By Jumoke Olaitan
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 President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
This is contained in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by Mr Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the minister.
Alausa said continuity of the administration’s education reforms was critical to sustaining gains in student financing, skills development, infrastructure and access to tertiary education.
He said Nigerian students had a direct stake in the 2027 election, noting that policies being implemented by the administration would shape their education, skills, employment prospects and future opportunities.
According to him, President Tinubu has demonstrated commitment to young Nigerians through policies addressing both immediate challenges and longstanding gaps in the education sector.
Alausa said the administration’s interventions had gone beyond conventional investment in classrooms to include student financing, accommodation, technical and vocational education, entrepreneurship and campus infrastructure.
He identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as one of the administration’s major interventions, saying about N200 billion had been committed to the scheme, with more than 1.6 million students benefiting.
He said recent directives on additional funding sources would further strengthen NELFUND and assured students that the monthly upkeep allowance would continue.
The minister also highlighted government’s investments in student accommodation, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), campus transportation, renewable energy and entrepreneurship.
He said more than N200 billion had been committed to expanding student accommodation, while over N150 billion had been invested in TVET infrastructure.
Alausa said the Student Venture Capital Grant was helping students turn innovative ideas into businesses and become job creators, adding that government was considering increasing the grant ceiling in its next phase.
He added that the renewable energy projects were also being expanded across federal tertiary institutions to provide reliable power for laboratories, workshops, libraries and hostels.
The minister said that additional campus tricycles would be deployed to ease transportation challenges, while sustained engagement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was helping to maintain academic stability.
He reiterated the administration’s commitment to ensuring that four-year programmes were completed within four years.
Responding to concerns raised by the student body, Alausa assured the students that issues capable of disrupting the education and future of Nigerian students would not be treated with levity.
The minister said the ministry was working to resolve funding challenges affecting the Federal Scholarship Awards, strengthen admission processes and review the accreditation system.
He said that the ministry was working to ensure that students were not admitted into unapproved programmes or left stranded after years of study.
Alausa assured the students that the ministry would maintain an open channel of engagement with their leadership and continue to address issues affecting their education and welfare.
Also, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Mr Sunday Asefon, said the visit by NANS and other student associations was aimed at strengthening direct engagement between the Presidency, the Ministry of Education and the organised student community.
Asefon commended 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.
The NANS President, Babatunde Akinteye, commended Tinubu and Alausa for interventions in tertiary education, including NELFUND and TVET.
Akinteye said the student loan scheme had made a significant difference in the lives of beneficiaries, while the monthly upkeep support had provided relief to students facing financial difficulties.
He expressed displeasure over Federal Scholarship Awards, illegal admissions and accreditation challenges in some institutions.
Akinteye called for stronger regulatory action to protect students from institutions admitting them into programmes without the required approval or capacity.(NAN)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi