By Francis Banka

The Editorial of Ghanaian Times of Saturday, March 1. 1980, makes such very interesting reading since it reminds us of the role of the said paper in the days of Kutu.

The Editorial said among other things that there was convincing analysis that certain forces outside the NUGS want to break the National Student Front. “At least a church has been identified to be among these forces and the NUGS leadership has believed that.All these years, that the clique has committed the Ghanaian student to an ideology which many of them do not
understand or even bother to know about, the student body of Ghana has never propagate scientific socialism or not: In fact while the NUGS leadership portrayed the student movement as socialist oriented, majority of these students including the “progressives” had very capitalist tendencies.

This is particularly exemplified by our SRC and NUGS leaders who grab whatever “benefit” that
come their way to enrich themselves or live lavishly. They arrogate to themselves what is for the student movement and do what they like with monies without being accountable to anybody. Mind you it is these same leaders who demand accountability from governments. Self acclaimed
Self acclaimed socialists are alleged to have used their position as student leaders in time of national crises to amass wealth. It is been alleged that some of our socialist leaders had their share of the June 4th booty. It may be one of the reasons or the reason why they do not want the AFRC to be probed because they would be exposed.

The clique that has grown out of NUGS over the years comprises most past NUGS executives (National and local) and most SRC executives. In fact, you had to be scientific socialist inclined before you could be appointed to the local NUGS executive by the SRC Executives, at least in UST There are a lot of past student leaders who because they were associated with the with the NUGS central committee have more say in the affairs of NUGS that some present student leaders. The clique has manipulated the NUGS constitution in such a way that they always have their way at discussions and when voting on issues.

The present crises is not a matter of “progressives” against “reactionaries” in the NUGS, but a matter of a reaction against the clique which has manipulated the student movement for the past decade or so. It’s just incidental that this so called reaction against the clique is been led by a group of Vocal Catholic students. It should be not surprising for any person, or group of persons to pick the church as a scape-goat for what is now happening. The Catholic Church is against scientific socialism for its atheism. The Church is not against socialism per so the social teachings of the church defines clearly her stand on capitalist exploitation of man.

I wish to state without any apologies that these church movements are far more socialist inclined than the self-acclaimed socialists of NUGS. If the clique in UST would be honest with everybody they would be the first to admit that the Young Christian Students Movement which is International, (found in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Canada and Europe) is far ahead of them in socialism.

This movement has in its own small ways tried to identify with the exploited masses in a number of concrete ways in the various continents and also in Ghana. The YCS movement does not just talk. It analyses and helps people remove social structures which dehumanize them. The YCS does because according to the Movement to be a Christian means fighting injustices, exploitation etc. The movement’s objective is liberation of people from domination. It will be recalled that sometime last year a group of progressive” students PANYMO (Pan Africa Youth
Movement) thought it wise to have some working relationship with the YCS precisely because
the PANYMO realised it had similar objectives with the YCS. A start was even made and a joint discussion was held.

Indeed, the Catholic Church, should not be accused of using its youth organisations to sabotage NUGS. Far from it. All that the movements seek to do is to expose this clique. It should be noted that is all this, the youth movements in the church have never been goaded on by the Hierarchy or any part of it. Nor have the movements had prior consultations with theBishops. This church has been using its own youth organisation to sabotage NUGS attempts to organise students into a strong united force” unquote. This is not surprising, because all scientific socialists in the NUGS clique are anti-religion and are against organised religious groups which would be a threat to their selfish interest. These forces which are accused of kicking against NUGS solidarity
are described in the usual terms as counter revolutionary and as rightist. In the view of the Editorial the walk-out by a numerically insignificant part of the U.S.T. delegation was part of a critical show-down in which the progressive student forces gained the upper hand a feather in their cap.

The present crisis in NUGS which is going to develop further is nobody’s making but a clique
who describe themselves as progressive elements. This clique has for the past years manipulated students of our higher institutions to achieve their selfish ends. But a new awareness has now emerged among students of all our Universities which seek to question student leadership in general and expose its shortcomings with a view to sustaining the confidence of the public in the student body. It is only in this way that the student body would be in a better position to reflect on the oppressive forces in society in general. It would also enable the students to realise how
oppressive the present NUGS structure is, and how the NUGS leadership has been misusing them. The most vocal of these so called reactionary students happen to be Catholic students led by the young Christian Students Movement and the Pax Romana. This group of students through their analysis of the NUGS structure have come to the conclusion that NUGS leaders have over the years used their position as spokesmen of the students body to propagate scientific socialism as the ideology of NUGS, while most. students indeed have very rudimentary ideas of this ideology. The NUGS clique has actually been challenged by Catholic students to prove that
the student movement has given them the mandate to propagate this ideology. It is not therefore
surprising that these Catholic student movements should be looked upon with suspicion by the NUGS clique particularly in the UST where the confrontation started.

