Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Orientation Agency has firmly rejected allegations by the National Association of Nigerian Students that it overreached its statutory mandate by championing the proposed National Learner Identification Number, insisting that its involvement in the policy is limited to communicating government programmes to citizens and does not extend to formulating or implementing the initiative. The clarification came in a statement issued on Thursday, September 10, 2026, by the agency's Deputy Director of Communication and Media, Paul Odenyi, on behalf of the Director-General, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu. It was a direct response to a statement by NANS two days earlier, in which the students' body rejected the LIN and accused NOA of drifting from its core responsibility.
The controversy erupted on September 9, 2026, when NANS President Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez issued a statement rejecting the proposed learner identification system as unnecessary and a duplication of the existing National Identification Number. The students' body argued that since every Nigerian citizen already possesses a NIN, there was no justification for creating a separate identification number for learners. NANS also accused the NOA of overstepping its mandate, insisting that the agency was established to promote communication between government and citizens, provide feedback, and encourage citizen participation, rather than to introduce a new identification framework. The association called on the Federal Government to immediately halt the introduction and implementation of the LIN, stressing that policies with far-reaching implications for students should not be introduced without consulting their representatives.
The NOA's response was measured but unambiguous. Issa-Onilu said the agency was neither the originator nor the implementing authority for the LIN initiative, adding that its role was confined to its statutory responsibility of communicating government policies, programmes and activities to citizens. He explained that the agency's communication mandate covered policies and programmes across government and was not restricted to initiatives formulated or implemented by the NOA itself. "As the primary government agency responsible for public orientation, NOA works across Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure that citizens receive accurate, timely and understandable information about government policies, programmes and activities," he said. The Director-General stressed that policy formulation, implementation and communication were separate responsibilities, and that the authorities responsible for the LIN remained in charge of its formulation and implementation. He said NOA's role was to explain the policy to Nigerians in clear and accessible terms while providing platforms for citizens to express their views, concerns and reactions.
Issa-Onilu also addressed the specific allegation of overreach, stating that communicating a government policy did not amount to formulating, imposing or implementing it. "NOA's role is to ensure that citizens understand what government is doing, why it is doing it and how they can engage with it. This is fundamentally different from being the institution that formulates or implements the policy," he said. He urged NANS and other stakeholders to distinguish between the institution driving a government policy and the agency responsible for communicating such policies to the public. While acknowledging NANS as an important stakeholder whose views should be heard on policies affecting students, Issa-Onilu urged the students' body to direct its concerns about the LIN initiative to the appropriate government institution.
The LIN initiative is driven by the Federal Ministry of Education under the leadership of Minister Tunji Alausa. The system, which was formally launched in April 2026, is designed to assign every learner in Nigeria a permanent and traceable academic identity. It is built on the Digitised National Education Management Information System, which provides a comprehensive national register of schools. More than 1.9 million candidates who registered for the 2026 WAEC and NECO examinations were issued LINs in the first phase of implementation. The Ministry has said the LIN will be used to track pupils who drop out before completing secondary education, enhance learning continuity, and strengthen the integrity of the education data system.
The NANS leadership, however, remains unconvinced. The students' body has consistently argued that the LIN duplicates the NIN and that the government should strengthen the existing identification system rather than create a new one. "Nigerian students are not mere beneficiaries of the education system; we are critical stakeholders in its development and must be carried along in every policy formulation and implementation that directly affects our academic lives, identity, records, welfare, and future," the NANS statement read. The association also accused NOA of imposing a new identification system on students, a charge the agency has now denied.
The dispute highlights a broader tension in Nigeria's policy-making landscape, where agencies are often blamed for policies they did not create simply because they are the public face of those policies. The NOA, as the government's primary orientation agency, is frequently tasked with explaining policies that are formulated elsewhere. When those policies generate controversy, the agency becomes a lightning rod for public anger. In this case, the students' body targeted NOA even though the LIN is a Ministry of Education initiative. The agency's response was careful to redirect NANS to the appropriate authorities without appearing dismissive of the students' concerns.
Issa-Onilu also emphasised that the agency remained open to constructive engagement with NANS, students and other stakeholders on the proposed LIN, including concerns about its relationship with the NIN. He said such engagement was central to NOA's role as a bridge between government and citizens and should not be interpreted as an expansion of its statutory responsibilities. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to transparent, inclusive and two-way communication, saying citizens' concerns and perspectives remained essential to effective public policy communication and democratic governance.
As the debate over the LIN continues, the substantive questions raised by NANS remain unanswered by the Ministry of Education. Why is a separate learner identification number necessary when the NIN already exists? How will the LIN be integrated with the NIN to avoid duplication and confusion? What safeguards will be put in place to protect students' data? These are the questions the students' body wants addressed, and they are directed at the ministry, not the orientation agency. Whether the ministry will engage with NANS and provide the clarifications the students are demanding remains to be seen. For now, the NOA has done what it was established to do: it has explained the government's position, clarified its own role, and left the door open for dialogue. The ball is now in the Ministry of Education's court.
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