RismadarVoice Reporters
August 10, 2026
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has proposed an annual levy of ₦200 for students, with payment potentially becoming a requirement for mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde, disclosed this in posts on Facebook on Sunday and Monday while explaining the association’s financial challenges and proposed changes to the collection of its dues.
Babatunde had earlier indicated that NANS would collaborate with the NYSC and that students could be required to present evidence of payment of the association’s 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 stated.
However, in a video posted on Monday, the NANS president explained that the association was considering a system through which dues would be collected directly from students rather than through student union governments (SUGs) and institutional managements.
He said the proposed annual payment was only ₦200 per student, insisting that the amount was not intended to impose an additional financial burden on 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, 200 Naira one year per year,” Babatunde said.
According to him, funds generated from the dues would be distributed among the different structures of NANS, including zonal and state structures as well as affiliated student bodies.
Babatunde said NANS had faced difficulties in receiving expected financial allocations from SUGs in recent years, prompting the association to consider collecting the money directly from students.
“We are considering moving from getting the due capitation to having a platform where we can get it directly from students,” he said.
The NANS president alleged that between 80 and 90 per cent of SUGs were no longer fully in control of their dues, claiming that some institutions released only a portion of the funds collected to student unions.
He said the situation had weakened NANS financially and reduced its ability to intervene effectively in matters affecting students.
Babatunde cited the University of Benin as an example, alleging that the institution’s management prevented the SUG from accessing its funds after the union opposed an increase in school fees.
“One of the ways to cripple the organisation is to make it lack funds, to be short of funds,” he said.
Despite the financial difficulties, he said NANS had continued to visit campuses and intervene in cases involving students.
He, however, argued that students should also contribute financially if they expected the association to effectively represent their interests.
“How can you feel the impact correctly if you are not putting your money where your mouth is? This is an organisation for all of us,” Babatunde said.
He also advocated greater financial independence for NANS, arguing that dependence on government officials and other individuals could compromise the association’s ability to challenge government agencies when necessary.
“How do you want people to run to politicians or government to seek their support, and when they have issues with the agencies, they still want to stand and fight those agencies?” he asked.
Babatunde said NANS was considering collaboration with agencies connected to students to establish a system through which the ₦200 dues could be paid directly to the association.
“We are going towards [agencies] to cooperate with to get this due directly to the organisation, no more to the management, no more to the SUGs, but directly to the organisation,” he said.
He added that NANS would amend its laws and prepare proposals to provide institutional backing for the proposed payment system.
According to him, the reforms might not significantly benefit the current administration but would help strengthen the association and its future administrations.
“We are going to amend our laws, we are going to have different proposals and see how we will start getting our due directly to the organisation,” Babatunde said.
The NANS president further disclosed that the association had received thousands of complaints from students, saying stronger finances were needed to respond adequately to such cases.
“When I speak to you, I have about 3,000, 4,000 emails of student complaints… genuine complaints,” he said.
Babatunde said NANS had also spent money responding to student emergencies, including cases involving kidnapped students, as well as expenses arising from accidents involving its buses.
“Where are those money coming from? ” An organisation that does not have dues,” he asked.
Although Babatunde’s comments indicate that NANS is considering linking payment of its dues to NYSC mobilisation, he did not state how such an arrangement would work or when it would become effective.
The NYSC has its own statutory eligibility and mobilisation procedures, meaning any proposed NANS payment requirement would need to be formally established before it could become an official condition for mobilisation.
Babatunde maintained that the proposed direct collection system was primarily aimed at making NANS financially independent and strengthening its ability to advocate for students.
“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, so that the organisation can also stand on its own and do things properly,” he said.
