Planned award for Akufo-Addo stirs up confusion among NUGS executives

A decision by the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) to confer an award on the 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, has been condemned by some executive members of the student’s body.

The Graduates Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG), Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG), University Students Association of Ghana (USAG), Ghana Union of Professional Students (GUPS) and the National Health Students Association of Ghana  (NAHSAG), all factions within NUGS say they were not consulted before a decision was taken to bestow the Statesman of the Decade award, the highest award of the students body, on Akufo-Addo.

According to heads of the fIve NUGS factions, laid down procedure have been breached since a quorum consisting of the NUGS President and six other members of the National Executive Commission (NEC) was not established before the award decision was taken.

According to a press statement signed by the Presidents of the five groups, say in “article 27(28) and 29 of the Constitution of NUGS, the Presidents of the blocs [GRASSAG, TTAG, USAG, GUPS and NAHSAG] and/or their representatives are members of the National Executive Committee”, adding that the constitution demands that they be consulted on such matters.

NUGS President, Andrews Kofi Gyan, and the General Secretary, Louisa Ata-Agyemang, issued a statement on Wednesday October 2, 2013 indicating that the students body, among other things have decided to acknowledge Akufo-Addo’s statesmanship due to how he conducted himself in the 2012 Election Petition.

But the Presidents of the five NUGS factions say “in the Election Petition, there were other petitioners who are equally worthy of praise. The respondents played a vital role as well…We are all happy about the reforms this petitions will bring to the Electoral Commission and how elections are conducted in Ghana. We will not support any action that will polarise the front of Ghanaian students.”

Asiwome Kodjo Tsamenyi, GRASAG National President, Steve Kubate Salifu, GUPS President, Comrade S A Karim, USAG General Secretary,Yakubu T. Yusuf, President, NAHSAG, Seidu Ahmed, and TTAG National Coordinating Secretary have also questioned the criteria used by the President and General Secretary of NUGS to select the awardees.

They are certain the move to award Nana Akufo-Addo is political motivated.