NAUS, NAPS, and NANCES Resolve to Protest as 4Cs of Student Struggle Fail to Move Minister Umahi Over Deplorable Roads

AWAMUO,   January 28,2025 

A major storm is brewing within Nigeria's education sector as the joint leadership of the country's most prominent student bodies has declared a nationwide peaceful protest for February 4, 2026.

​The coalition—comprising the National Association of University Students (NAUS), the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), and the National Association of Nigerian Colleges of Education Students (NANCES)—has issued a scathing public statement demanding the immediate removal of the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi. The unions noted that they have initially employed the 4Cs of student struggle—Consultation, Consolidation, Cooperation, and Confrontation—and having exhausted the preliminary stages without success, they have now firmly resolved to protest to protect the lives of Nigerian students.

​The decision to take to the streets follows a deeply controversial verbal exchange between the Minister and student representatives. According to the joint council's formal statement dated January 25, 2026, Minister Umahi allegedly referred to student leaders as "very stupid" during a joint meeting where they attempted to draw his attention to the deplorable state of federal roads.

​The statement describes a "deeply disrespectful" situation where the Minister, in a phone call with the Chairman of the Council of Sister Unions, reportedly stated he could "give money to mobilise for the protest" while continuing to use insulting language toward the leaders. The unions have condemned this behavior as a "clear stain" on President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, describing it as morally indefensible for a public officer.

​Justification for the Nationwide Protest

​Beyond the verbal insults, the students are protesting against what they call "preventable corridors of death"—the federal highways that run through or beside major tertiary institutions. Their demands focus on:

• ​The Sack of David Umahi: The unions are calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to replace the Minister with a "credible and people-oriented" professional who prioritizes lives over rhetoric.
• ​Road Safety Near Campuses: Critical fatal accident zones have been identified, including the Felele Axis near Federal University Lokoja, the UNIZIK axis on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, and the FUTO axis on the Onitsha-Owerri Road.
• ​Recent Tragedies: The notice cites several horror incidents, such as the fuel tanker explosion in Auchi that razed student lodges and recurring fatal crashes along the Ejule-Enugu and Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomosho routes.

​The student leadership has emphasized that this protest is not against the Nigerian state itself, but against institutional neglect and failed supervision. As the February 4th date approaches, the joint leadership remains firm in its stance that "no reform agenda can succeed where citizens die daily on roads meant to connect opportunity, not coffins".