NANS OGUN JCC DENIES INVOLVEMENT OF PROTEST IN ADEGBENRO POLYTECHNIC

SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT: NANS OGUN JCC DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN UNREST, DURING AND AFTER THE PROTEST IN D.S ADEGBENRO POLYTECHNIC

Ogun State students are known for peace and wherever we go, we always exhibit the trait and quality of the Omo’luabi in us.

What happened on Wednesday during the protest of students of D S Adegbenro Polytechnic, Itori was disheartening and most unfortunate.

It was a misunderstanding between the management of the institution and the students over the school policy which states that only students with 75% attendance in class for a particular lecture would be allowed to sit for examination.

With my swift intervention during the protest, the issues were being resolved and the protest subsiding, only for some hoodlums to hijack the protest and attempted to turn it into a major crisis by attacking me and some members of my Exco.

These unfortunate individuals thought we were going to engage them in a fight so that their aim to disrupt the peace the good people of Ogun State have been enjoying can be achived, but they were soon disappointed when my team, despite provocative attacks, continued on our peace mission.

It is most unfortunate that, this event had turned to a major topic for discussion on the Social Media and other mainstream Media with claims that there are two factions of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS (NANS), OGUN JOINT CAMPUS COMMITTEE.

I want to state unequivocally that nothing can be farther from the truth. There are no factions in Ogun NANS JCC. Ogun NANS JCC remains one united family under my leadership with the mandate given to me by all the students of Ogun State on Saturday, January 30. 

It is important to state that those that earlier attacked me and my Exco members on Wednesday, were not students of the D S Adegbenro Polytechnic, but some hoodlums who hijacked the protest and turned it to riot for their political gains.

However, stating the facts had become imperative to dissuade the rumours going round that I led a group of people back to the school on Thursday to revenge.

In setting the records straight, I want to clearly state that, I did not go to D S Adegbenro Polytechnic on Thursday to register any displeasure or grievances, neither did I go there on a revenge mission.

As the number one student in Ogun State and the true representative of the good students of Ogun State, I am more than committed to peace, tranquility and progress of our dear State.

I also strongly believe in dialogue and peaceful resolution of whatever conflict between our students and any other member of the society.

It is with this belief that I and my team went to D S Adegbenro Polytechnic, Itori to mediate in the crisis between the management of the institution and the students on Wednesday.

Immediately, I was informed about the protest, I rushed down to the school campus to intervene and most importantly to placate the students to see reasons to dialogue rather than resort into violence.

My peace mission was paying off until some hoodlums who are not concerned about the peace and development of the State seized the opportunity of the protest in attempt to achieve their selfish and political gains.

Their mission was to cause mayhem and unrest in that part of the State and therefore go further to disturb the peace Ogun State people have been enjoying for the last two years since Governor Dapo Abiodun had taken the mantle of leadership in the State.

The events of Wednesday and Thursday were most unfortunate and unacceptable but, these enemies of students and Ogun State failed woefully to achieve their aims.

Here is a detailed account of what happened with timeline and witnesses who saw everything that happened and that can attest to this testimony:

1. On Thursday morning, June 3, I called Rector of D S Adegbenro Polytechnic to ask about the progress that had been made after the Wednesday’s event. He also invited me over for a meeting (to be held around 9.30 am) between the management of the institution and representatives of the students.

2. The meeting, was most importantly held for the signing of an agreement (MoU) which I and my Exco helped facilitated, to broker a peace between the Institution’s management and the students.

3. In the agreement, the management of the institution had acceded to all the requests of the students as bothering on the issue of 75% attendance and other issues.

4. Before I left Abeokuta for Itori, in company of some of my Exco members, I called the Ogun State Commissioner of Police and the State Director of the DSS to intimate them of my movement and my mission to the school and to also seek for our protection in case of any imminent attack.

5. We got to the school premises, around 10am and headed straight to the Rector’s office, the venue of the meeting.

6. The meeting was ongoing when suddenly, we had loud disturbing noises coming from outside the office. All of us, including the Rector dashed out to assess the situation when all of a sudden, hoodlums, numbering about five, who had probably come to attack me and my team again, ran into the nearby bush on sighting us.

7. My team wanted to pursue the attackers, but for the intervention of the Rector and others who appealed to us not to further escalate the issue and suggested that we allow the security personnel do their job.

8. On no account did any member of my team engaged anyone in a fisticuff even in the face of provocative attacks and this is even evident in the videos that are now trending on the social media.

9. Despite the disturbance, the meeting was a success and all issues were amicably resolved.

10. I want to seized this opportunity to thank the management of the institution, especially the Rector for the maturity with which the issue was handled.

11. I want to also sincerely appreciate my constituency, the students of the polytechnic for agreeing to dialogue instead of violence to resolve the issue. Be rest assured that my administration will always put your interest first and represent you very well and you have believed in my and given me your mandate. I will not disappoint you all.

12. I want to sound a note of serious warning to bad elements who want to cause trouble and disturb the peace of this State to stay clear of Ogun NANS JCC or have themselves to blame.

13. Ogun NANS JCC remains one united family under my leadership and the development train of this highly respected association had since taken off and the destination is victory and success.

God bless Ogun NANS JCC, God bless all the students and God bless Ogun State.

ALUTA CONTINUA!!! VICTORIA ASCERTA!

Signed, 

Comrade Damilola Simeon (Daosmos),

Chairman, NANS, Ogun JCC.