Shettima Urges Students To Shape Nigeria’s Present As NANS Pledges 10m Votes For Tinubu

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged Nigerian students to take an active role in national decision-making, declaring that young people should be recognised as stakeholders in the country’s present rather than merely its future.

Shettima gave the charge on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while receiving a delegation of national student leaders from across the country.

He said the Federal Government was implementing policies aimed at improving access to education, easing financial pressures on families and ensuring greater stability in the academic calendars of tertiary institutions.

The Vice-President identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and sustained engagement with academic staff as key interventions designed to keep students in school and minimise disruptions caused by industrial disputes.

“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,” he said.

Shettima said President Bola Tinubu was committed to sustaining uninterrupted academic calendars by strengthening education financing, improving student welfare and maintaining engagement with lecturers.

“We are determined that recurring strikes should cease to dictate your academic calendar,” he added.

Describing the student loan programme as one of the administration’s significant interventions in the education sector, Shettima said the initiative had helped students cope with financial difficulties that could otherwise threaten their education.

“Each account of a student remaining in school reminds us why we hold office. Nigeria must be worthy of the talents you bring to it,” he said.

He added that reducing the immediate financial burden of education on parents would provide households with greater financial flexibility while allowing students to concentrate on their studies.

“We are here for the Nigerian student, and I believe that taking the immediate burden of school funding off your parents creates breathing space for the entire household,” the Vice-President said.

Shettima also highlighted the appointment of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ Engagement, Sunday Asefon Dayo, as part of efforts to strengthen communication between the government and the student community.

He encouraged student leaders to engage the administration constructively, including by expressing disagreement with its policies where necessary.

“A government that hears only applause deprives itself of the knowledge required to serve,” he said.

The Vice-President assured the delegation that education, student welfare and youth inclusion would remain priorities under the administration’s human-capital development agenda.

NANS Targets 10 Million Votes For Tinubu

Meanwhile, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Akinteye Afeez, has declared the association’s support for Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, announcing plans to mobilise 10 million votes across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

Afeez said the association had established a national election mobilisation committee to coordinate its activities ahead of the presidential election.

He described Nigerian students as a significant voting constituency and said the association intended to mobilise its members to support the President at the polls.

“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 said.

He added that the association would coordinate its mobilisation efforts across the six geopolitical zones to achieve its target.

“Being the largest constituency with the highest voting bloc, 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 said.

The NANS president attributed the association’s support to what he described as the administration’s programmes and policies across various sectors, particularly education.

He singled out NELFUND, saying the student loan scheme had provided relief to students who previously faced financial difficulties in pursuing their education.

“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 said.

Afeez urged students to support the continuity and sustainability of the initiative, arguing that a second term for the administration would allow the programme to continue.

Leaders 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) also attended the meeting.

The endorsement and proposed mobilisation drive come ahead of the 2027 general elections, with NANS pledging to leverage its nationwide student network to campaign for Tinubu’s re-election.