The Kogi Renaissance Group, KRS, has slammed the state governor, Yahayah Bello for threatening to treat students in the state as kidnappers and criminals.
Bello and National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), recently locked horns over the former’s threat to proscribe the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Kogi State University chapter.
Lecturers in the school had embarked on strike three months ago to protest against the non-payment of their salaries, a situation which led to the governor threatening to cancel the staff union of the university.
Reacting to the governor’s threat, KRS Executive Secretary, Usman Okai Austin described the governor’s comment against students as a ‘joke taken too far.’
He therefore called on relevant authorities to closely check governor before he completely ruin the Confluence State.
According to Okai, “Undoubtedly, the path which the governor has taken is detrimental to the well being and fundamental rights of the entire Kogites, hence, he should be closely checked and cautioned.
“Threat by the state government to treat students like kidnappers is joke taken too far. As the chief security of the state, he should concentrate on good governance and go after the kidnappers that have taken over the state and not reduce governance to child’s play.
“It is obvious that there is a vacuum of leadership and the governor looks helpless and clueless while the state is on a stand still .
“The governor, instead of concentrating on good governance and people-oriented programs, is busy chasing shadows. His conducts are unbecoming and his choice of words is not going down well with the good people of Kogi state.
“Despite all these, the state government has engaged in financial recklessness, awarding contracts without public bidding. The renovation of the Kogi state House of Assembly Complex, the renovation of Lugard House and presidential lodge were awarded by Bello to his cronies; these are multi-million Naira contracts being treated as private affair of the Governor.
“The students of the higher institutions have been for more than 3 months, a situation that led to the protests organized by the students. We had expected the governor to call an expanded meeting with the ASUU Kogi state chapter and other critical stakeholders. But to our greatest surprise, he took to the media and announced that he will treat the students like kidnappers. These developments give us deep concern as the state is moving in a very wrong direction.
“We ask the governor to stand tall and meet up with the leadership responsibility of the state. As a youth, governor we expect him to show characters and habit that will encourage youth show interest in leadership positions. His style of leadership is more of vindictive, suppressive, oppressive and dictatorial, discouraging and a bad image for the youth.”
