EXPOSED: Inside the deepening crisis of Comr. Olushola Oladoja’s NANS Presidency

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), once regarded as the moral compass of campus activism, is again in the public spotlight—and not for the right reasons. The administration of its current president, Comrade Olushola Oladoja, is now facing severe backlash following a series of controversial decisions and questionable activities during the recent International Students’ Day held at the University of Abuja.

What should have been a unifying national celebration has instead exposed troubling cracks in the leadership of the country’s foremost student union.

The first shock came when students reported being served fake and expired drinks during the event—a stunning breach of welfare and safety. For an organization that claims to fight for students’ rights, the optics were disastrous.

Rather than issuing a direct apology or accepting responsibility, the NANS leadership moved swiftly to stage a public relations counter-move: the announcement of a ₦1.5 million cash award supposedly for the “best 14 students across 14 faculties.”

But the gesture has now raised even more troubling questions.

A deeper dive into the so-called “academic excellence grant” reveals a disturbing pattern. Contrary to the official narrative that the recipients were selected based on CGPA, departments and faculties at the University of Abuja did not submit any verified lists of their top students.

Instead, names appeared to have been handpicked by individuals close to the NANS president—and overwhelmingly from one ethnic group.

For a federal institution built around inclusivity and national representation, the selection list was anything but national.

“This was not merit-based. This was not transparent. This was ethnic selection disguised as academic reward,” one senior student union official told our correspondent under anonymity.

The message to many students was clear: only one tribe mattered on Ladoja led NANS stage.

If the situation needed any more fuel, the NANS Secretary General, Comrade Anzaku Shedrack Ovye, released an official statement that has since gone viral—not for its substance, but for its poor grammar, factual contradictions, and amateurish presentation.

In an attempt to glorify the president, the Sec-Gen exaggerated claims—such as the president sponsoring WAEC, NECO, and JAMB fees and donating laptops—again, allegedly only to individuals from one tribe.

For an office as sensitive as the national secretariat, the communication was embarrassing, unprofessional, and symptomatic of a deeper dysfunction within the leadership.

Perhaps the most damning accusation is the growing perception that Comr. Oladoja presides over a regional presidency masquerading as a national one.

His list of beneficiaries, appointments, and public gestures appear skewed toward a particular ethnic bloc, prompting fears that NANS—a body meant to unify students across Nigeria—is gradually being weaponized for sectional interests.

This would not only be unprecedented but a dangerous departure from the principles of the association.

Stakeholders within the student movement are now demanding a full audit of the Oladoja-led administration, including:

• The source of the ₦1.5m “grant”

• The selection criteria and who approved it

• The procurement process for the expired drinks

• Verification of claims regarding exam sponsorship and laptop donations

• An investigation into ethnic favouritism in appointments and beneficiary lists

The calls for accountability are growing louder, and the administration can no longer wave them aside with staged media hype or poorly written press statements. 

At the heart of this crisis lies a fundamental question:

Can a NANS president who is perceived to serve one tribe truly claim to represent the Nigerian student body?

As the controversies pile up, the Oladoja administration finds itself at a credibility crossroads. Restoring trust will require transparency, inclusiveness, and a willingness to answer hard questions—not the carefully choreographed theatrics witnessed in recent weeks.

Until then, the leadership remains under suspicion, and students across the country are watching—closely.