The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has urged the National Association of Nigerian Students and other student leaders to mobilise 10 million student votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Alausa made the call in Abuja when the leadership of NANS and other student associations paid him a familiarisation visit.
The minister said Nigerian students had a direct stake in the 2027 election, as government policies being implemented would shape their education, skills, employment prospects and future opportunities.
He said the Tinubu administration had demonstrated commitment to young Nigerians through interventions in student financing, accommodation, technical and vocational education, entrepreneurship, campus infrastructure and measures aimed at maintaining academic stability.
Alausa identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as one of the administration’s major interventions, saying about N200bn had been committed to the scheme, with more than 1.6 million students benefiting.
He also assured students that the monthly upkeep allowance would continue, adding that additional funding sources recently approved by the President would strengthen the sustainability of NELFUND.
The minister said more than N200bn had been committed to expanding student accommodation, while over N150bn had been invested in Technical and Vocational Education and Training infrastructure.
He added that the Student Venture Capital Grant was helping students turn innovative ideas into businesses and become job creators, noting that the government was considering increasing the grant ceiling in the next phase.
According to him, renewable energy projects are also being expanded across federal tertiary institutions to provide reliable electricity for laboratories, workshops, libraries and hostels, while additional campus tricycles would be deployed to ease transportation challenges.
Alausa further said sustained engagement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities was helping to maintain academic stability and advance the government’s commitment to ensuring that four-year programmes take four years to complete.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Comrade Sunday Asefon, said the visit was aimed at strengthening direct engagement between the Presidency, the Ministry of Education and the organised student community.
He commended NANS and other student leaders for their advocacy on student welfare, saying their partnership with government was important in identifying challenges and developing solutions across tertiary institutions.
The NANS President, Comrade Babatunde Afeez Akinteye, commended the government’s interventions, particularly NELFUND and TVET, saying the student loan scheme had made a significant difference in the lives of beneficiaries.
He said the monthly upkeep support had become an important source of relief for students facing financial difficulties and urged the government to sustain the initiative.
Akinteye, however, raised concerns over Federal Scholarship Awards, illegal admissions and accreditation challenges affecting students in some institutions.
He called for stronger regulatory action to protect students from being admitted into unapproved programmes or institutions without the required capacity.
Responding, Alausa assured the student leaders that the issues raised were receiving the Ministry’s attention.
He said the government was working to resolve funding challenges affecting the Federal Scholarship Awards, strengthen admission processes and review the accreditation system to ensure students were not admitted into unapproved programmes or left stranded after years of study.
The minister 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.
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