Students’ activism in Nigeria seems to be relegated to a thing of the past.
From 1970s up to 1990s, Nigerian students through campus activism were the conscience of the nation as hot-blooded young men and women often took to the streets in peaceful protest against what they consider as bad policies of government.
Not even the prolonged brutal military dictatorships stopped them; many were murdered during the struggle, some imprisoned and others thrown out of school.
In the post-colonial era, the student movement in Nigeria was the bastion of activism occasionally speaking out not only against policies of the government considered as anti-people but also on the international scale-criticising and voicing out against economic and political imperialism from the outside world.
Though it was started as the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) in 1955 as a body to bring together all Nigerian students within Nigeria and abroad, the aim was to form a common platform where issues that concern students are discussed and their interests protected.
It was initially brought together by the Students` Council of Ife, Zaria and Nsukka and the name was later changed to the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
Daily Trust checks showed that the body in the past was strong and had held the government and management of institutions to account through numerous protests that rocked the country and, in some cases, led to the closure of universities.
For example, student unionists were among the top critics of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of the mid-80s, a government policy that affected the value of the naira and funding of education among others.
Today, however, students under the umbrella organisation of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) are about the last that one would hear raise their voices over critical national issues.
The body, which was established to commit to the struggle for the greater interest of Nigerian students both within and outside the country, appears to have become rudderless, Daily Trust observes.
Over time, the association has been marred with controversies especially in terms of leadership structure, with separate individuals claiming to be the leaders of the association.
Daily Trust checks showed that the groups are mostly active on issues of politics and elite rivalry instead of the many challenges faced by Nigerian students at home and the citizenry.
A 400L student of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Musa Victor, said NANS’ representation of students’ interest is poor.
“I believe they have been bought over because they often visit the politicians for reward and end up being passive on vital students’ related issues,” he claimed.
He said NANS has fallen “beyond my expectations as regards to multiple strikes by lecturers and low standard of education and facilities in the school system”.
A university of Abuja student, Chibuzor Kenneth, said: “The union has failed in its duty to effectively speak up for the students of Nigeria.
“They have turned a blind eye to the problems faced by students and refused to address the students on the reasons for their failure. So we can say they’ve been bought over because there’s a 90% possibility that the higher authorities are watering their mouths with stipends and also a 10% possibility that their failure is due to fear of the higher authorities.”
“Generally, the association has failed the students and the nation as a whole and as such measures should be taken to put the union back on track,” Kenneth said.
Another student of University of Abuja, Ferdinand Nedu said: “To be honest, I don’t understand their roles for students in general. They are not helping the student who the association was meant to help. They don’t advocate for us (students). I think it is a dead association.”
Ferdinand also accused the association of doing the bid of those who can pay, adding I am not surprised that they are bought over.”
During the campaigns of the 2019 presidential election, while students were at home because of the ASUU strike, the executive members of the students` body went along with President Muhammadu Buhari to support his candidacy.
The immediate past president of NANS, Danielson Bamidele Akpan, promised President Buhari 20 million votes — a move that was widely criticized as the students` body clearly showed its bias and lack of empathy for students who had lost months in their academic calendar.
This is even as many public analysts questioned the NANS president on how he intended to mobilize the said 20 million students to vote for Buhari.
But this is not the only time the students’ interests have been relegated to the background while the union exco pursued other things of their personal interest.
The association, that same year, organised a media briefing at which it condemned the public outcry on social media over the controversial marriage of one Abubakar Musa Abubakar and Nasiba Sani Dauda, a daughter of a former chairman of Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN), Alhaji Sani Dauda, popularly known as ASD Motors.
Comrade Akpan, then, speaking in Abuja at a briefing tagged ‘Media Trial/Defamation of Our Leader Abubakar Musa Abubakar’, said NANS was compelled to weigh in on the issue because it has resulted in alleged character assassination which affected Abubakar who they claimed was their former leader.
“This has caused grave hurt to himself, family, friends, associates and loved ones, including NANS,” he had said.
Unfortunately, the current president seems to have followed suit by his recent suspension of a planned June 12 nationwide protest aimed at decrying the insecurity in the country, especially the serial abductions of students.
The President, Mr Sunday Asefon, said the suspension was because some politicians with “different agenda” had perfected plans to hijack the protest to “ventilate their political opinions and sentiments.”
This comes at a time of many challenges affecting Nigerian students today, ranging from incessant strikes, rape, abduction, harassment by lecturers among others and those schooling in other countries are not left behind.
There are also the challenges of non-payment of allowances as and when due by the Nigerian government as well as biases but NANS is not known to have made any effort towards ameliorating these plights through public advocacy.
“Politics has taken over the soul of Nigerian student activism,” Eshiotsekhai Suleiman, a public affairs analyst said.
Today’s NANS has become “a toothless bulldog that feeds on the crumbs of corrupt politicians,” he said.
“They have long abandoned the aluta struggle of yesteryears’ student unionists who fought military dictatorships to a standstill.”
For the Dean Faculty of Environmental Science, NSUK, Prof Nasiru Idris, from inception, NANS has been representing the interest of all students.
“As you might be aware, their main purpose is to fight for justice, good governance and the rule of law, however, our fingers are not equal, sometimes, things might go wrong as religious, ethnic and cultural influences might brainwash the holders of the office leading to compromise.”
He said: “If ASUU body is not bought by politicians, so also NANS cannot be bought but different branches of NANS at different universities might have one or two issues just like ASUU’s branch in some universities.”
While urging the student leaders to continue to be upright in their everyday activities as stated in their mandate, he said they should not succumb to any pressure from either politicians or stakeholders in the education sector.
Reacting to the concerns, Asefon told Daily Trust that since his election in December 2020, he has fought to protect the interests of Nigerian students and nothing more.
He denied that the association has been hijacked by politicians, saying, “I will not capitalise on the weakness or irresponsibility of a particular leader but focus on my agenda of delivering Nigerian students from oppressors. NANS has not been hijacked by anybody.”
He disclosed that he has mediated between the federal government and ASUU, universities and students over increase school fees and colleges of education and expelled students adding that his interventions were successful.
On suspension of the protest, he disclosed that he received calls from many groups and individuals with a plan to show solidarity with them and mobilise people and give NANS money.
“We later found out that they wanted to propagate a different agenda of seeking for Oduduwa republic, or asking Buhari to go. These politicians want to use the avenue to propagate their agenda so, in order to save the students, we had to suspend the protest. Another day will be fixed with maximum protection,” he said.
