Gov. Tambuwal’s defection divides Sokoto students’ body

A coalition of concerned Sokoto State Students on Wednesday said officials of the Federation of Sokoto State Students Association, have no mandate to represent the interest of students in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the coalition, representing all tertiary institutions across the state, said in a press statement issued in Sokoto, that recent directive by the federation stopping students from active politics was illegitimate.
NAN reports that the statement was signed by Abdulrashid Dange of Sokoto State University; Aminu Aliyu, Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic; Bashar Kware, Shehu Shagari College of Education.
Others are: Abubakar Shehu, Sultan Abdulrahaman School of Health Gwadabawa, and Abdulhameed Mohammed, Usman Danfodio University Sokoto.
The statement said: “Only legally elected executives have the capacity and right constitutionally to represent or voice out a word in respect of the students.
“In the case of FOSSOSA, it is a group of some students nominated by the state government to protect its interest through false accusations and propaganda.”
According to the coalition, the government of Aminu Tambuwal of three and a quarter years had performed woefully and has nothing to show as fulfillment of the desires of Sokoto state students within and outside the country.
It said: “As legitimate students in various tertiary institutions within and outside the country, we hereby condemn the group who paraded themselves as FOSSOSA executives.
“We also want to clarify our stand on the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Aliyu Wamakko and APC for the coming 2019 general elections.”
NAN recalls that FOSOSSA President, Abubakar Basakkwace, on Monday accused some section of the students body of discrediting the administration of Tambuwal.
He dismissed as false, claims by some of the students that Tambuwal’s administration had done nothing to the students, stressing that a lot was achieved in the area of education and skills development for youths in the state.