The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa has urged the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and other student leaders to mobilise 10 million student votes for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Spokesperson to the Minister on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
According to the statement, Dr. Alausa said continuity of the administration’s education reforms was critical to sustaining the gains recorded in student financing, skills development, infrastructure and access to tertiary education.
He made the call in Abuja when the leadership of NANS and other student associations paid him a familiarisation visit, stressing that Nigerian students had a direct stake in the 2027 election because the policies being implemented today would shape their education, skills, employment prospects and opportunities for the future.
The Minister said President Tinubu had demonstrated a deep commitment to young Nigerians through policies that address both immediate challenges and long-standing gaps in the education sector. He said the President’s approach had gone beyond conventional investment in classrooms to include student financing, accommodation, technical and vocational education, entrepreneurship, campus infrastructure and measures to protect the academic calendar.
Alausa identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as one of the administration’s landmark interventions, saying about N200 billion had been committed to the scheme, with more than 1.6 million students benefiting. He noted that the President’s recent directives on additional funding sources would further strengthen the sustainability of NELFUND, assuring students that the monthly upkeep allowance would continue.
He also highlighted investments in student accommodation, TVET, campus transportation, renewable energy and entrepreneurship. According to him, more than N200 billion had been committed to expanding student accommodation, while over N150 billion had gone into TVET infrastructure. He said the Student Venture Capital Grant was helping students turn innovative ideas into businesses and become job creators, with government considering an increase in the grant ceiling in the next phase.
The Minister stated that the government was equally addressing the everyday conditions that affect students’ ability to learn and complete their programmes. He disclosed that renewable energy projects were being expanded across federal tertiary institutions to provide reliable power for laboratories, workshops, libraries and hostels, while additional campus tricycles would be deployed to ease transportation challenges. He added that sustained engagement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was helping to maintain academic stability and advance the President’s commitment that a four-year programme should take four years.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Comrade Sunday Asefon, said the visit was aimed at strengthening direct engagement between the Presidency, the Ministry of Education and the organised student community. He commended NANS and other student leaders for their advocacy on student welfare, saying their partnership with government was essential to identifying challenges and finding practical solutions across tertiary institutions.
On his part, the President of NANS, Comrade Babatunde Akinteye commended President Tinubu and the Minister for interventions including NELFUND and TVET, saying the student loan scheme had made a significant difference in the lives of beneficiaries. He noted that the monthly upkeep support had become an important source of relief for students facing financial difficulties and urged government to sustain the initiative.
