The recent caution by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) against ASUU’s planned national protest raises more questions than it answers. For years, Nigerian students have borne the brunt of government neglect of the education sector, enduring dilapidated facilities, underfunded universities, inadequate welfare for lecturers, and repeated disruptions of the academic calendar. Yet, NANS has been conspicuously silent, failing to mobilize or pressure government to address these persistent grievances until now that ASUU is threatening action again.
It is disappointing to see the students’ body aligning with the government’s reactive approach, waiting until a crisis looms before speaking out, rather than playing a proactive role in shaping educational policies that directly affect its members. History reminds us that student unions, particularly under the auspices of NANS in its prime, were once at the forefront of national struggles. From the colonial era to the days of military rule, Nigerian students were catalysts of change, confronting both foreign and indigenous oppressors. The “Ali Must Go” protest of 1978, the campaigns against Structural Adjustment Programmes in the 1980s, and countless mobilizations against bad governance remain testaments to the courage and relevance of student pressure in national emancipation. Where is that spirit today?
Instead of standing shoulder to shoulder with ASUU in a just struggle to save Nigeria’s universities from total collapse, NANS appears content to celebrate the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), a scheme that offers students tuition loans and a meagre ₦20,000 monthly stipend. Beyond the fact that this amount barely covers living expenses in today’s economy, the question remains: how will graduates, entering a job market plagued with unemployment, repay these loans? Should such support not come in the form of grants, as seen in more progressive societies, rather than debts that shackle young Nigerians even after school?
By taking sides with the government on such a flimsy premise, NANS risks losing its moral authority as the true voice of Nigerian students. The association should instead channel its energy into amplifying ASUU’s call for genuine reform and sustainable funding of education. Students and their leaders must realize that this is not just ASUU’s fight it is theirs as well. A weakened university system ultimately shortchanges the very future of the Nigerian youth.
If NANS truly represents the interests of students, it should stand where justice and progress lie: on the side of a revitalized and functional education system, not on the side of temporary handouts that mask a deeper rot. The time has come for the student movement to rediscover its historic role as a force for emancipation, not an echo of government rhetoric.
Muhammad Lawal Ibrahim Ph.D.
