government for sidelining the student body.
He said, “In reference to a publication of Punch Newspaper dated September 30, 2019, through an article credited the Chief Press Secretary of the Kwara State Deputy Governor Mr. Kayode Alabi disclosing that the incumbent administration has approved the release of N50M as bursary allocation for students in the state, when the University of Abuja’s Chapter of the National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS) paid him a courtesy visit in his office,”
“We wish to state categorically that the Government’s purported plans to disengage the National Headquarters of NAKSS from the negotiation processes, preparation of technical details as well as credible disbursement of the said fund, is amounting to a total derail from traditional practices which won’t be cheaply entertained and condoned. The Kwara State Government must confidently prioritise the inclusiveness of NAKSS in all policies and schemes that have to do with the affairs of Kwara State Students at any point in time, instead of adopting some parochial considerations to leap about the constitutional provisions which established and enabled NAKSS as a constitutionally recognised body with superlative inclusion and strategic involvement in all governmental actions towards the students,”
“We would love to make it known however that the ‘peanut fund’ of N50M that was reportedly approved would outrightly be insufficient to cater for the welfare of about a million and some thousands NAKSSITES in various institutions across the federation. Going by facts and figures, N50M can only cater for 10,000 students and statistically the population of our members in Kwara State Polytechnic is more than 10,000, let alone University of Ilorin with about 5,000 and Colleges of Education across the State and other reputable institutions elsewhere,”
“We wish to remind the State Government that the last administration disbursed a huge sum of N100M as bursary allocation for Kwara State Students, and during your electioneering campaigns, you assured us of doubled percentage as well as other mouthwatering packages for our members from far and near which thus far none has been fulfilled. While the Government of Kebbi State just released a whooping sum of N717million, Ekiti about N300million for bursary and other States discreetly following suits, we would appreciate if a government that has promised us ‘heaven and earth’ during their campaigns imitate this remarkable gesture,”
He consequently said, “We wish to reiterate that the government must consider us a strong, reliable and effective body that strongly represent the interest of Kwara State Students home and abroad, and must never feel reluctant to carry us along whenever decision or policy that has to do with the students is tentatively being taken”