The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), being the most formidable pressure group in Nigeria, has a mandate that transcends beyond advocacy for students’ welfare. We also have a duty to contribute meaningfully to national discourse, policy formulation, and serve as an oversight body to the government, its agencies, and every institution in the country.
As the largest youth-driven organization and the foremost, most formidable pressure group in the country, we have continued to monitor, without bias, the recent happenings surrounding the death of Late Miss Mary Habila and the Honourable Minister of Works, Engineer David Umahi. While we offer our most sincere condolences, it is also crucial to state that the death of a young and promising Nigerian youth is so grievous that it must not be exploited by any group or individual to push personal sentiments, vendettas, or political gains.
According to the reports and documents available to us, the Honourable Minister of Works, Engineer David Umahi, has consistently maintained that the actual cause and circumstances of Miss Habila’s death should be established and unraveled. Reports also have it that he has formally requested the conduct of an autopsy to determine the cause of death, a request which, according to reports, the family of the deceased objected to.
In the foregoing, a rational individual can only question why the Northern Youth Council, with no clear record of meaningful agitations centered on the empowerment of Northern youths before now, is coming out openly to give Engineer David Umahi a seven-day ultimatum to step aside as the Minister of Works despite having written to the police to allow for the conduct of an autopsy to establish the cause of Late Mary Habila’s death.
Every well-meaning Nigerian must then question the rationale behind such a threat. Clearly, a logical and impartial group with the interest of the masses at heart would not ask the Minister to step aside despite being open to thorough scrutiny and an impartial investigation to unravel the true cause of Miss Mary Habila’s death. Without mincing words, it is clear that the Northern Youth Council has misplaced its priorities and mandate.
As the most formidable pressure group and the largest youth-driven organization in Nigeria, we are committed to justice, fairness, and an equitable system that shields no one, regardless of class or status. Therefore, we call on the Northern Youth Council to refrain from exploiting the situation to attack the Minister of Works, who has no doubt delivered efficiently. We are privy to the official project reports of the Ministry of Works, and we have also seen the quality roads being constructed across the federation. Clearly, the Minister has not faltered in his official responsibilities and should therefore not be coerced into stepping aside over unsubstantiated accusations.
Thus, we denounce the position of the Northern Youth Council calling for the removal of the Minister of Works as an ill-conceived attack on the performing Honourable Minister, who has submitted an official request to the police for the conduct of an autopsy to establish the cause of Late Mary Habila’s death. The Council should henceforth refrain from attacking the Minister, who has been working around the clock to deliver the mandate of the Renewed Hope Administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, through the construction of quality roads, and instead address the issue at hand from a logical and impartial standpoint.
Signed:
Dist. Comr. Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, GCNS
President, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)
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