The battle over who speaks for Nigerian students has taken a new turn, with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) apologising to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) while accusing fellow student unions of creating a controversy based on what it described as false information.

What started as a disagreement over the composition of JAMB’s Committee on Life Skills and Critical Thinking has now become a wider fight over student leadership, authority and who has the right to represent millions of Nigerian students.

The controversy began after the National Association of University Students (NAUS), National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), and National Association of Colleges of Education Students (NANCES) raised concerns over the committee’s composition, questioning whether students were properly carried along in the process.

The concerns sparked a response from NANS, which rejected the claims and accused the student unions of making statements without first establishing the facts.

According to NANS President, Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, JAMB did not ignore students during the formation of the committee.

He said JAMB formally invited him, in his capacity as NANS President, to participate in the committee and that the student constituency was therefore represented.

Afeez explained that he was unable to attend the inauguration because of other official assignments, adding that the NANS Vice President, Special Duties, Comrade Ernest Nkereuwem, attended the event on his behalf.

NANS said this made claims that no student organisation was represented inaccurate.

The association then turned its attention to NAUS, NAPS and NANCES, accusing the unions of rushing to conclusions instead of seeking clarification before making public statements.

NANS described the actions of the unions as misinformation and jurisdictional overreach, insisting that student bodies must understand the limits of their respective mandates.

The association argued that while NAUS, NAPS and NANCES have roles within universities, polytechnics and colleges of education respectively, issues affecting Nigerian students generally fall under the responsibility of NANS as the umbrella student body.

The statement was not just a defence of NANS’ involvement in the JAMB committee. It was also a warning shot over the larger question of student leadership in Nigeria.

At the centre of the dispute is a simple but important question:

Who truly speaks for Nigerian students when national education policies are being decided?

NANS maintains that the answer is clear: the umbrella organisation should represent issues affecting students nationwide.

However, the concerns raised by the other student unions have reopened the debate over whether wider consultation among different categories of tertiary students should be expected when decisions affect everyone.

The controversy eventually reached JAMB, prompting NANS to issue an apology to the Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, over the public attention generated by the disagreement.

NANS said the media reaction should not create the impression that students were excluded from the committee process, insisting that the student constituency was properly represented.

The association maintained that it remains committed to supporting policies and initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of Nigerian students.

The JAMB committee is expected to examine possible changes involving the inclusion of life skills and critical thinking components into the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), a reform that could affect future admission candidates across Nigeria.

For now, NANS has defended its position, apologised to JAMB and challenged NAUS, NAPS and NANCES over their criticism.