Students Must Have A Voice In National Affairs – Shettima

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has said Nigerian students must have a voice in national decision-making, insisting that young Nigerians should be regarded as stakeholders in the country’s present, not merely its future.

He said the administration’s interventions, particularly the student loan programme and sustained attention to the welfare of academic staff, are designed to keep young Nigerians in school, reduce the financial burden on families and prevent recurring strikes from disrupting learning.

Senator Shettima stated this on Wednesday while receiving a delegation of national student leaders from across Nigeria at the State House Presidential Villa in Abuja, and noted that Nigerian students must transition from being future prospects to being active architects of today’s national policy.

“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 stated in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha.

The Vice President said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to sustain a more stable academic calendar across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions by deepening reforms in education financing, student welfare and engagement with lecturers.

“We are determined that recurring strikes should cease to dictate your academic calendar,” Senator Shettima said.

VP Shettima described the student loan programme established by President Tinubu as one of the administration’s most consequential interventions in education, noting that it had helped many students remain in school despite financial pressures.

“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.

The VP added that reducing the immediate burden of school funding on parents provides families with greater financial breathing room and allows students to concentrate more fully 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,” he said.

The Vice President said the appointment of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ Engagement, Hon. Sunday Asefon Dayo, was part of efforts to strengthen the relationship between the government and the student community.

VP Shettima also urged the student leaders to engage the government honestly, including when they disagree with its policies.

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

He assured the delegation that the administration would continue to prioritise education, student welfare and youth inclusion as part of its broader human-capital development agenda.

Earlier, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Akinteye Afeez, said that, as stakeholders familiar with development across the country, Nigerian students will mobilise in large numbers for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 polls.

He said, “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.

“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 explained that their support for the administration was premised on the government’s laudable programmes and policies across sectors, particularly in education.

His words: “Your Excellency, one of the policies of this administration that deserves serious consideration is the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND. 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. As NANS President, I believe we must defend the principle behind this initiative while ensuring its continuity and sustainability, giving this administration a second term through our voting strength.”

Also present at the meeting were the 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).