By Felix Khanoba
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has challenged the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and other student leaders to mobilise 10 million votes from the student community for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Alausa made the call in Abuja during a meeting with the leadership of NANS and other student associations, where he linked the administration’s education reforms to the political choices Nigerian students would make in the next presidential election.
The Minister argued that students have a direct stake in the 2027 election, as policies being implemented by the Federal Government are already affecting student financing, skills development, infrastructure, access to tertiary education and future employment opportunities.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Atta, Alausa said President Tinubu had demonstrated strong commitment to improving the welfare and prospects of young Nigerians through interventions targeting both immediate challenges and longstanding problems in the education sector.
He said the administration’s interventions extended beyond the construction of classrooms to areas such as student loans, accommodation, technical and vocational education, entrepreneurship, campus infrastructure and efforts to safeguard the academic calendar.
Alausa singled out the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as one of the administration’s major achievements, saying about N200 billion had been committed to the scheme, with more than 1.6 million students benefiting.
He added that President Tinubu’s recent directives on alternative funding sources would strengthen NELFUND and assured beneficiaries that the monthly upkeep allowance would continue.
The Minister also listed investments in student accommodation, TVET, campus transportation, renewable energy and entrepreneurship as other areas where the administration was intervening.
He disclosed that more than N200 billion had been committed to expanding student accommodation, while over N150 billion had been allocated to TVET infrastructure.
On entrepreneurship, Alausa said the Student Venture Capital Grant was enabling students to transform innovative ideas into businesses and become employers of labour, adding that the government was considering raising the grant ceiling in the next phase.
He said the Federal Government was also tackling challenges that affect students’ daily lives and their ability to complete their academic programmes.
According to him, renewable energy projects were being expanded across federal tertiary institutions to provide dependable electricity for laboratories, workshops, libraries and hostels, while more campus tricycles would be provided to address transportation difficulties.
Alausa further said continuous engagement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was contributing to academic stability and the administration’s goal of ensuring that four-year programmes are completed within four years.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Comrade Sunday Asefon, said the delegation’s visit was designed to deepen direct communication between the Presidency, the Ministry of Education and organised student bodies.
Asefon praised NANS and other student leaders for their advocacy on student welfare, saying their collaboration with government remained important in identifying challenges confronting students and developing practical solutions.
The NANS President, Comrade Babatunde Afeez Akinteye, commended President Tinubu and Alausa for interventions such as NELFUND and TVET.
Akinteye said the student loan scheme had significantly improved the circumstances of many beneficiaries, while the monthly upkeep allowance had become an important lifeline for students struggling with financial pressures.
He, however, called attention to challenges surrounding Federal Scholarship Awards, illegal admissions and accreditation of programmes in some institutions.
The NANS president urged the government to strengthen regulatory measures against institutions admitting students into programmes without the necessary approval or capacity.
He said student leaders were prepared to work with the government to tackle the problems.
Responding, Alausa assured the student leaders that the Ministry was giving serious attention to the issues raised, stressing that matters capable of undermining the education and future of Nigerian students would not be handled lightly.
He said efforts were ongoing to address funding challenges affecting the Federal Scholarship Awards, improve admission processes and conduct a comprehensive review of the accreditation system.
The Minister said the review would help prevent students from being admitted into unapproved programmes or being left stranded after spending years pursuing their studies.
He added that relevant government agencies and stakeholders were being mobilised to implement corrective measures without unnecessary delay.
Alausa also promised to sustain an open channel of communication with student leaders and continue responding to issues affecting their education and welfare.
He said the Federal Government would remain committed to advancing President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in education, maintaining that the administration’s promise of a better future for Nigerian youths would be pursued through reforms, investment and opportunities that would equip young Nigerians with quality education and relevant skills.
