Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged Nigerian students to play active roles in national development, insisting that young people must be seen as stakeholders in the country’s present and not merely its future.
Shettima made the call on Wednesday while receiving a delegation of student leaders from across the country at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Vice President said the Tinubu administration’s education reforms, including the student loan programme and efforts to improve the welfare of academic staff, were aimed at keeping students in school and preventing disruptions caused by industrial actions.
“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 reiterated the administration’s commitment to ensuring a stable academic calendar in tertiary institutions through reforms in education financing and engagement with stakeholders.
He described the student loan scheme as one of the government’s most significant interventions in the education sector, noting that it had enabled many students to continue their studies despite financial difficulties.
The Vice President also highlighted the appointment of Hon. Sunday Asefon Dayo as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ Engagement as part of efforts to strengthen communication between government and students.
He urged student leaders to engage government constructively and honestly, even when they disagree with its policies, stressing that criticism was essential for effective governance.
Earlier, President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Akinteye Afeez, pledged support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Afeez announced the establishment of a NANS National Election Mobilisation Committee tasked with mobilising 10 million votes across the six geopolitical zones in support of the President.
He attributed the students’ support to the administration’s policies, particularly the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he said had provided relief to students facing financial challenges.
