The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has clarified the issue of student representation on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Committee on Life Skills and Critical Thinking.
NANS also cautioned sister student unions against what it described as misinformation and jurisdictional overreach.
NANS President, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, in a statement, faulted a press statement issued by the leadership of the National Association of University Students (NAUS), National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) and NANCES, which criticised JAMB over the composition of the committee.
Afeez said the claim by the sister unions that no student body was consulted or represented on the committee was incorrect.
According to him, JAMB reached out to him in his capacity as NANS President to serve on the committee, adding that the student constituency was therefore duly represented.
He urged the sister unions to avoid making claims that could mislead students and the public, stressing the need for clarity on the respective mandates and jurisdictions of student bodies.
He said, “On the day of the inauguration of the committee, I was away on other official assignments and, for that reason, the NANS Vice President, Special Duties, Comr. Ernest Nkereuwem, represented me at the event.
“To this end, I call on all sister unions to refrain from hurriedly addressing issues without prior fact-finding. I enjoin all sister unions to seek clarification before issuing press statements on issues bothering on the welfare and representation of the general student populace going forward.”
He apologize to the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, for any inconvenience the media outrage might have caused, noting that student constituency was properly carried along, and were fully involved and part of the process.
“NANS, as the apex student representative body and the umbrella body unifying all student structures both within Nigeria and in the diaspora, will continue to champion, support and advance initiatives, models and policies that address the welfare of Nigerian students.
GeographicReference
“At the outset, it is pertinent to set the record straight on the activities, segregation of powers, jurisdictions and limitations of all sister unions. To be clear, NANS remains the mother body for all sister unions, the apex representative body representing Nigerian students, and the umbrella body unifying all student structures both within Nigeria and in the diaspora.
“From this point forward, it is imperative that all sister unions be properly guided, informed and educated on the range of their scope and activities. While each sister union has its autonomy, they also have their respective jurisdictions and limitations when it comes to acting on and addressing issues bothering on the welfare and representation of Nigerian students as a whole.
“Therefore, all sister unions must come to terms with the fact that it is not within their purview to address issues that affect the general student populace. The activities of NAUS are limited to university students, those of NAPS are limited to polytechnic students, and similarly, the activities of NANCES are limited to colleges of education.
“Thus, sister unions can only be involved in policy formulation and activities that are particular to institutions within their respective jurisdictions. Therefore, when it comes to matters, policy formulation and activities that involve the general student populace and are not peculiar to a particular institution, NANS is the apex representative body that covers and is responsible for such engagements.”
