THE Federal Government has been urged to recognise and immortalise the contributions of student union leaders who played a significant role in Nigeria’s democratic development, particularly those who championed student activism during the military era.

The appeal was made by Chairman of Partners for Electoral Reform, Ezenwa Nwagwu, and Professor Umar Kari of the University of Abuja during an evening of tributes held in honour of late Comrade Abdullahi Ali Kano, a former Senate President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) who led the body between 2000 and 2001.

Nwagwu said Nigerian politicians, like the military governments before them, fear a unified student movement and have consistently worked to divide and weaken students’ unions.

While speaking on the role of NANS in national development, Nwagwu clarified that the student body was not revolutionary but a representation of all Nigerian students with diverse ideological and religious backgrounds.

He said: “In the affairs of a new generation of students whose dynamics, needs, and challenges are different from those I faced, NANS under military rule is not the same as NANS under civilian rule. Under civilian rule, you expect a NANS leadership more interested in consultation and engagement than in confrontation.

“But politicians, being what they are, always want to take dubious advantage, just like the military. So, what they do when they see a unified body that can be a threat is to infiltrate that organisation. It was even the case during our time. They infiltrated the organisation then. But the unity of purpose we had was part of what held us together.

“NANS is not a revolutionary organisation. It is an association of Nigerian students, whether Christians, Muslims, progressive, reactionary, they all belong to that association. But the leadership that emerges may take on the complexion of radicalism. If the students don’t vote a radical in, I cannot force one on them.

Nwagwu, who was among the organisers of the event, described the late Ali as one of the last symbols of that era, where he said students rallied across ethnic and religious lines for national transformation.

He said: “Ali is not from my generation, but because of how outstanding he was in his own time, it is the responsibility of those who lead NANS today to take ownership, read their history, and find how to impact democracy.

“What I always say is this: the method of engagement for the military is not the method of engagement for civilian rule. Civilian rule creates vistas of opportunity for engagement. Student leaders can take advantage of that and make life meaningful for students.

Kari described Ali as a patriot, a detribalised Nigerian, and a unifying figure in the student movement whose legacy transcended ethnic and political boundaries.

The don said: “Most of us met him at the level of the student movement. Personally, I met him almost 30 years ago, and up to his demise, he remained widely known across many spheres, as can be testified by the presence of friends and comrades from all over the country.

“Ali led students during the military era. Now we’re in democracy. I wish the government would immortalise him that. Probably, our organising this event was driven by a belief that the government might do it. But up until the end of his life, he remained politically active.”