NANS refutes Media attack on Imoke (18/8/08)

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has disassociated itself from the recent negative media publication alleged to have been sponsored by it against the person of Senator Liyel Imoke and Cross River State, saying it is malicious and fraudulent.

Speaking while on a solidarity visit to Senator Liyel Imoke at his private residence in Calabar, Thursday, leadership of the body led by its Secretary General, Comrade Iqwe Martins, revealed that NANS read the reports with dismay, stressing that such reports neither emanated from its secretariat nor any of it legitimate members, describing those behind it as politically livid and unscrupulous elements wishing to sabotage the democratic growth in the country.

On the Appeal Court nullification of the 2007 governorship election, NANS said that though it has disrupted the developmental process in the state, which they noted was on the fast lane, it is a challenge to Cross Riverians mobilizing to revalidate the mandate earlier given to Imoke to reform the State.

Martins appealed to the State Government to give attention to student union activities in the state by supporting its programmes and incorporating them into the democratization process and called on INEC to enlist NANS as one of the election monitoring teams in the forthcoming re-run election.

In his response, Senator Liyel Imoke described NANS as the future leaders of the nation who are better equipped with the advent of information technology, and urged them not to lose sight of the noble values which will guide them in their chosen endeavour.

He enumerated some of those values, as humility, responsiveness, honesty and integrity and noted that they are gradually disappearing from the society. He urged NANS to embrace such values if they must succeed as the future leaders of the country.

Imoke pointed that from the inception of his administration, he established the Ministry of Youth Development with the mandate to harness youth potentials and make them useful to themselves and the society because according to him, they are important stake holders in the state.

He urged the students to shun all forms of discrimination against one another and work together in peace and harmony.

Government House Press