I’m the Only NANS President—No Rival Exists, Says Oladoja

The newly inaugurated President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Olushola Oladoja, has dismissed reports alleging a factional leadership within the student body as false and misleading.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Oladoja described a publication by an online medium suggesting a parallel NANS leadership as a deliberate act of misinformation aimed at destabilising the association.

“The publication in question is a vile concoction, steeped in half-truths and distortions,” he said. “It is a calculated attempt to sow discord within the student community and tarnish the image of our association.”

Oladoja stressed that the statements attributed to him in the report were fabricated and bore no resemblance to the speech he delivered during his official inauguration. That event, he noted, was witnessed by statutory stakeholders and officials from relevant ministries and broadcast live by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

“My address was focused on unity, student welfare, and campus security. The claims published by Sahara Reporters exist only in the imagination of those who fear the shift we are championing—from sensationalism to responsible student activism,” he added.

Reiterating his legitimacy, Oladoja clarified that he was duly elected during the NANS national convention held in Abuja in February and that no parallel leadership exists.

“The claim that one Atiku Abubakar Isah is a rival president is both laughable and baseless. He did not even participate in the convention that brought about this leadership. I remain the only legitimate, duly elected and internationally recognised President of NANS,” he declared.

While affirming his support for press freedom, Oladoja condemned what he called the abuse of that freedom by spreading propaganda and falsehood.

He urged the public and the international community to disregard the report entirely, describing it as “fiction masquerading as news.”