A historical background on how scientific socialism came to be associated with NUGS at this
point will be in order. Around the early seventies at a NUGS congress, a very “progressive’
group of students emerged which influenced the decision that NUGS should adopt the ideology of scientific socialism. This was not surprising because NUGS, led by the “progressives” wanted to become a member of the International Union of Students (IUS) a scientific socialist group financed by the socialist Eastern countries. By being a member of IUS, NUGS was entitled to some funds from IUS for its work, on the condition that NUGS propagated the ideology of Scientific Socialism. The NUGS leadership could attend international meetings of IUS or meetings of member unions at the expense of IUS. Motivated by what personal gains that would accrue from this membership, every NUGS leadership has propagated this ideology. The duty of every NUGS leadership was to ensure reproduction of itself, and slowly a clique developed.

Until 1979 the ideology was propagated theoretically by the “progressives” who have been well paid by IUS. Large sums of money were paid to NUGS and this money has been used by the “progressives” as they will since they were not accountable to the very students they represented. International conferences were attended by various members of the clique and the general student body did not know who went where and what was discussed. The youth movements in the church have no quarrels with with any “progressive” student group. All we are against is the clique getting themselves into position of leadership, and using them to promote their selfish interest without consideration for the stand of the general student body. Two instances of such confrontations with the NUGS will suffice. In November last year, the YCS, in UST not happy about the way students were being manipulated by NUGS leadership on this issue of scientific socialism, decided to conduct a survey. They tried to contact as many students as possible. Some students could not be bothered and therefore refused to give their opinions, students responded, 339, 28% understood scientific socialism to some extent, 131 students, 10.5% wanted it adopted in Ghana. 909 students, 72.8% did not know much about scientific socialism. 1,117 students 89.5% neither understood scientific socialism nor wanted it adopted. With these findings, the confronted the NUGS leadership and asked them to conduct a referendum to settle the issue of NUGS official stand on Scientific Socialism. But no referendum was held. Again in December 1979, a Youth Leaders Congress was held at Wesley It is interesting to note that none of the Catholic Youth Student movements which are registered with the National Youth Council I was invited. We the Catholic student movements surprised to see a resolution passed at the said meeting which among others says that:

(1) That a Mass National Youth Movement be established without delay to ELIMINATE.
DIVERSIVE TENDENCIES HINGING ON ETHNIC AND LOCATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS, for the effective participation in in efforts efforts to improve the Ghanaian Society”
(2) To participate in the general mobilisation of the underprivileged people for the building of a society based on the PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIALISM which will ensure that the free
development of one is a precondition to the free development of all”, unquote. (Emphasis mine)

The Catholic Youth Movements obviously objected to these resolutions passed in the name of all the youth because we believe in unity in diversity and not unity in conformity. Besides as Christians we could not subscribe to an atheistic ideology which has no room for the peaceful practice of our faith. We disapproved of the clandestine manner in which the meeting was held and of the two points points in the above two resolution through press conference held in Kumasi three weeks later.

The two instances quoted above should not portray Catholic Youth Movements as seeking to sabotage the NUGS as the editorial of an Accra daily wants the public to believe. We are members of the NUGS and we believe NUGS has a lot of untapped potential, instead of mere demonstrations and beautiful speeches or press conferences. We are prepared to work towards a more representative and accountable student leadership. We are fed up with being treated as ASSES. NUGS must be radically cured of the cancer that wants to break it apart – that self-centred leadership. This is the objective of the Catholic students. NUGS can be involved in more constructive ways to help build Ghana. Let the majority of the students body have a say in its affairs.

 

Read more about NUGS below

• 1968: Statement To The Press By NUGS On The “Legon Incidence”
• Statement By The National Union Of Ghana (NUGS) On The Proposed Transitional (Interim) National Government
• 1980: NUGS Opposes AFRC Probe Call
• 1980: Is NUGS Preparing a Hangman’s Noose
• 1980: NUGS Opposes AFRC Probe Call
• 1979: NUGS in Political Set-Up-A Rejoiner
• 1980: We Were Not Part of NUGS Conference – Says U.S.T
• 1974:The National Union Of Ghana Students Press Release
• 1978: National Union Of Ghana Students Press Release