NANS Proposes ₦200 Annual Dues Linked to NYSC Mobilisation for Students

• NANS president Akinteye Babatunde announced plans to collect ₦200 annual dues directly from students, bypassing student union governments
• Babatunde said NANS was exploring a system where proof of dues payment could become a criterion for NYSC camp mobilisation
• The NANS president cited financial struggles and thousands of unresolved student complaints as reasons behind the proposed changes

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has proposed a ₦200 annual dues structure that could be tied to the National Youth Service Corps mobilisation process, according to remarks made by NANS National President Akinteye Babatunde in Facebook posts on Sunday and Monday.

Babatunde raised the possibility in writing, saying NANS planned to work with the NYSC such that a dues payment receipt could be among the criteria students need before they are cleared for camp.

"We will be working with NYSC and one of the criteria to be mobilised for camp is NANS dues receipt," he wrote.

Read also

Atiku condemns 5,091 killings in 3 months, says Tinubu has failed security duty

Why NANS wants to collect dues directly

In a video posted on Monday, Babatunde elaborated on the wider reform behind the proposal. He said NANS was looking to move away from its current model, where it relies on student union governments and institutional managements to pass on capitation payments, towards a platform that would allow it to collect money directly from students.

He said the annual fee amounted to just ₦200 per student, describing it as minimal. "This is not an avenue to stress the students further because the due is as low as 200 Naira per student in a year, 200 Naira one year per student," he said.

Babatunde argued that between 80 and 90 per cent of student union governments had lost effective control over their dues, with some institutions releasing only a small fraction of collected funds to their unions. He cited the University of Benin as a specific case, alleging that management there blocked the student union from accessing its dues after the union opposed a school fees increase.

Read also

Kano: Jubilation as mass wedding beneficiaries get ₦300m cash

He framed the financial squeeze as a deliberate tactic. "One of the ways to cripple the organisation is to make it lack funds, to be short of funds," he said.

NANS plans to amend its laws

The NANS president said the organisation would amend its laws and draft formal proposals to give the new payment system institutional backing, acknowledging that the changes might not benefit the current executive but would leave NANS in a stronger position going forward.

He disclosed that the organisation had received roughly 3,000 to 4,000 student complaint emails and had previously spent its own funds responding to emergencies, including cases involving kidnapped students. "Where are those money coming from? Organisation that does not have dues," he said.

Babatunde also argued that financial dependence on politicians or government officials undermined NANS's ability to hold agencies accountable on behalf of students. He said independence was the goal. "This is not to pressure the student, it is just about doing the right thing that is necessary, so that the other organisation can also be independent."

No timeline was given for when the proposed direct payment system would take effect, and no details were provided on the formal steps needed to link dues payment to NYSC mobilisation eligibility. The NYSC operates under its own statutory procedures, and any such requirement would need to be officially established before it could apply to students.

Read also

Nigerian IT student cries out after receiving unexpected letter from supervisor

NYSC warns prospective corps members

Legit.ng earlier reported that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has issued a firm warning to prospective corps members, saying that anyone who fails to obtain clearance from the National Electronic Registration Database (NERD) will not be admitted into the national service programme.

The NYSC gave the warning as it steps up preparations for the mobilisation of a new batch of graduates ahead of the next orientation exercise.

Source: Legit.ng