Outage as NANS names Kashamu man- of the year

Mr. Buruji Kashamu
Some activists and social critics on Monday
slammed the National Association of Nigerian
Students for naming the senator representing
Ogun-East senatorial district, Buruji Kashamu, as
the ‘Golden Man of the Year’.
The National President of NANS, Tijani Usman,
had presented the award to Kashamu last week
for his ‘untiring, exemplary and compassionate
leadership style’.
While presenting the award to Kashamu in Ogun
State,Usman had said, “We decided to honour
Senator Kashamu because we know that he is
neither the richest businessman nor politician in
Nigeria, yet we constantly hear of his
philanthropic gestures to Nigerians of all shades
and colours, especially the less-privileged.”
“We are fascinated at his large-heartedness even
in the face of needless distractions. We reckon
that if all wealthy Nigerians are like Senator
Kashamu, the country will be a better place for us
all. That is why we decided to encourage him by
giving him this award.”
However, constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay,
told our correspondent that the decay in NANS
was a reflection of government and society.
Sagay, who is also the Chairman, Presidential
Advisory Committee on Corruption, said the
gesture of NANS was similar to the vote of
confidence passed in Senate President Saraki by
his colleagues despite his ongoing corruption trial.
He said, “Our body polity has been affected by a
disease. I am not surprised that students can call
Buruji Kashamu their hero when senators passed
a vote of confidence in Saraki because he is
undergoing a criminal trial. Of course, I know
Saraki has not been sentenced but this disease
has also infected students.”
In his reaction, human rights activist, Mr. Festus
Keyamo, said, “This is unfortunate; NANS has
been destroyed. That is all I can say.”
Also speaking, a Lagos-based lawyer, Ebun-olu
Adegboruwa, who was also the Student Union
President at the Obafemi Awolowo University in
1992, told our correspondent that NANS goofed
by giving a controversial politician an award.
He said, “The situation of Nigeria demands that
students should be progressives who work in the
interest of the masses and should be concerned
about their future.
“I don’t know what he has done in furtherance of
education and democracy in Nigeria. Given the
controversies surrounding his sojourn in America
as well as his cases in London and Nigeria, I
think NANS should have waited till these cases
had been concluded before giving him that award.
During our time, we never did such.”
An activist, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, who was the
NANS president from 1984 to 1985, told our
correspondent that NANS had become
commercialised and is now the property of the
highest bidder.
He said during his time, NANS only gave awards
to deserving Nigerians. He recalled that NANS
bestowed the title of the ‘Senior Advocate of the
Masses’ on the late activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi
(SAN).