Presidential hopeful of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Selma Yoda, says the union must urgently rebuild its visibility and regain the trust of students across the country.
She believes NUGS can only effectively represent Ghanaian students if students understand its role and have confidence in the leadership of the union.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Afternoon Ghana on Monday, August 31, Ms Yoda identified leadership, visibility and trust as the three principles guiding her campaign.
“Because now you realize that people, when people are talking about NUGS in general, not even other portfolios, but NUGS, they talk about the fact that the NUGS before is not the NUGS we know now. There’s something that we are lacking.”
According to her, the problem goes beyond leadership contests and requires the union to reconnect with students at the institutional level.
“When you go to some institutions, some of them don’t even know about NUGS at all. That is a problem. Because NUGS is the mother body that’s supposed to represent the student’s body.”
Ms Yoda said this lack of awareness undermines the union’s ability to speak for students on national issues.
She argued that NUGS leadership must focus on solving problems affecting students rather than allowing political affiliations or external interests to influence its work.
“We are supposed to make sure that we are representing them well, regardless of political affiliation, regardless of any political infiltration and all that.”
She said students themselves also have a responsibility to protect the independence and unity of the union.
“We, the students, it is our responsibility to make sure that all these external forces or anything that will bring any division will not happen.”
According to Ms Yoda, the ultimate measure of NUGS leadership should be its ability to deliver for students.
“We want to serve the Ghanaian student. So whatever we are supposed to do, whatever policies, whatever ideas, whatever strategies that we are supposed to bring up to make sure that we have a united front.”
She said her decision to seek the presidency was driven by the belief that leadership should be about service rather than titles.
“My political journey, first year, I had no interest in contesting for any position.”
“But you realize that service or leadership is not only about the titles.”
NUGS presidential hopeful calls for dedicated body to tackle student accommodation crisis
Ms Yoda said her experience in student leadership had taught her that meaningful leadership can begin with small acts of service and problem-solving.
“It’s about making sure, or being able to make a change in every little space you find yourself.”
One Response
I think Ms Yoda is very right and must be supported because to most students,accomodation is the main issue,especially those with low financial support