The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is considering making payment of its proposed ₦200 annual dues a requirement for students seeking mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde, disclosed the proposal in Facebook posts and a video published on Sunday and Monday while explaining plans to change how the association collects its dues.
Babatunde said NANS was discussing a possible arrangement with the NYSC under which students could be required to present proof of payment of NANS dues before being mobilised for camp.
“We will be working with NYSC and one of the criteria to be mobilised for camp is NANS dues receipt,” he wrote.
However, the NANS president did not give details of any formal agreement with the NYSC or indicate when such a requirement would begin. The NYSC has its own statutory eligibility and mobilisation procedures, meaning any new condition involving NANS dues would have to be formally approved and established before it could become mandatory.
Babatunde said the association was also considering a direct payment system that would allow students to pay the annual ₦200 dues directly to NANS instead of routing the money through student union governments or school managements.
He argued that the amount was small and was not intended to place an additional financial burden on students. According to him, direct collection would help NANS become financially independent and improve its ability to represent students.
“This is not an avenue to stress the students further because the due is as low as 200 Naira per student in a year,” he said.
Babatunde claimed that NANS had struggled to receive expected funds from student union governments, alleging that between 80 and 90 per cent of SUGs no longer had full control over their dues. He cited the University of Benin as an example, alleging that the institution’s management restricted the SUG’s access to funds after the union opposed a school fee increase.
The NANS president said the financial challenges had affected the organisation’s ability to respond to student complaints and emergencies. He claimed that NANS currently had thousands of student complaints and had previously spent money responding to cases including student kidnappings and accidents involving its buses.
Babatunde said NANS would seek cooperation from agencies connected to students to establish a system for collecting the dues directly. He added that the association planned to amend its laws and develop proposals to provide the new payment structure with institutional backing.
He maintained that the proposed system was aimed at making NANS less dependent on politicians, government officials and other individuals whose financial support could affect its ability to challenge government agencies when students’ interests were at stake.
