The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged the Federal Government to temporarily close tertiary institutions across the country. This measure would enable students to conveniently collect their permanent voter cards (PVCs) and participate in the upcoming elections scheduled for February 25. NANS made this request in a statement issued by its Vice President for External Affairs, Akintoye Afeez, which was sent to The on Sunday.
In light of the recent extension of the PVC collection deadline and the imminent general elections, NANS emphasized the need for immediate action. The organization stated that the Federal Government should close all tertiary institutions temporarily to give students the opportunity to collect their PVCs from their local government areas and fulfill their voting responsibilities. Afeez pointed out that in the past, the rigid schedules of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the management of tertiary institutions have hindered students’ participation in the electoral process.
However, the situation is different for the 2023 elections. During the continuous voter registration exercise, many students were at home due to the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, resulting in approximately four million new registrations for PVCs. Now that these registrations have been processed, NANS expressed concern that tertiary institutions are not considering academic breaks during the general election period, despite the fact that many students registered outside their campuses.
NANS has called on the Federal Government to instruct the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, and the National Commission for Colleges of Education, through the Federal Ministry of Education, to temporarily close all tertiary institutions until after the general elections. This action would allow Nigerian students, who represent 40.8 percent of the newly registered voters across the 774 local government areas, to access their PVCs and vote for their preferred candidates, thereby fulfilling their civic duties as responsible citizens.
Additionally, reports indicate that the House of Representatives sought the suspension of academic activities last week to facilitate student participation in the electoral process as the elections approach. During a plenary session on Thursday, the House specifically urged the NUC, the NBTE, the NCCE, and the Federal Ministry of Education to direct all tertiary institutions to suspend academic activities during the election period. The House also called on INEC to make special arrangements for students to collect their PVCs.
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