The Federated Association of Zamfara State Students has appealed to the Federal and Zamfara State Governments to intensify and sustain efforts to tackle the insecurity bedevilling the state.
The outgoing National President of FAZAMSS, Nasir Gamagiwa, made the plea during a press conference on Saturday in Gusau.
Gamagiwa highlighted the critical role of both tiers of government in addressing banditry and kidnapping that have ravaged the state.
While applauding the efforts already made, he called for greater coordination among stakeholders, especially security agencies, to restore law, order and peaceful living among citizens.
The student leader regretted that several members of the union had fallen victim to the insecurity.
Reviewing the union’s activities in the last year, Gamagiwa said the association under his administration had unified students’ groups to form a single federated union for stronger collective representation.
The effort, he noted, restored unity among Zamfara students’ groups across various institutions in the country.
“The harmonisation of NUZAMSS and FAZAMSS is one of the most historic accomplishments of this administration.
“Through collective efforts, we have successfully restored renewed hope within the Zamfara students’ community. These factions hitherto operated separately, weakening the collective strength of the student union.
“This achievement not only restored dignity, structure and direction to Zamfara students but also gave them a sense of hope towards a brighter future,” he said.
According to him, during the one year in office, the association facilitated the payment of over ₦1.022 billion in NECO backlog, bringing relief to thousands of students who were unable to access their NECO results.
He listed other interventions to include the settlement of ₦163 million in tuition at Crescent University, securing 154 slots in the Presidential ₦50,000 Nano-Grant Scheme, and laying the foundation for the Zamfara Education Trust Fund (ZETF) to support intellectual development.
“We have also facilitated the sponsorship of 20 students for health programmes at Igbinedion University, Edo State.
“We trained 100 student leaders on peacebuilding, and strengthened our relationship with the Ministry of Education and the State Scholarship Board,” he said.
Gamagiwa highlighted challenges confronting the union, including logistics, limited funds and inadequate scholarships for programmes beneficial to students.
“We extend our profound gratitude to the Zamfara Government for its continuous support in addressing our plights.
“We are also grateful to former FAZAMSS/NUZAMSS leaders, the Commissioner for Education, Wadatau Madawaki, and Prof. Rasheedah Liman of the Zamfara Scholarship Board for the critical roles they played in the successes recorded,” he said.
