REPORT: INSIDE NAKSS, HOW THE BURSARY IS USED TO BUY PERSONAL CARS, LAND AND PARTYING.
IBRAHEEM, Abdullateef
The National of Kwara State Students { NAKSS] is an indigenous students body charged with the mandate of representing the students’ academic, political and social interest before the government. Its leadership is comprised of diverse brilliant youth drawn nationwide as executives to talk for and agitate for the rights and privileges of the over 1.6 million kwara students domiciled in every part of Nigeria for concerted and coordinated activism.
The body has been in existence for some years with arrays of individual recorded as leaders and representatives. They have had to their credits several projects icluding policy- changing protests, sensitization of students on vices, policy formulation among other enviable intervention in the cultural, social and political space. Most importantly, they lead and agitate for the disbursement of bursary, presently a stipend of N5000, for the ‘ welfarism’ every Kwara stu dents. Consequently, this is why they are ‘’ mandated’’ to distribute, administer and pilot the process of distribution of the money.
But despite the historical brilliance, sagacity and altruism, the tide has changed and the thieves have become the banker of the community savings, making embezzlement a mere talk of when and not why and how. This is why Theinformant247 has pried into their activities and the discoveries are staggering!
Perhaps there’s no government agency, ministry, body or parastatals that’s as corrupt and morally bankrupt like the almighty Scholarship Board and the unpatriotic but celebrated National Association Of Kwara State Students, in the present day Kwara, as the two have formed a wanton fronts, like Siamese twins, bounded by the sinister, wicked and ignoble motives, of milking the Bursary fund to the bottom of the safe, unless something is done quickly to avert the disaster.
Aftermath of the disbursement of this year annual bursary, which was shrouded in great controversy and confrontations between the students’ body and the Kwara State Government, there has been reports of in- house plans, permutations , and secret proliferation of a sizeable tranche out of the whopping sum of 25million naira approved by the state government, which was exactly what prompted investigations into the disbursement of the fund, which findings have revealed to be virtually the greatest scam, robbery and thievery in the student movement in the state.
And what is most incredible is the uncovered facts, that there are powerful individuals, government officials, ex- students leaders and ‘respected’ men of the banks in the syndicate, to complete a perfect yet the most underestimated pen robbery gang. And now that the feelers are out, the public should be the judge!
THE ‘STRUGGLE’ FOR STUDENTS BURSARY
Late last year, the state government was reported to have taken a wise but hard decision of changing the traditional payment of bursary into ‘ electronic’ method, siting several reason for such a wise but ‘ unconventional stance’, which rightly include; cases of embezzlement, favoritism, impartiality and abuse of authority which of course ,didn’t sit well with the leaders who had successfully poison the minds of the students and the public, the body was up in arms, denigrating and lampooning the governor, accusing him of not wanting to pay their annual ‘’ privilege’’. The public had erroneously joined in the aspersions, finding a scapegoat in the state government, an action which was ironical, if only they had new the students leaders were ‘’ robbers’’ in disguise. Like the covert investigations has revealed, the students were ably supported by ‘’ insiders’’ who had joined them in fighting vigorously to protect their ‘’ pot of soup’’ as unfolding events has uncovered.
THE RELEASE AND THE DISBURSEMENT
After much pressure, the government kowtowed to their demands and released a quarter of the fund demanded, a sizeable N25million naira, against the initial N100million naira demanded, reinforcing the belief that the governor was well- acquainted with the massive rots, inequities and misappropriation in the whole system. The ensuing sharp practice has exonerated the government in no small measure.
The Informant247 has reliably gathered that the disbursement train of the students’ body, NAKSS, has just visited about 7 schools, accounting that it has spent a lumpy sum of N4million, a submission we found very questionable. How a whopping `4good-million naira has been expended on just 4 four institutions beat imaginations! And of course, further inquiry has affirmed that it was a lie from the pit of hell to hide the loopholes in the whole dealings.
Ordinarily, the body was supposed to give at least 500- 700 in each institution in the registered list. However, the reverse has been the case as the biggest beneficiary of the scheme so far, LASU, was reported to be below a miserly 100! And that’s about the biggest, several others were not much lucky as discovered, we had quite miserable 20,40 and 32 in the case of LAUTECH, the largest home for Kwara student! The bulk of this money were expended on lodging the retinue of bursary disbursers, led by the model of corruption himself, the immoral President of the body , Com. Musa Muhammed Mancha, in expensive hotels and excessive partying. These are not just mere conjectures or insinuations, a lightest of investigation would no doubt, uphold the veracity of these claims.
The biggest point they say, is better said last, but in this case it’s not a mere point, this is the last that broke the camel’s back. The morally-infested students’ body might have resolved not to pay a dime again. And this, is the cruelest, wicked, despicable, disheartening, unfair and most evil thoughts the said leaders of tomorrow could ever had. This much was uncovered from the intrigues, power plays, alignment and realignment, coalition and betrayal; permutations and the dishing of the ‘cake’ in a massive scale.
