Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigerian students must have a voice in national decision-making, stressing that young people should be recognised as stakeholders in the country’s present, not merely its future....
Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigerian students must have a voice in national decision-making, stressing that young people should be recognised as stakeholders in the country’s present, not merely its future.
Shettima said the Federal Government’s interventions in education, particularly the student loan programme and efforts to improve the welfare of academic staff, were aimed at keeping students in school, easing the financial burden on families and preventing recurrent strikes from disrupting academic activities.
The Vice President spoke on Wednesday while receiving a delegation of national student leaders from across the country at the State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said Nigeria’s development could not be achieved without involving students in shaping policies that affect their lives and the country’s future.
“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 said.
Shettima added that President Bola Tinubu was determined to sustain a more stable academic calendar across the country’s tertiary institutions through reforms in education financing, improved student welfare and sustained engagement with lecturers.
He said the administration’s approach was designed to address challenges affecting access to education and ensure that disruptions to academic activities do not continue to undermine students’ .