Students Loans: NANS Kicks Against Decision of Ad-Hoc Committee, Urges Committee To Reconsider Its Decision
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has kicked against the decision of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Student Loans and Access to Higher Education, House of Representatives.
NANS expressed displeasure over the decision, saying that it was regrettably that the Ad-Hoc committee refused to recognize the students body in the forthcoming legislative summit on Students Loans.
The NANS Deputy Senate President, Comrade. Ekundina Segun Elvis made this known in a press statement made available to journalists on Tuesday.
The statement which read in parts said “We believe that this decision is not only barbaric it is also a significant error that will only serve to undermine the committee’s stated goals of increasing access to higher education and improving financial aid for students.”
“Our association remains the largest students movement in Africa, saddled with the responsibility of promoting unity, leadership development, and ensure quality education for Nigerian students, with over fourty million members. We have been working for years to improve the lives of Nigerian students, and we have had a significant impact on policy and legislation, it is therefore an act of irresponsibility for the ad-hoc committee not to make reference to the association in the announcement for the summit.”
“We find it unacceptable that the Ad-Hoc Committee has chosen to exclude our association from its summit. We believe that this decision is a violation of our right to free speech and association, and that it will ultimately harm the work of the committee.”
“The National Association of Nigerian Students is a vital voice for the interests of students in Nigeria. We represent a diverse group of students, and our membership is composed of some of the most talented and passionate young people in the country. Our presence at the summit would have been an invaluable resource, and our exclusion is a loss for the committee and for the people it serves.”
“We respectfully request as a matter of urgent public importance that the committee reconsider its decision and allow the Association to participate in the legislative summit. We believe that our presence would be beneficial for the committee and for the cause of improving access to higher education. We are committed to working with the committee to achieve its goals, and we believe that our voice is an important one in the conversation about the future of education in Nigeria.”, the statement concluded.