In the long and often turbulent history of student activism in Nigeria, few organisations, when it comes to student advocacy, have loomed larger than the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). For decades, NANS stood out to be the conscience of student unionism and, at its height, a formidable interlocutor with power that threatened to mess up the welfare of the Nigerian students.

Yet today, that same student body has been marred by several shortcomings, including the  participation of its leadership in partisan politics and a persistent drift away from its foundational principles. The story of student unionism in Nigeria began with the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS), a national student body founded in 1956 by student councils in University of Ife (now known as Obafemi Awolowo University), Zaria and Nsukka.

In its inception, NUNS was a force to reckon with, serving as the vehicle for student mobilisation. A striking example  of its resilience was the “Ali Must Go” protests of April 1978. Students across the country rose up against impending fee hikes, leading to university closures, violent crack‑downs and the banning of NUNS by the then Nigeria’s military government headed by General Olusegun Obasanjo.

After its proscription, the successor body, NANS, was born (or re‑branded) as an offshoot of NUNS, with a similar mandate to protect and secure the fundamental rights, education interests and welfare of its members, the Nigerian students. During the military dictatorship years and the transition to transient democracy, NANS upheld the banner of student activism, resisting the institutional weapon fashioned against the students.

Past Glories

One of the earliest and most significant battles fought by NANS was against the hike in tuition and accommodation fees in federal universities. The government, under President Shehu Shagari and later military leaders like General Muhammadu Buhari and Babangida, pursued austerity measures as part of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) recommended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These policies led to increased costs of living, subsidy removals, and drastic cuts in education funding. NANS, without entertaining mutism, strongly opposed these measures, organizing nationwide protests, boycotts, and public campaigns demanding affordable education and adequate welfare for students.

NANS also clashed with the military governments over broader political issues. The regime of General Muhammadu Buhari was particularly repressive, characterized by decrees that suppressed freedom of expression and assembly. Student leaders who criticized the regime were frequently harassed, detained, or expelled. Despite this, NANS mobilized students across tertiary institutions to protest against human rights abuses and demanded the restoration of democratic governance.

Worth noting, the most intense confrontations occurred during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. His administration’s implementation of the SAPs sparked national discontent, making NANS to lead mass protests on campuses and in the streets. In 1986, after students at Ahmadu Bello University protested against economic hardship, security forces opened fire, killing several students in what became known as the “ABU Massacre.” In response to the massacre NANS declared nationwide mourning and instigated its protests, demanding justice and accountability.

These confrontations led to the arrest and detention of several NANS leaders, while universities were shut down to quell dissent. Despite these crackdowns, NANS remained undeterred, aligning itself with pro-democracy movements and civil society groups.

By the end of the 1980s, NANS had cemented its reputation as a courageous voice for Nigerian students and a staunch opponent of military dictatorship. Its activism laid the foundation for student involvement in the wider struggle for democracy and social justice in Nigeria.

In those years, student unionism, for NANS, meant to be real. It had teeth. Whether on campus or nationwide, the students could mobilise, protest, force issues and make demands. They were not simply onlookers but actors.

But in recent times, the student body has lost sight of the essence for which it was founded. Beginning in the late 1990s and accelerating in the 2000s, NANS’s posture, independence and credibility began to erode and diminish.

What NANS Has Been Reduced to

The leadership of NANS perhaps is the major problem of the student association. Since the country’s transition to civilian rule in 1999, the leadership has often betrayed student trust put in it. One specific allegation etched in the public record when NANS executives were accused of collecting N150 million from the federal government in connection with an industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, raising concerns about whether the body was for or against the students.

Equally troubling is the fact that leadership positions within the student body, over the years, have been dominated by older individuals who are not undergraduates. More pathetic, these leaders have often been detached from the myriad of concerns and challenges affecting students across tertiary institutions in the country. Another elephant in the house to point at is the fact that NANS’ elections have often been marred by violence and rigging.

its political affiliation is another niggle to look at. It has significantly compromised its founding principles. For instance, during the 2023 general elections, the NANS leadership was reported to have launched a partisan campaign group, “Tinubu/Shettima Students Vanguard,” endorsing the presidential candidates rather than making student welfare paramount. Such moves suggest the trade of student advocacy for political patronage Even at the University of Ibadan, an institution that claimed to be first and ‘best’, the then Students’ Union President, Adewole Yinka (Mascot) reportedly endorsed Tinubu for Presidency on the behalf of the students without their consent.

