National Student Group Refuses to Join August 1 Nationwide Protest in Nigeria’s Southeast Region

As Nigeria’s nationwide protest scheduled for August 1 approaches, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has said that students from the Southeast region will not participate in the protest. Nzubechi Valentine Ahaneku, National Vice President, Special Duties of NANS, made this announcement in an interview with Media Talk Africa in Owerri.

Ahaneku said that the decision not to join the protest is not a reflection of the well-being of students in the region, but rather a tactic to avoid getting dragged into a situation that may be difficult to extricate themselves from.

Stressing the importance of student control, the activist stated that students can organize their own peaceful protests to express their grievances over government’s negligence, rather than participating in an unspecified protest that may have unpredictable outcomes.

“Don’t embark on a protest that was not planned by you and whose outcome is difficult to predict,” Ahaneku warned. “Even if the protest is genuine, it can be hijacked, and that could be dangerous for the students.”

The student leader highlighted that students will not engage in any actions that may disrupt their academic process, which can compromise their future education. Instead, he emphasizes that there are alternative ways to draw government attention to their responsibilities.

The issue of federal government’s student loan scheme was also broached, with Ahaneku saying that institutions in the Southeast region have not accessed the grant. “Federal and state institutions in the Southeast region are still waiting to see if they have received loans, and we are closely monitoring the situation.”

The decision by NANS comes as a surprise, given that the nationwide protest is expected to draw masses of students across the country. Meanwhile, the Southeast region’s inability to access the student loan scheme has raised further concerns about the government’s commitment to alleviating the financial burdens faced by Nigerian students.