The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has introduced plans to mobilise 10 million votes throughout the six geopolitical zones of the nation for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
The NANS President, Comrade Akinteye Afeez, disclosed this on Wednesday when a delegation of nationwide pupil leaders from throughout the nation visited Vice President Kashim Shettima on the State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Afeez mentioned the affiliation had constituted the NANS National Election Mobilisation Committee to coordinate the mobilisation drive forward of the 2027 common elections.
He mentioned Nigerian college students, whom he described because the nation’s largest constituency with the best voting bloc, would unite in help of Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
“As we approach another defining period in our nation’s history, we consider it necessary to state clearly where we stand as Nigerian students. As core progressives, we identify with the Renewed Hope Administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he mentioned.
The NANS president added, “We have constituted the NANS National Election Mobilisation Committee with the mandate to mobilise 10 million votes across the six geopolitical zones, and, like never before, we will speak in one voice, aloud, at the polls.”
Afeez mentioned the affiliation’s help for the Tinubu administration was primarily based on what it described as the federal government’s programmes and insurance policies throughout totally different sectors, significantly schooling.
He singled out the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying the initiative had helped handle monetary challenges that beforehand threatened the power of many college students to proceed their schooling.
“For many years, financial hardship has forced many Nigerian students out of school. However, with NELFUND, our academic lives are no longer in doubt or threatened. Education has been made accessible to all,” he mentioned.
The NANS president mentioned the affiliation would defend the precept behind the scholar mortgage initiative whereas advocating its continuity and sustainability, including that college students meant to make use of their voting power to help the administration’s return to workplace.
Speaking on the assembly, Vice President Shettima urged Nigerian college students to take an lively position in nationwide decision-making, stressing that younger individuals ought to be recognised as stakeholders within the nation’s current reasonably than merely its future.
He mentioned the Tinubu administration’s interventions in schooling, together with the scholar mortgage programme and efforts to enhance the welfare of educational employees, have been geared toward lowering the monetary burden on households and making certain that college students may full their research with out recurring disruptions.
“We do not need you for politics. We need you because you are the future of this country. What we have done differently is to give you a place in its present. There is no way to rebuild Nigeria without a place for the Nigerian student at the table where decisions are made,” Shettima mentioned.
The Vice President additionally mentioned the President was decided to maintain a extra secure tutorial calendar in tertiary establishments by reforms in schooling financing, pupil welfare and engagement with lecturers.
“We are determined that recurring strikes should cease to dictate your academic calendar,” he mentioned.
Shettima described NELFUND as one of many administration’s important interventions in schooling, noting that monetary help may assist college students stay in class regardless of financial difficulties.
He mentioned easing the quick burden of college funding on dad and mom would give households larger monetary respiratory area and permit college students to focus on their research.
The Vice President additionally recognized the appointment of Hon. Sunday Asefon Dayo as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ Engagement as a part of efforts to strengthen communication between the Federal Government and the scholar group.
He urged pupil leaders to have interaction the federal government actually, together with after they disagreed with its insurance policies.
“A government that hears only applause deprives itself of the knowledge required to serve,” Shettima mentioned.
He assured the delegation that the administration would proceed to prioritise schooling, pupil welfare and youth inclusion as a part of its human-capital improvement agenda.
The assembly was attended by representatives of the National Association of University Students (NAUS), the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) and the National Association of Nigerian Colleges of Education Students (NANCES).
We’ve received the sting. Get real-time stories, breaking scoops, and unique angles delivered straight to your cellphone. Don’t accept stale information. Join LEADERSHIP NEWS on WhatsApp for twenty-four/7 updates →
