By Our Reporter
On Monday afternoon, Ms Neema Diana the Office of the National Chairman (ONC-Kyambogo) Institutions Coordinator for the Ankole Sub-region met with National Resistance Movement chapter student leaders from ten institutions in Ankole Sub-region.
The institutions are nursery beds for future leaders in all political parties in Uganda. The NRM being the ruling party, outsources able young leaders from institutions of higher learning who later turn into prominent voters and leaders in the party and country.
For those who didn’t know, the ONC headed by the SPA – Political Affairs who is also the National Coordinator Bazzukulu Ba Museveni, Hajjjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye has an institution department headed by Mr Chris Miyingo deputised by Ms Neema.
During the meeting at Pelikan Hotel, Mbarara City, the student leaders discussed several issues, including the process of identifying strong candidates to win institutional elections.
They also discussed a work plan on how to keep the chapters active throughout the academic period to recruit more numbers and intensify the NRM ideology. Ms Diana informed the student leaders that they implemented the advice of Hajjat Namyalo when she visited them about four months ago. She said they formed Mbarara City Youth Empowerment SACCO under which they are saving and lobbying for financial resources for purposes of Wealth and Job Creation.
Ms Diana expressed her interest in recruiting students to the NRM chapters, as it is the only assured way to grow the party numbers in the long run. She added that the NRM party is at a time when it needs innovation and creativity from the young elites to strengthen its support from the masses.
“Hajjat Hadijah gave us a platform under the ONC and she expects results from us as regards widening the Bazzukulu base in institutions,” said Ms Diana.
The student leaders expressed concern about the gap between the party secretariat and the chapters. They asked Hajjat Hadijah to inform the NRM National Chairman HE. Museveni to put up a fund under the ONC to enable them to push their activities.
They also called out for the ideology orientation of students in the institutions to address the challenge of ideology bankruptcy. They explained that the gap justifies the growth of opposition in the institutions, mainly the Universities.
On the SACCO, they requested the manager ONC to lobby for them, so they start up projects in institutions through empowerment with capital items such as sewing machines, bricklaying etc. for income generation.
”This will allow them to learn new skills while practising business to generate income for saving,” students requested.
The student leaders who participated in the meeting included; Tukahirwa Felix, Bukenya Ali (Makerere University Business School – Mbarara Branch), Aryatubangira Kenneth (Kakoba Institute), Byamukama John (Bishop Stuart University), Natasha Desire, Muhanguzi Leonard (Metropolitan University), Rev. Mugumya Angry (Mbarara Univeristy of Science and Technology), Kyebarize Noeli (Ibanda University), etc.
