NUGS is the largest student body in Ghana
The international Union of students which is the mother body of all student leadership squadrons under the United Nations, has an underpinning principle that all students front should disconnect themselves from the various activism of political parties. Thereby not making them contingent but rather self-standing in relation to projecting the Supreme goals of students.
In the wake of this, all national student leadership frontiers without any short lip of breath are supposed to unremittingly anchor the numerous student interest of every nation, improving upon their standard of employment after school, facilitate them to have a congenial and serene environment for teaching and learning at all levels and also, at all times putting the general welfare of students first.
Indeed, the National union of Ghana Students (NUGS) started as an independent movement of students which charted the course of self-rule squarely by resourcefully mobilizing the students fore against colonial rule and its reverberate effects.
Time past, NUGS was known as the United Gold Coast Students in the 1930s. Indubitably, the role that the student fore played is highly indispensable in consolidating the overall process leading up to independent.
Subsequently, the United Gold Coast Students was renamed in the year 1962 under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS).
The current objectives of the NUGS are to discuss student’s problems, coordinate student activities and to formulate opinion on matters of mutual concerns. (Angel 1990, 234).
However in recent times, NUGS, the largest student body in Ghana has been engulfed in a traumatic crises which has blindfolded its initial intent and hence has led to switching base from its core values such discussing students problems, coordinating students activism and formulating opinions on matters of mutual concern to toeing the outfits of politicians.
Sadly, opinions widely held by many students suggest that, the sinking nature of NUGS is not farfetched because, political parties have extended their political vault by taking part in the open lithe of students’ leadership.
Currently as I pen this issue, there are two leadership fronts of NUGS where it's believed that both factions are strategically placed there to perpetuate and toe the vicious tangent of the current incumbent party in power and the opposition party. Thus, fielding to the desires of these party's rather than crusading the inert interest of the students.
NUGS without a shed jot of doubt has truly, lost its sense of identity by meddling in the affairs of political parties and being more of partisan body hence, ditching sight of championing the unpolitical interest which was indeed, the seed reason that engined it....
Interestingly,NUGS propel and inspired the establishment educational led institutions such as the National Services Scheme and the Ghana Education Trust Fund which the leadership of NUGS draw strength to play leadership roles in negotiating students interest.
Meanwhile, many within the intellectual standpoint have been advocating for the disbanding of NUGS and its political motivated activities all because it's now tilted toward shouldering and championing the phony interest of political parties.
It's obvious, these problems that NUGS is engrossed with are due to the fact that most of these students aspirants have scanty resources to run a buoyant campaign throughout the length and breadth of the nation’s universities and institutions and for that matter, depend heavily on these political parties to underwrite them and in return, they intent quiver responsibilities to prosecute the interest these parties.
It's high time NUGS as a body assume its rightful role in telescoping the interest of students and disassociating itself from partisan political affiliation. There’s equally the need to capitalize on modern technology to introducing an Electronic voting and campaigning system which would automatically relive aspirants from traveling the full length and breadth of all universities to court the support of student Delegates.
Equally, there is the rapid urgency to call the two divided factions to order in other to avert future manifestation of events that have culminated in past where we now have two separate leadership wing for one movement. The media on the other hand, must be very circumspect in their reportage because, the media arena has been sharply divided between both opposing sides.
May God bless mother Ghana and its diligent students.
Happy New Year.