DUES, DEALS AND THE SETTLEMENTS
About four weeks ago, the President Comrade Mancha, was reported to have collected the sum of N1million Naira from the Scholarship board, the money which was said to be from the conventional dues of the association estimated to the impressive amount of N2million Naira this year. The money was distributed among the ranks and files of the leadership of the body. However, feelers are out that the President might have gone back to collect the remaining money, a possibility that has not sit well with the ‘left out comrades’. What’s most surprising is the Devil-may-care manners by which this immorality is carried out. The sharing, bickering and the open disagreement arising from the New Year package was disgusting and unsavory of the emerging political leaders. Maybe it is unashamedly safe to conclude that the authority of student representation found wrong hands in some of these students’ leaders.
The ‘Deals’ in students parlance, NAKSS in particular, is a covert robbery all in the name of activism. And this is where the State Government should wield the biggest hammer and land it on the bald head of the civil servants doubling as students’ robbers. The Scholarship board overtime, has become the smokescreen for the perpetration of financial misappropriation by willing student leaders, that the ‘deal’ phenomenal is probably their biggest duties and responsibilities more than their statutory duties!
Barring any last minute changes, it would soon be business as usual between the usual suspects. All is set for the annual rip off of the over 1.6 million Kwara students by few opportunists, called powerful but are indeed power fools. For this, massive consultations to the accomplished in crime, the ex- students’ leaders, which are referred to stakeholders, have begun in earnest. This informed the division in their ranks earlier this week, as information leaked out that some ‘pockets were filled’ in preparation for the showdown!
Of course, it was by the relentless President, who has subconsciously become the Chief Tormentor of the students he was elected to protect their interests. An unconfirmed sum of money rumor to be about hundreds of thousand Naira classified as ‘remnant’ or ‘left over’ of the sum that was supposed to be disbursed at LASU and the other last school, LAUTECH, became the’ settlement bills ‘of the Stakeholders. What is most unheard of, condemnable and despicable was the fact that a whole government SA, himself a reputable students leader had a hand in it.
We equally gathered that aside the Stakeholders, there are also ‘Senior Comrades’, funny as it is, have a big stake. They are powerful, high-ranking cult leaders in the state. It’s ‘tradition’ to water their palms. Mayhap, due to safety, the leaders may be excused.
CARS, LAND, PARTYING AND MARRIAGE
Progress, is of course, good for students leaders. In fact, comradeship is essentially progressives. Proper Comrades are often found highly successful in their chosen different endeavors. Like they say in the struggle, ‘Inside Aluta, Suegbe no dey’. But smartness and intelligence and progress becomes negative when it is to illegally used and acquired. In recent times, the NAKSS student movement ideology appeared to have shifted from radicalism to mediocrity. The desire for impact, values and accomplishment do not take the front burner again. Instead, what’s in vogue now is accumulation of wealth through shady deals with the concerned authority for personal gains.
It’s now a common practice for students’ leaders to leave office only to be seeing living miraculously large. The pecks of student unionism have become cars, lands and other material acquisitions. If these were done in legal ways, it is of course inspiring, to see the emerging leaders highly enterprising. But NO! The bursary belonging to over 1million students is the capital for some comrades business dreams, purchase of cars, acquisition of land , and in some cases marriage rites. We cannot continue in this light and continue hoping for a better future; there’s no point being stupidly hopeful, a good present point to a beautiful future.
This is why, as-a-matter-of-factly, the state government should look critically and holistically into the rots in the corridor of student representation.
RECOMMENDATIONS
First and foremost, the coming government should look holistically into means to scrap and substitute bursary with another scheme. Turning the lumpy sum of money into scholarship grants, prizes and Infrastructural Vault may not be out of place. At least, something may be guaranteed, that the money would be for the rightful owners and not some selected few.
The sun outside can still dries a cloth. The government should launch a Commission of Enquiry to investigate the disbursement of last year bursary. A sum of N25million naira may be trivial, but letting the rots to live unabated may let the sores fetter for long. Which, I am sure you would agree with me, is a time bomb whether socially, culturally or politically, the wrongs shouldn’t be condoned particularly in the students body.
The Scholarship Board may be stopped from approving the fund. Records overtime, have proven them to be compromising and morally defected. It won’t be bad looking into their activities as there are bounds to be many irregularities, malpractices and inequities.
Lastly the President, without no reservations has proven himself to be morally unfit for that position. Aside the rumour academic shortcomings, the incessant cases of financial sharp practices have adequately portray him as a man with zeal and passion for sharp practices. I call on the government to look into this and ensure proper sanctions where necessary.
The government may not be able to do much with the stakeholders’ syndrome. ‘ Godfatherism’ cannot be taken away from student unionism. But all the same, they could do a lot investigating the ‘ insiders’ backing and pushing the students’ leaders to be unruly, corrupt and brazenly immoral. It’s no secret that ‘deals’ passes through the table of some government officials.
If education is truly a determinant factor in the development of any given society, so is character- good character, with right education makes a good and purposeful youth which is an asset to the society. As it stands the picture doesn’t seem bright for Kwara State and it has now become against time. If you ask me, the time for action is now!