LEADERSHIP OF the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has vehemently denied reports purporting that the student body will be part of the groups reportedly planning to demonstrate against the controversial Ghana-US military deal today.
NUGS had allegedly served notice of embarking on a nationwide demonstration on Wednesday, 28th March, 2018, against the approval of the controversial Defence Corporation Agreement between Ghana and the US.
But in a disclaimer issued on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 and signed by its National President, Elisha Oheneba Essumang and Press and Information Secretary, Kojo Matasa Blay, NUGS urged all and sundry to disregard the reports that it was planning to embark on such demonstration.
According to the disclaimer, “NUGS is drawing the attention of its stakeholders, the media and the general public to disregard a fraudulent circular by some unknown individuals about a purported demonstration by students of Ghana on Wednesday, 28th March, 2018.”
The disclaimer indicated, “The 2nd highest decision making body in NUGS, National Executive Committee (NEC), is by this disclaimer calling on all Students Representative Councils, SRC executives, bloc member institutions of NUGS – Ghana Union of Professional Students Association (GUPSA), Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG), University Students Association of Ghana (USAG), National Health Students Association of Ghana (NAHSAG) and the Regional SRCs (RSRC) – security agencies, the media and the general public to disregard this malicious and frivolous, intended and unwarranted demonstration against the US-Ghana Defence deal as if it was the official stance of NUGS.
“NUGS condemns this act of truancy and impersonation in all certainty and calls on all security agencies to arrest any group of persons that would use the name of the union to pursue their parochial and egoistic interests against the principles and doctrines of NUGS.”
The statement continued, “The leadership of NUGS at a meeting today, 26th March, 2018, at its national secretariat in Accra, reiterated its firm trust in the defence machinery of the state, the Government of Ghana, Parliament of Ghana, to ensure the strict security and safety of all students of Ghana. We again call on the President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, to put the security agencies on the alert in the wake of any controversies.”
BY Melvin Tarlue