The National Association of Nigerian Students has indicated that payment of its proposed ₦200 annual dues could become a condition for students seeking mobilisation into the National Youth Service Corps scheme, as the association moves to overhaul how it collects funding from its members.

The NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde, disclosed this across a series of Facebook posts on Sunday and Monday, saying the association was exploring a direct payment system that would bypass student union governments and institutional managements entirely.

"We will be working with NYSC and one of the criteria to be mobilised for camp is NANS dues receipt," Babatunde wrote.

He clarified in a video posted on Monday that the ₦200 annual figure was not designed to burden students financially but to give NANS the operational independence required to represent students without relying on external support.

"This is not an avenue to stress the students further because the due is as low as 200 Naira per student in a year, 200 Naira one year per student," he stated.

Babatunde attributed the push for direct collection to a breakdown in the existing capitation system, alleging that 80 to 90% of student union governments were no longer in control of their dues. He claimed some institutions released only a fraction of collected funds to their student unions, weakening NANS financially and limiting its capacity to intervene in student matters.

He cited the University of Benin as a specific case, alleging that its management frustrated the student union government's access to dues after the union opposed a school fees increase.

"One of the ways to cripple the organisation is to make it lack funds, to be short of funds," he said.

Babatunde argued that NANS could not be expected to operate effectively without direct financial contributions from students, pointing to thousands of complaints received and previous emergency expenditures, including responses to student kidnappings and bus accidents.

"When I speak to you, I have about 3,000, 4,000 emails of student complaints… genuine complaints," he said.

He confirmed that NANS would amend its constitution and develop formal proposals to provide institutional backing for the new payment system, acknowledging the changes might not fully benefit the current administration.

No timeline was provided for implementation, and the NYSC has not confirmed any arrangement linking mobilisation eligibility to NANS dues payment.