The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on students across the country to imbibe the acts of patriotism and productivity, to take their place at the centre of national development.

NANS President, Comrade Olushola Oladoja, made the call on Monday at the 2025 International Students’ Day celebration held at the University of Abuja on the global theme, “Empowering Students to be Agents of Change,” which drew students from across the country and delegations from the West African Students’ Union and the All-African Students Union (AASU).

The event was particularly significant, as it marked a return to campus-based celebrations after what many described as a long period of disengagement from university communities.

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, Aliyu Betara, “reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening ties with the student community, describing them as the nation’s hope as well as its thinkers, innovators, and future leaders.”

The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyed,e who delivered the keynote address, lauded the creativity and potential of Nigerian students and urged them to remain “focused, disciplined, and avoid shortcuts in their pursuit of success”.

Also speaking, Patron of NANS and Executive Director of Finance and Accounts at the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Dr Mathias Byuan, commended the association’s leadership for “its progress-driven approach” and announced the donation of a new NANS national secretariat “to enable it to coordinate and run its operations effectively”.

On his part, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students Engagement, Comrade Sunday Dayo Asefon, praised the NANS leadership and assured them of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “continued commitment to students’ welfare, noting the administration’s ongoing and planned interventions in the education sector”.

Highlights of the celebration included the award of prizes to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the National Examination Council (NECO), and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), as well as goodwill messages from the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, NECO Registrar, Comrade Olayinka Dada (Sadam), former NANS President, Comrade Shehu Yobana and many others.

The celebration closed with renewed calls for student unity, academic excellence, and strengthened collaboration between the government and the student community.