By Yaw Kwarteng 

In his campaign in the recent National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) elections at Legon, one of the candidates appropriately chose ‘Operation New Image for NUGS’ as his campaign slogan. Even though the candidate lost, his campaign and themes raised the consciousness of students about the need to take a very critical look at the activities of NUGS. The preamble to the candidate’s handout reads: “A close examination of the national student question reveals that there is a mixture of favourable and harmful impressions with emphasis on the latter, held by Ghanaians on students.” 

Some Themes 

Some of the themes of the candidate were the following:

1. Student power has overreached its limit and has become a nuisance to the peace of the general public and university authorities; 

2. Students have unjustifiably set themselves up as judges of the highest rank; 

3. Student extremists have, by the nature of their demands and, more significantly, by the tactics they have employed to further them, isolated themselves from not only the mass of the population but also from a majority of their colleagues. 

Without wishing to enter the debate on the pros and cons of these issues, it is true that the candidate has raised very pertinent questions for debate about the causes of conflict in the student movement. During the brief period of its existence, the NUGS has been strongly praised and condemned by various governments. It was even censured and later banned by the NRC/SMC regime. From a modest start at the time of the 1966 Coup, by 1977 the NUGS had grown into a powerful and an articulate pressure group. The fortunes of this student movement are, however, now declining.

Causes of Decline 

What are the causes of this decline? Two broad groups of factors explain the decline: popular mistrust and ideology. Two aspects of the mistrust may be distinguished. One source of the mistrust lies in the corruption of student leaders, and, the other, in the irresponsible and unauthorised utte- rances of student leaders. Many students are justifiably and deeply disturbed by the way corruption has permeated the ranks of student leadership at all levels of the student movement. 

Examples of Corrupt Practices 

A few examples will make my point clear. In 1974/75, when the annual accounts of the Legon Students Representative Council (S.R.C.) were presented, it became known that C8,000 was supposed to have been expended on stationery alone. When students demanded a breakdown of this amount, the leaders failed shamefully to explain satisfactorily the nature of this expenditure. The leaders of the S.R.C. in 1976/77 found it extremely difficult, when challenged to do so, to explain how C14,000 realised from the sale of essential commodities was used. The Legon Hall Junior Common Room (J.C.R.) failed to account for about £3,000 being profit realized during the 1977/78 annual dance. And quite recently, there have been accusations by very senior members of the erstwhile Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) that the NUGS Secretariat has misused four cars seized from per- sons convicted by the AFRC People’s Court. 

It is clear that student leaders have abused the trust reposed in them. They have come to be seen by most students as people who exploit any opportunity to make money. They regard the student movement as a gold mine, and this makes the future really bleak, for we are talking about the future leaders of this country. 

Frustration Among Students 

Despite the clear evidence of corruption among the leadership ranks of the student movement, it is almost impossible to insist on financial accountability. In spite of the provision on the need for audi- ting, Article 18 of the ‘new’ NUGS Constitution indemnifies the leaders “out of the assets and funds of the NUGS against any legal and other liabilities as may be incurred in a legitimate and legal execu- tion of their duties.” The phrase ‘legitimate and legal execution’ is interpreted to suit the whims and caprices of leaders suspected of misusing student funds. 

Owing to this, most students are deeply disillu- sioned and frustrated. Consequently, most students are indifferent in their attitudes to NUGS, SRCS and JCRS. They do not wish to be exposed to the harangues and messages of self-styled redeemers who promise, year after year, to correct past mis- demeanours. Students, on the whole, have thus very little trust in these student organizations.

 Irresponsible Statements 

The little confidence students have is being eroded by the irresponsible and unauthorised statements which are supposedly issued by self-righteous leaders. One such statement which has attracted wide attention, and which needs to be deplored, appeared in the Daily Graphic of February 26. This statement rejected the call for a probe into the rule of the AFRC on the grounds that it was “the latest and most vicious intrigue in the mount- ing campaign by reactionary forces to reverse the gains of the June 4 Revolution” and that, not unexpectedly, it is “part of a general campaign by imperialism and its local agents to deprive the working people of the country of their democratic gains.” 

Curious Ideas and Socialist Illusions 

This is a very strange statement emanating from narrow principles, short views and random use of words. We have heard of all these stock phrases before, and they are certainly meaningless. We hope that for once an attempt will be made to separate reality from theoretical socialism (or is it socialist theoreticians?). It is easily forgotten that any leaders, especially socialist ones, require disci- plined and ascetic habits. Listen to Fidel Castro writing from his prison on June 15, 1954: Don’t forget that our chances of victory rest on the belief that the nation will give support to the efforts of HONEST PEOPLE (caps mine) who right from the start had advanced revolutionary ideas…” It is important to stress that leaders need to win public support at every stage in their career, and the willingness to subject oneself to scrutiny is an important part in the process of winning popular support. Leadership rests on accountability—political, moral and financial. If student leaders fail to submit themselves to scrutiny by their colleagues, then, they must know that they will forfeit their trust and confidence.

