NANS Storms University of Abuja with Bold Demands and a Vision for Change! ✊🏼✨

ABUJA, March 14, 2025 – The air was electric today at the University of Abuja as the newly elected leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) descended on the institution in a historic courtesy visit that pulsed with purpose and promise. Leading the charge was the dynamic NANS President, Olusola Oladoja, a man whose passion for student welfare is as fierce as his resolve to see it through. Flanking him was the equally formidable Secretary-General, Comrade Anzaku Shedrack, a proud son of the University of Abuja itself, whose presence added a layer of hometown pride to this momentous occasion.

The delegation didn’t just come to exchange pleasantries—they came with a mission. Meeting with the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Patricia Manko Lar, a distinguished academic from the University of Jos (coincidentally Oladoja’s alma mater), the NANS leadership laid bare the struggles of Nigerian students with the urgency of a rallying cry. In a powerful address, President Oladoja didn’t mince words. Quoting him directly, he recounted a sobering experience from his nationwide campaign trail: “During my visit for campaign as I travelled round the 36 states in Nigeria for support, I was dismayed as I was told that I would have to go to the mini campus before I’d have a meeting with the union, as they don’t have an SUG Secretariat in the main campus.”

That revelation hit like a thunderclap—a stark reminder of the infrastructural deficits plaguing student governance. But Oladoja didn’t stop at lamenting. With the fire of a true leader, he issued a clarion call to action, urging Professor Lar to greenlight the construction of a Student Union Government (SUG) Secretariat right there on the main campus. And he didn’t stop there. With Abuja as Nigeria’s beating political heart and the University of Abuja its sole federal university, Oladoja made an audacious pitch: allocate land for a NANS Secretariat, a befitting headquarters for the apex student body. “This is the capital,” he seemed to imply, “and the students deserve a seat at its table!”

The Vice-Chancellor, ever the gracious host, didn’t shy away from the challenge. With her trademark open-door policy shining through, Professor Lar assured the delegation that their requests would be tabled before the Senate Council at its next sitting. It was a promise met with nods of approval from the sea of NANS delegates who had journeyed from across the country to witness this pivotal moment. Their gratitude was palpable, their applause a testament to a leadership that listens.

This wasn’t just a visit—it was a statement. From the dusty roads of Oladoja’s 36-state campaign to the hallowed grounds of the University of Abuja, NANS is signaling a new era of student advocacy. And with Comrade Shedrack’s roots in the institution and Professor Lar’s Jos connection with the president, there’s a poetic symmetry to this unfolding story—a unity of purpose that could very well reshape the landscape of student representation in Nigeria.

The delegates left with hope in their hearts and fire in their spirits, their voices echoing a timeless truth: when students rise, the nation listens. Watch this space, Nigeria—this is only the beginning! ✊🏼✨