National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has expressed deep concern over the continued failure of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), to resolve the long-standing issue of unpaid Students’ Industrial Work Experience (SIWES) allowances owed to students across the tertiary institutions nationwide.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, by the Assistant Secretary General of the association, Comr. Adejuwon Olatunji Emmanuel, NANS stated that for several years, thousands of students who have participated in the SIWES programme have not received their statutory allowances.
The student’s body said that despite repeated complaints, and engagements by students’ bodies and stakeholders, the situation has remained unresolved.
NANS further called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene by ordering a comprehensive forensic audit of SIWES funds and ensuring that all outstanding allowances are paid without further delay. It gave a 14-day ultimatum to the federal government to act accordingly.
“Also, we hereby issue a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to take decisive action on this matter,
“Failure to act within this period will be interpreted as institutional indifference to the plight of Nigerian students and will compel us to escalate it’s response through all democratic means available.
“Furthermore, we call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) to immediately invite the ITF leadership for a thorough investigation and explanation regarding the unpaid SIWES allowances to Nigerian students and the general public deserve a full account of how SIWES funds have been managed over the years.
“Nigerian students should not continue to pay the price for administrative incompetence or institutional negligence. SIWES is not a privilege. It is a statutory entitlements. Any leadership that consistently fails to honour their obligations has failed its mandate.”
