The embattled and ‘suspended’ President of the National Association of Nigerian Students , Bamidele Danielson has spoken extensively on his recent suspension by the Senate wing of the National Association of Nigerian Students.
In an EXCLUSIVE Interview with EXCEL MAGAZINE INTERNATIONAL, he noted that the decision to blackmail him was ill-informed and has cost him a lot of pain including psychological pain.
In a tell-it all interview, Bamidele noted that the Senate does not have the power to suspend him, he stated that the function of the NANS Senate is limited to electioneering issues and the body cannot reconvene under any guise of emergency meeting.
“The NANS has its own constitution and make-up, as a matter of fact, the function of the Senate is more on election matters and I remember that I suggested the use of online platform for election but it was rejected, I even suggested that a website where people can access all of this voting facilities be built but they refused , if not for the whole Covid-19 situation, the transition should have held” he revealed.
He also alleged that the Senate committee of the Nigerian national student body is out to blackmail him
“You cannot go to the media and cause many harm on false allegation because someone did not give you money as usual and you resort to extensive blackmail and attempt to bring down at all cost” an irate Danielson noted.
Speaking further he noted that his administration through the executive body of the association wrote a letter to different organizations and agencies such as NNPC, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management among others but none of the agencies gave the association any money.
“We wrote to different agencies including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management among others seeking support for the Covid-19 for students but none of them replied to our request, they only acknowledged the letters but we did not get anything, you have seen the statement from the NNPC clearing me of any wrong-doing, so the issue is dead on arrival” he stressed.
Danielson admitted that no student will forgive him if the allegations were to be true
“No student will forgive me if the allegation were to be true, even now I cannot walk freely on the street, I cannot talk, my family is destabilized and the pain of this is quite much. I have done a lot for the association. I fought apartheid, I stood strongly against many things, I know what we did in Ekiti and I have made sacrifices for the association than for my name to be brought down without any just cause” he lamented.
Danielson however revealed that he is heading to court to clear his name
“I am heading to court to clear my name, I have instructed my lawyers to take up this case. Imagine a case where after now, I cannot contest for elective position because of false allegation, I cannot talk or walk freely, so I have to clear my name in court” he stressed.
It would be recalled that Bamidele Danielson was accused of a Two hundred thousand dollars fraud by the Senate wing of the National Association of Nigerian Students. The money was said to have been given as a palliative to students as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Another reported stated that the money was to stop the protest against fuel price hike.