Question of Ideology 

The mention of socialist cliches leads me to the question of ideology, the single most important thing that is tearing the student movement apart. Since 1974, a group of students, the so-called “progressives,” have attempted unsuccessfully to ram down the throats of students the ‘sour pill’ of scientific socialism. The resistance of students to these attempts is based not so much on the failure of the ranks and file of the movement to appreciate the merits of socialism. Their objection rests rather on what students perceive as the objectionable post-graduation behaviour of these so-called socialists.

Behaviour of Socialists 

As soon as these socialists leave the four walls of the universities they quickly become outright capitalists, imperialists and ‘nation-wreckers.’ They also turn quickly into hard-headed materialists who use every opportunity they get to enrich them- selves; their commitment to socialism is skin-deep, and their insincerity is a subject of comment in student circles. On university campuses, a socialist is portrayed as a saint by the leaders. It is not surprising that abortive attempts were made at this year’s NUGS congress at Kumasi to insert an article on ‘progres- sivism’ in the constitution. This article would have altered the political character of NUGS for it called for a leadership that is “progressive, anti-imperia- list, anti-colonialist, anti-racist.” Even worse, Article 17 of the new constitution states that a NUGS congress may remove from office by a two- third majority of those present any officer “acting contrary to the spirit and letter of the constitution.” 

The Way Out 

It is quite clear that the constitution was to be socialist in spirit. If so, then, all the leaders must be socialists in outlook. It is unreasonable and unrealistic of the leaders to seek to put all of us in a socialist straight-jacket. While most of us would like to be nationalist in orientation, we will resist any attempt to turn the student movement into a pro-East or a pro-West organization. The students are pro-student and pro-Ghanaian. It is mainly because of these reasons that the NUGS is facing difficulties now; though lack of communication between leaders and rank and file, infiltration of student ranks by outsiders, party affiliations and ethnicity are also factors which are weakening student solidarity. 

Is there a way out of the present difficulties? In the short-run, the NUGS should be reformed along these lines. First, the leadership must stop the attempts to impose an ideological rigmarole on the student movement. Secondly, the movement must be democratized by making it possible for individual leaders to hold opposing political views and opinions. Any collective views expres- sed must be the result of decisions democratically arrived at. 

Thirdly, all infiltrators who use the NUGS secretariat as a platform for issuing statements in the name of students must be thrown out of the organization. Also, matters affecting students must be debated at JCR and SRC levels before they come before NUGS. Furthermore, channels of commu- nication between the NUGS and all its members must be established, if suspicion and mistrust are to be avoided. Finally, corruption within student ranks must be effectively combated. As a beginning the clause on indemnity must be repealed immediately, so that it becomes possible to try students suspected of corruption. 

There should be one law for all Ghanaians students and non-students. It is not fair for a labourer to be sentenced and convicted for stealing a fowl, while a student leader who recklessly dissi- pates public funds struts around calling for the blood of civilian and military leaders, (labelled corrupt) to flow. While these changes are being debated, the NUGS should concentrate on the numerous student problems: chronic water shortages, bad food, stealing in kitchens, student corruption, red-tape in university administration and moral depravity on student campuses. Let it not be said by our compatriots that it was stude- nts and not soldiers who destroyed this nation. We will all be hanged by the noose prepared by NUGS, if this comes to be widely believed. 

NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS 

F. K. ALIEFEH: Lives at Osu, Accra. 

JOSEPH AYANLOLA: Graduate Student, School of Journalism and Communication, Legon. 

S. O. GYANDOH Jnr.: Associate Professor and Dean, Law Faculty, Legon. 

KWASI KWARTENG: Currently on study leave is a Lecturer, Economics Department, Legon. 

YAW KWARTENG: M.A. Student, School of Journalism and Communication, Legon; was President of S.R.C. Legon, for a short period.

 

More about NUGS

• 1968-Statement To The Press By NUGS On The “Legon Incidence”
• 1974-The National Union Of Ghana Students Press Release
• 1978-National Union Of Ghana Students Press Release
• Statement By The National Union Of Ghana (NUGS) On The Proposed Transitional (Interim) National Government
• 1980: NUGS Opposes AFRC Probe Call