NANS: Whither students’ unionism in Nigeria? It has lost focus, ex-president, others

Once it was that student unionism in Nigerian institutions of higher learning ensured that its voice was not only heard but had all the trappings that a representative unionism possessed. But today, the much desired strength and relevance of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) appear to have waned. TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE reports the many sides to these anomalies. 

At its formation in 1980, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), was a strong students’ movement in the country. It was formed to replace the proscribed National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) in order to represent the interests of Nigerian students at home and in the Diaspora.

It will be recalled that NUNS was banned in 1978 after 22 years of existence by the General Olusegun Obasanjo administration (1976-1979) because of its strong opposition to tuition fees’ increment on campuses.

So, at that period up to the late 90s, NANS was not only committed to the interests that were common to Nigerian students all over the world, it actually stood and fought for justice, good governance and the rule of law in the country.

But today, many aver, the story is different.  According to observers, the association has lost its strong essence, a stooge and tool in the hands of politicians.

Many have argued that succeeding leaders of the association only lead protests against government actions, but end up as political special advisers. They issue ultimatums at every opportunity but they do nothing at its expiration. It has also been established that many of them are not actually undergraduates but diploma students and abandon studies once they are elected.

This development, however, is not going down well with many stakeholders in the tertiary education sector and especially those who are following the trend as they came out hard during various interactions with Nigerian Tribune on the leadership of the association, especially in recent years.

One of the leaders of the association between 1983 and 1985 at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile-Ife, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, who is also the Director, International Press Centre, ICP, claims he is pained by the present condition of the association.

“During our days, we had a clear focus and pursued genuinely the interest of all Nigerian students and also that of the citizenry as a whole. But the leadership in recent years has actually bastardized the once vibrant students’ movement body.

“During my tenure, for example, NANS never gave anybody an award of recognition. We didn’t believe in that kind of thing. We associated with some human rights activists.  I remember that the association recognised and named the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi the ‘advocate of the masses’ and that was quite logical. Chief Fawehinmi was always there to defend students anywhere. It was on the resolution of the Students’ Parliament that the students bestowed the honour on him. I had even graduated at that time.

“So for me, NANS giving awards to politicians either governors or senators or any other person, is out of place. The practice is not part of NANS’ mandate and it is really compromising students’ interest. I urge the leadership to stop it,” he said.

That is not only the missing link in NANS according to Arogundade. To him, NANS forming two parallel groups today is also really confusing, as well as disturbing.

“That is why I don’t understand why they should run parallel presidency in NANS because it is an aberration as far as NANS is concerned. NANS is not a political party. It is a pressure group for a course. So, during our times, NANS was one body and nothing like factions. We had NANS executive that served as central body while we also had executives for student’s union governments in various campuses. It was later the idea of zoning came so as to make NANS more effective. We then had zonal coordinators to reflect the country’s geo-political zones, but they didn’t operate independently. They were under the control of the national body. So, there was nothing like Co-President, Co-Secretary and so forth as we have today.

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“Even now, they have taken it further down by having NANS in Ajegunle, NANS in Oshodi and all that. So, the whole thing has become something else. People now use the name of NANS to collect money from politicians and others that can dole out money and do whatever they like. These are where the problem lies and I think NANS leadership will have to retrace their step to the right path.”

For Dr. Ademola Aremu, a senior lecturer at the University of Ibadan, and also a former national treasurer of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU), “NANS does not speak with one voice again because the leadership has lost focus,” accusing them of running after politicians for pecuniary motives.

“And I think that is why the group is now divided into two factions with one side claiming superiority over the other as if they are political parties.”

 National President of Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria, (PTAN), Haruna Danjuma, in an interaction with Nigerian Tribune expressed his displeasure at the present state of things with the association, saying, “It is disheartening that the association has allowed politics to infiltrate their midst.

“They have allowed themselves to be drawn into politicking by politicians, whom they give awards to notwithstanding whether they have one single value they have added to their lives or studies much less the education sector.”

Speaking further, Arogundade highlighted factors responsible for the present decay of the body. According to him, “The academic environment in our days was better and more conducive. It is not that there was no extortion even then, but the university authorities appeared to be more tolerant and transparent.

“Today, the authorities are more intolerant of independent student unionism. That is why campus unionism is not as vibrant as it used to be. The independence that the universities used to enjoy is no longer there. For you to become a vice-chancellor of a state university, for example, requires that you know maybe the governor’s wife or those close to the corridors of power and all that.

“They expel students at the slightest protest or criticism, throwing them out of the campus.

“Another issue is that education was not as costly as it is today. A student then would be okay with just 45 – 50 kobo per meal. But today, the same quantity (and even of less quality) of the same type of food then would cost up to N500 or more. So, unlike in our days, getting means of survival has become more difficult.  That is why so many students are no longer interested in issues that affect their general wellbeing let alone that of the citizens as a whole.

“The third factor is that students then were more ideological in their orientations. They were more radical and always looked at issues from the point of view of making things better for every citizen, beginning from campuses irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliations. And that time also, students’ agitating was more against the military rule and oppression. And because the labour movement then and lecturers were also more radical in nature, they provided support for NANS. Similar to this, is that students then were also more intellectually-oriented.

“When the current President, Muhammadu Buhari, came in as a military head of state in 1983, and the country asked him to introduce free education policy at all levels, his government responded that there was no money to fund that policy because it would cost government N4 billion.

“NANS conducted some researches which showed that the civilian government that the Buhari military government overthrew had saved some money for the new government. That was the money that would have gone into the payment of salaries and allowances of political appointees and lawmakers at both the federal and state government levels. We calculated that money to be in the range of N1.2 billion. So, we told the government that, look, out of the N4 billion you claimed that free education would gulp, you had saved N1.2 billion already.  We then went further to analyse that our research had also shown that the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, came up with a research that showed that the Shagari government issued import licenses worth N11 billion but that the goods that were actually imported into the country were roughly around N2 billion. So, we said look, even from that money alone, the country already had more than N4 billion to fund free education. These were some of the issues we used to put before government to change unfavorable policies and actions. So, whenever we presented our case backing it with facts and figures, people had no option than to listen to us. But these are lacking in NANS today.”

However, Arogundade and others believe that despite all these shortcomings on the part of NANS and its leadership, hope was not lost totally.

“They should also face their studies and choose leaders that will not sabotage their interests on the altar of politics,” Danjuma added.

Nigerian Tribune, however, sought the reaction of NANS national co-president, Aruna Kadiri, a native of Edo State, on all these issues.

According to him, “Since I became NANS president, I have taken the association to a non-partisan level. And if you’ve been following the trend since my assumption of office before the last Edo and Ondo states’ governorship elections, I have been appealing to students to be apolitical but support only candidates that would represent the interest of Nigerian students.

“So, NANS under my watch does not support any political party or politician. We can only support individuals on the basis of their track records in the society.

“I also stated this clearly in my inauguration speech at the University of Abuja that the era where NANS goes to offices, motor parks and all that, to give awards to people has ended but can only give national awards.

“Even on the national awards, it is only one distinguished Nigerian, Comrade Mukhtar, the National Vice- Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, North-east Zone, that my administration ever gave an award. And we gave him the award not because he is a politician but for his tremendous contribution to the development of Nigeria.”

Kadiri, however, was quick to add that there were some who he called ‘bad eggs’ in NANS as well as non-members who use NANS to carry out Illegal activities.

But when asked to react to NANS’ factionalisation, he said the development was the making of the government.