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 Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

Alausa made the call in Abuja on Thursday when the leadership of NANS and other student associations paid him a familiarisation visit.

He said Nigerian students had a direct stake in the 2027 elections, stressing that the policies and reforms being implemented by the Tinubu administration would have a significant impact on their education, skills development, employment prospects and future opportunities.

According to him, continuity of the administration’s education reforms is critical to sustaining gains already recorded in student financing, technical and vocational education, infrastructure and access to tertiary education.

The minister said Tinubu had demonstrated commitment to young Nigerians through interventions that go beyond the provision of classrooms to include student financing, accommodation, technical and vocational education, entrepreneurship, campus infrastructure and measures aimed at protecting the academic calendar.

Alausa identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as one of the administration’s major interventions, disclosing that about N200 billion had been committed to the scheme, with more than 1.6 million students benefiting.

He said recent directives by the President on additional funding sources would further strengthen the sustainability of NELFUND, assuring students that the monthly upkeep allowance would continue.

The minister also highlighted government’s investment in student accommodation, saying more than N200 billion had been committed to expanding accommodation facilities for students.

He added that over N150 billion had been invested in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) infrastructure.
According to him, the Student Venture Capital Grant was also helping students transform innovative ideas into businesses and become job creators, adding that government was considering raising the grant ceiling in the next phase.

Alausa said the government was also addressing everyday challenges affecting students’ ability to learn and complete their programmes.

While disclosing that renewable energy projects were being expanded across federal tertiary institutions to provide reliable electricity for laboratories, workshops, libraries and hostels, he added that additional campus tricycles would be deployed to ease transportation difficulties faced by students.

The minister further said sustained engagement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was helping to maintain academic stability and advance the President’s commitment that a four-year programme should take four years.

Alausa assured the student leaders that the issues raised were receiving the attention of the Ministry,.as he noted that the Federal Government was working to resolve funding challenges affecting the Federal Scholarship Awards, strengthen admission processes and undertake a comprehensive review of the accreditation system.

The minister said the measures were aimed at ensuring that students were not admitted into unapproved programmes or left stranded after years of study.

He added that relevant agencies and stakeholders were being mobilised to implement corrective measures without unnecessary delay.

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.

He said the government would remain focused on advancing Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in education, stressing that the President’s promise of a better future for Nigerian youths would be sustained through reforms, investment and opportunities that would enable young Nigerians acquire quality education, develop relevant skills, create jobs and contribute to national development.

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.

Asefon commended NANS and other student leaders for their advocacy on student welfare, saying their partnership with government remained important in identifying challenges and developing practical solutions across tertiary institutions.

In his remarks, the NANS President, Comrade Babatunde Akinteye, commended Tinubu and Alausa for interventions including NELFUND and TVET.

He said the student loan scheme had made a significant difference in the lives of beneficiaries, noting that the monthly upkeep support had become an important source of relief for students facing financial difficulties.

Akinteye, however, raised concerns over Federal Scholarship Awards, illegal admissions and accreditation challenges affecting students in some institutions.

He called for stronger regulatory action against institutions admitting students into programmes without the required approval or capacity even as he stressed that student leaders were ready to collaborate with government to address the challenges.

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