NANS Proposes ₦200 Annual Dues for NYSC Mobilisation

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is considering a new system under which students may be required to show proof of payment of the association’s annual dues before being mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde, disclosed this while explaining plans to change how the association collects its dues and improve its financial independence.

Babatunde said NANS was considering working with the NYSC to make a NANS dues receipt one of the requirements for students seeking mobilisation for the service year. However, he did not provide details of any formal agreement with the NYSC or indicate when such a requirement would take effect.

He said the proposed annual payment would be ₦200 per student, arguing that the amount was small and would not place an unreasonable burden on students.

According to him, the proposed arrangement is intended to allow NANS to collect the money directly from students instead of depending on student union governments and school authorities to release funds to the association.

Babatunde said the dues would support NANS structures at the national, zonal and state levels, as well as affiliated student organisations.

He claimed that many student union governments had struggled to access or receive their expected share of dues collected from students. He alleged that some institutions release only a portion of the funds to student unions, leaving NANS with limited financial resources.

The NANS president cited the University of Benin as an example, alleging that the institution’s management prevented the student union government from accessing its dues after the union opposed an increase in school fees.

He argued that inadequate funding had weakened the association’s ability to respond to students’ needs and intervene in cases affecting them.

Babatunde said NANS had continued to visit campuses and handle complaints despite its financial difficulties. He disclosed that the association had received thousands of complaints from students, including about 3,000 to 4,000 emails requiring attention.

He also said NANS had spent money responding to emergencies involving students, including cases of kidnapping and accidents involving its buses.

The NANS president maintained that the association needed a reliable source of funding to remain independent and effectively represent students.

He argued that relying on politicians, government officials or other external supporters could make it difficult for NANS to challenge government agencies when student interests were affected.

To address the problem, Babatunde said NANS was exploring arrangements with agencies connected to students to facilitate direct payment of the proposed ₦200 dues to the association.

He said the organisation planned to amend its laws and prepare proposals to give the new collection system the required institutional backing.

Babatunde acknowledged that the proposed reforms might not yield their full benefits during his tenure but said they could strengthen NANS financially for future administrations.

Although he suggested that payment of the dues could be linked to NYSC mobilisation, he did not establish that the NYSC had formally approved the proposal.

The NYSC has its own statutory mobilisation requirements, meaning any attempt to make NANS dues an official condition for mobilisation would require appropriate approval and formal implementation.

Babatunde maintained that the proposed system was not designed to impose additional hardship on students but to make NANS financially independent and better positioned to defend and support Nigerian students.