The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has thrown its weight behind the Tinubu and Shettima ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections, pledging to mobilise 10 million votes for the president’s reelection.
The endorsement came on Wednesday at the State House Presidential Villa, Abuja, where Vice President Kashim Shettima received a delegation of national student leaders from across the country.
NANS President, Comrade Akinteye Afeez, told the Vice President that Nigerian students, as stakeholders familiar with development across the country, would mobilise massively for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reelection.
“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 disclosed that the association had set up the NANS National Election Mobilisation Committee, mandated to rally 10 million votes across the six geopolitical zones. “Being the largest constituency with the highest voting bloc, we will speak in one voice, aloud, at the polls,” he added.
Afeez explained that the students’ support rests on the administration’s programmes and policies in several sectors, especially education. He singled out the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), noting that financial hardship had for many years forced students out of school.
“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,” he said.
Responding, Senator Shettima said Nigerian students must have a voice in national decision-making and should be seen as stakeholders in the country’s present, not merely its future. He said they must move from being future prospects to 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.
According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President said President Tinubu is determined to sustain a more stable academic calendar in tertiary institutions. He said this would be achieved 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,” Shettima said.
He described the student loan programme as one of the administration’s most consequential interventions in education, saying it has helped many students stay in school despite financial pressures. He added that easing the burden of school fees on parents gives families more breathing space and lets students focus on their studies.
“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.
“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 added.
The Vice President also pointed to the appointment of Hon. Sunday Asefon Dayo as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ Engagement, describing it as part of efforts to strengthen ties between the government and the student community.
He urged the student leaders to engage the government honestly, even when they disagree with its policies.
“A government that hears only applause deprives itself of the knowledge required to serve,” he said.
Shettima assured the delegation that the administration will continue to prioritise education, student welfare and youth inclusion as part of its broader human capital development agenda.
Also present at the meeting were 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).
