THE President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved the provision of buses to the students’ bodies of tertiary institutions across the country.
According to media reports, the development was made known in a statement by Presidential Spokesman, Dele Alake on Monday, July 31, 2023, adding that the move is aimed at easing the burden of the fuel subsidy removal on students of higher institutions of learning.
President Tinubu also directed the authorities in all Federal Institutions of higher learning to avoid an arbitrary increase in sundry fees payable and, where possible, defer further increases so that parents and students don’t face too many difficulties.
He also approved the removal of all restrictions on student loans to make it available to any student or household that may desire it.
The full statement read: “In furtherance of his desire to ease the burden of the fuel subsidy removal on students of higher institutions of learning, President Bola Tinubu has approved the provision of buses to the students’ bodies of all universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
“The desire of the President is to see that students can access their campuses without much difficulty as a result of higher transportation costs. The provision of buses will also remove the burden of additional costs of daily commuting on parents and guardians.
“In line with his promise to ensure no Nigerian student abandons his or her educational pursuits as a result of lack of money and economic circumstances of their parents, President Tinubu has also approved the removal of all restrictions on the students’ loan to make it available to any student or household that may desire it.
“Similarly, President Tinubu has directed the authorities in all Federal Institutions of higher learning to avoid arbitrary increase in sundry fees payable and where possible, defer further increase so that parents and students don’t face too many difficulties.
“While it is important to reiterate that President Tinubu has directed the release of over 200,000 Metric Tonnes of grains to families in 36 states and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the government is working to ensure that vulnerable students can also benefit from conditional cash transfers and food distribution.
“President Tinubu will continue to prioritise education and the needs of the students, improve the welfare of teaching and non-academic staff and invest in infrastructure to make our institutions of higher learning become more globally competitive.”
The statement added that the Federal Government salutes the courage, wisdom and partnership of Nigerian Students as the country navigates this challenging time.
