Am Still The Authentic NURSS President - Vincent Dan Jumbo

The embattled President of National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS), National Secretariat, Comr. Vincent Dan Jumbo said, he is still the only authentic President of the union. Mr Dan Jumbo who spoke to our reporter yesterday through the Public Relations Officer of the union, Comr. Timi Mbaba, said that, at the end of the election which held last year under the supervision of the State Security Service (SSS) , he, Comr. Jumbo was announced the winner of the election by the Electoral Committee set up to conduct said election. He therefore urge the public to dis-regard
and disassociate themselves from any other individual parading themselves as the NURSS National President nor care-taker chairman as the case may be, noting that, such persons are nothing but desperate elements in the society who are merely seeking, public relevance and recognition which they couldn’t earn legally.
The student’s leader gave the details of the election as follows “Few months after the election, prior to their inauguration which came about two months after the election, no petition was received by the electoral body or any other body as a show of dissatisfaction from anybody. If any group of persons or indivdauls was aggrieved by either by the conduct or outcome of the election, such person should have filled a formal petition within such a vast period of time after the election held. However, I wonder why they never raised any complain or objection until when we were finally sworn as NURSS, National Executives having been dually elected, he said. Rather, all they did was to collaborate with some persons to form a parallel government through an electoral committee that did not comply with the Unions Constitutional provision. When, the issue first came up,  arrest was made and I  and the leader of the pioneer of the faction factional , Sofiri Ogolo were invited by the commissioner of Police who advised us to go settle amicably since we are a student’s body. This was never the case, as the opposition was head-bent on what they were doing . Thus, at a point in time, the State Security Services invited us and inform that the State Governor has directed them to revisit the electioneering process by setting up a committee of enquiry to that effect. At the end of their findings, the SSS  noted that, the election was not properly and dually conducted, since there was not voting at the  time, when they the SSS were present coupled with the fact that as students body, the election failed to take place in school environment rather, it  was purported to have been moved to a hotel for security reasons. However, when the authority of the Hotel in question was contacted, they equally confirmed that they did not witness any voting. Having faulted the both sides, the SSS once again advised us to go and reach a compromised after which , they would re-invite  us to know the outcome. However when my Executive and that of Ogolo led faction melt behind closed doors for the meeting, he, Ogolo made unrealistic demand as a compensation. His demands included, a whopping sum of 4million naira, the Position of Eleco Chairman at the end of our tenure among others, this we did not obliged  to as it was not feasible. We question his rational for such lucipherous demand, but he insisted on his demand. So, the meeting ended in a gridlock and thus, we had to report back to the State Security Services (SSS). Thereafter, Ogolo was invited by the SSS for three different occasions, but he turned down the invitation, consequent to this non-chalant altitude of his, the State Security Services told us to continue with our government. The SSS equally pointed out as part of their findings,  that the shallow Eleco formed by Ogolo were not students. So, by this explanation, you can now see that, I,Comr. Vincent Dan Jumbo remain the only dually elected President of National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS).

On the issue of bursary payment, the NURSS national leader further said, that the issue of bursary payment from time immemorial has always been an issue of contentious between the State Government and students body. He however called on the State government to snob the leadership tousle and go ahead with the payment of bursaries to the benefiting students of the state as Rivers State students in tertiary Institutions cannot bear the brunt of such frivolous issue. In his,i “words, the state government should not capitalize on this skirmish among the NURSS leadership”. We are equally call for the intervention of the state government on the internal wrangling in NURSS, but, we do not expect the government to hijack the student body since, it is not an agency of government. Mr Jumbo maintained that he is equally aware that some politicians in the state are the brain child behind the leadership tussle, but it is my view that such people should desist from such act of calumny. The State Government should be aimed at instituting peace among members of the union. Their intervention must however be anchored on neutrality so that peace would rain. However for peace to rain, there has to be justice and for justice to come to play, the right people who has been elected should be allowed to serve. The number one student in the State however opined that his government is ready to work  with any aggrieved individual, but will however not tolerate any other person laying claim to such position in the state.