The National Association of Niger State Students (NANISS) has announced plans to stage a mass protest over what it describes as long-standing neglect of the education sector and failure to pay student scholarships in the state.
In a statement obtained by The News Chronicle, NANISS said the protest comes after more than a year of unfulfilled promises from the state government, worsening conditions in schools, and stalled scholarship payments.
The group explained that it had tried every peaceful option, including meeting with government representatives, engaging traditional leaders, holding student forums, and even organising special prayers and fasting, but received no positive response.
“After patiently waiting for over a year without any action on scholarship payments and the poor state of education, we have no choice but to act,” NANISS stated. The association gave the Niger State Government a seven-day ultimatum, warning that if nothing changes, students will take to the streets in a peaceful protest.
Meanwhile, civic tech organisation MonITNG has also called on Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago to urgently intervene in the decaying state of Government Technical College, Bida. The once-functional school now has collapsed buildings and classrooms with blown-off roofs, making learning unsafe.
This is despite billions of naira reportedly allocated to education by past administrations, as well as federal and international support.
MonITNG noted that the government claims to dedicate 70% of the 2025 state budget to education and health, with N250 billion in UBEC intervention funds still available.
The group warned that the neglect of technical colleges denies young people vital vocational skills such as carpentry, electrical work, and mechanics skills crucial for both livelihoods and local economic growth.
“Education is not a privilege; it is the foundation of development. Niger State cannot continue this way,” the watchdog stressed.
