The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a stark warning over the escalating threats facing university students nationwide, including rampant insecurity, exploitative tuition hikes, deadly road conditions, and worsening graduate unemployment.
NANS expressed grave concern over the rising spate of kidnappings targeting students, particularly in northern states, where armed groups frequently attack schools and hostels. The association condemned the government’s failure to protect scholars, citing recent abductions and the pervasive fear gripping campuses.
Despite the launch of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to assist students, multiple institutions have sharply increased fees—a move NANS calls “exploitative.”
According to Lucky Emonefe who is President Of NANS “Schools see NELFUND as a blank cheque to raise costs,”. “This pricing-out of poor students is unacceptable.” The association demands immediate government intervention to regulate fees.
Poor infrastructure continues to kill students. Last month, five Osun State University (UNIOSUN) undergraduates died in a crash blamed on potholes and reckless driving.
NANS also called for urgent road repairs and stricter transport regulations b government at all levels.
With joblessness among degree holders at record highs, NANS criticised the lack of viable employment or entrepreneurship support.
The association said it will escalate its advocacy through legal challenges, protests, and media campaigns if authorities fail to act.
