Nigerian students have pledged to mobilise 10 million votes for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Akinteye Afeez, made the pledge on Wednesday during a meeting with Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Afeez said the students’ support for Tinubu’s administration was based on its programmes and policies across various sectors, particularly education.
He said NANS had established a National Election Mobilisation Committee to mobilise 10 million votes across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
“As committed progressives, we identify with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“As the largest constituency with the highest voting bloc, we have constituted the NANS National Election Mobilisation Committee, mandated to mobilise 10 million votes across the six geopolitical zones.
“Now, more than ever, we are determined to speak with one voice and make our collective strength count at the polls,” he said.
Afeez described students as a significant voting bloc, pledging that they would speak with one voice during the 2027 general elections.
He specifically commended the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying the initiative had helped address financial challenges that previously forced many students out of school.
According to him, the scheme has improved access to education and reduced uncertainty surrounding students’ ability to continue their academic programmes.
Afeez said the students would support the continuity and sustainability of the loan programme by backing Tinubu’s re-election.
He described the administration as progressive, expressing the association’s identification with its Renewed Hope agenda.
Earlier, Shettima urged Nigerian student leaders to engage the government honestly and fairly whenever they disagreed with its policies.
He said a government that listened only to applause deprived itself of the knowledge needed to govern effectively.
The vice-president said students must be recognised as stakeholders in Nigeria’s present and included in national decision-making processes.
“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,” he said.
Shettima said the administration’s interventions, including NELFUND and efforts to improve academic staff welfare, were intended to keep students in school.
He explained that reducing the financial burden of education on parents would provide families with greater financial relief and allow students to concentrate on their studies.
The vice-president said the administration was determined to promote a stable academic calendar by strengthening education financing, student welfare and engagement with lecturers.
“We are determined that recurring strikes should cease to dictate your academic calendar,” Shettima said.
He added that the appointment of Sunday Dayo as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ Engagement was part of efforts to strengthen relations between government and students.
Shettima assured the delegation that the administration would continue to prioritise education, student welfare and youth inclusion as part of its human-capital development agenda.
NAN