The National Association of Nigerian Students has distanced itself from a reported nationwide protest against the appointment of Eric Sekou Chelle as the coach of the Super Eagles.
This response followed claims by one Abdul-Yekinn Odunayo, who allegedly identified himself as the Clerk of the NANS Senate, threatening a protest over Chelle’s appointment.
In a statement on Friday, NANS Senate President, Afeez Akinteye, clarified that Odunayo does not hold any position in the organization. He urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to disregard the protest threats.
Akinteye criticized Odunayo’s claims as baseless and fraudulent, stressing that they do not reflect the views of NANS leadership or Nigerian students.
“We unequivocally dissociate ourselves from the disingenuous utterances of these self-appointed individuals, whose credentials and affiliation with NANS are dubious at best,” Akinteye stated.
He further accused Odunayo and his group of exploiting the name of NANS for personal gain, describing their actions as criminal. “It is evident that they are criminals attempting to exploit the respected name of NANS for nefarious blackmail and financial inducement. We call on security agencies to immediately invite and investigate these impostors for impersonation and an attempt to incite public unrest,” he said.
Akinteye also criticized some media outlets for publishing the claims without verifying their authenticity. “To the media, we express our disappointment in the unprofessionalism exhibited by platforms that lent their voices to these fallacious claims without verifying the authenticity of their sources,” he added.