These, among other trends, have proven to undermine the essence of the student body. As the leadership of NANS is beholden to political actors, the union ceases to be a force for students and turns an adjunct to power.

As Nigeria’s higher‑education system and student population have expanded rapidly, the institutional form of student unionism has struggled to scale. Meanwhile, student welfare issues have grown in complexity. fee concerns, persistent strikes, insecurity, infrastructure, mental health, graduate unemployment have been the persistent, age-long issues affecting the students.

Gerotrocracy has also contributed to the obsolescence of the student body. The people running the affairs of NANS are no longer frontline student activists but older men (and women) with political affiliations, who treat the student umbrella body as a stepping stone into accumulating political benefits, and not an avenue for championing student rights and interests.

In effect, the body that was once headed by radical, conscious students is today increasingly influenced by leaders whose primary concerns are not necessarily the welfare of students but political advancement.

Against this backdrop, students across Nigerian higher‑education institutions face a daunting portfolio of challenges, many of which demand a robust, independent advocacy body. Yet the diminished state of NANS means that many of these issues go under‑addressed.

Worth mentioning, one of the perennial issues in Nigerian universities is industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other educators’ unions. Lecture‑lapses, broken semesters, lost academic sessions, these are standard features of campus life. Students bear the brunt. Extended stays, increased cost of living, delayed graduation. A strong student association should advocate for solutions to strike‑induced delays, but often this dimension is weak.

Students have complained of lecture halls without seats, poor internet connectivity, erratic power outages, and water shortages as such conditions severely undermine teaching and learning experiences.

Also, students have had to struggle with hiked fees, cost of living and welfare issues. In some cases, hikes in fees had triggered protests (as in 1978). While that earlier activism had teeth, today many fee‑hikes proceed with little or no opposition from a national students’ body. The cumulative stress of financial burden, part‑time work, poor support services, mental health challenges all weigh on the student populace.

Entering the job market and finding fulfillment is even harder. Graduates often drift into unemployment or under‑employment, even as Nigeria’s universities churn out more young people. Student representation thus should include not just welfare in school but advocacy for post‑graduation pathways and linkage with industry and public policy.

Emerging issues such as kidnapping of students, armed robbery near campuses, gender‑based violence in hostels, cultism, drug abuse, mental‑health challenges, require concerted, organised student activism. For example, when students are abducted or when violence erupts on campus, a credible NANS should be front and centre demanding accountability. Yet many reports suggest its silence or absence.

In short, the challenges confronting students are serious, complex, and cumulative. Without adequate representation, students are at the mercy of institutional inertia, political neglect, and waning organisational power.

Where once NANS would have led nationwide mobilisations against fee hikes or deteriorating educational standards, today there is little evidence of sustained national activism. The student association only issues ultimatums at every opportunity but they do nothing at its expiration.

Our Recommendations

Yet all is not lost. For NANS to reclaim its rightful place, deliberate reform and strategic repositioning must be considered. The first step is reinstating independence and transparency. Leadership of the student body must be restricted to bona fide students, especially the young minds, with clear term limits and free and fair elections.

The leadership of NANS under Olushola Oladoja must refocus its mission and mandate on student advocacy and welfare.This means moving beyond sporadic protests to sustained campaigns on issues such as campus safety, student victimization, accommodation challenges, mental health, graduate employment, among others.

The student body must strengthen its national and local structures. Many student challenges are campus-specific. Hence, NANS should work to empower local Student Union Governments with training, coordination, and logistical support. Regular national conventions and zonal meetings should be institutionalised to ensure further strength of the Union.

It is important to establish that for the rebirth of NANS to become a reality, students across tertiary institutions must play significant roles. First, there must be a deliberate effort to develop students’ critical consciousness. Currently, this consciousness of the students seems to be low, which has contributed to a lack of urgency in prioritizing the revamp of the association.

Students must also challenge the gerontocratic structure of the association, where older individuals, many of whom are no longer undergraduates, dominate its leadership. Leadership positions should be reserved for young, active students who are genuinely connected to the current realities of students on campus.

Given that student unions across many tertiary institutions have often failed to address student concerns, NANS could serve as the last resort for student advocacy. On this note, it is imperative that all hands be on deck to revive and reposition the association for the benefit of all Nigerian students.