President Bola Tinubu has expressed his readiness to address all the challenges Nigerians studying abroad are facing, thus enhancing their well-being and in line with his citizen diplomacy policy.
Tinubu said this during the fourth diaspora quarterly webinar lecture series hosted by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.
The theme of the webinar was: “Well-being of Nigerian Students Abroad: Struggles, Challenges and Solutions.”
Tinubu was represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Hon. Asefon Sunday Dayo.
In attendance were the chief host and Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa; the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede; and Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Y. D. Ahmed.
Responding to some of the issues raised by the students, Dayo admitted that President Tinubu is aware of challenges students are facing abroad and the government is working tediously to ameliorate it.
He also urged the students to create more platforms to discuss and address these challenges and for their leaders to escalate the situations to the appropriate authorities.
While recalling some of the impactful interventions of Tinubu on students welfare, he urged the students to be of good behaviour by being good ambassadors of Nigeria in their respective countries of abode.
Dabiri-Erewa noted that the non-payment of obligatory fees to students on scholarship abroad has been a recurring decimal, which has to be permanently sorted.
In his contributions, Oloyede assured the students that the Board will continue to guide the students, especially on the choice of institutions of learning abroad as well as courses offered.
He advised the students and their parents to beware of fake and unaccredited universities abroad urging them to do proper check before sending their wards to foreign Universities.
On reabsorption of some returning students in Nigeria higher institutions, he counselled the students to avail themselves on the guidelines, especially in line with the Arusha declaration, which stipulates that returning students cannot be fixed in more than second year in the home institutions.
General Ahmed, represented by Omotade Folorunso, described the webinar as a great opportunity to interface with the students, addressing their well-being as a national imperative for securing a brighter future for Nigeria as a whole.
He told the students to avail themselves of the approved and accredited institutions abroad before enlisting therein as the Corps will not mobilise any returning student for national service if the institution was found to be fake.
Comrade Juwon Ojo Fayomi, President of NANS-Diaspora, who listed some of the challenges being faced by students abroad, appreciated the management of NiDCOM for being responsive and quick to intervene towards the plights of the Nigerian students in the Diaspora.
He is optimistic that the lecture series will proffer better solutions to the needs of the diaspora students.
In his presentation, Yemi Soile, Head Coordinator of Nigeria Students Union, United Kingdom, highlighted some of the challenges being faced by Nigeria students abroad which need government urgent attention.
Soile commended Dabiri-Erewa for coming to their aid from time to time to address some of their issues.
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Contributing to the discourse, Uche Okugo, President, Network of Nigerians in Canada, appealed to the government to assist the students as the challenges were overwhelming to them.
Prof. Hakeem Tijani of Morgan State University, United States University applauded NiDCOM for hosting the webinar and the quality of the stakeholders invited to address issues.
Tijani, however, advised the students to think outside the box and not put all their challenges on the government, expressing his willingness to mentor them on how to weather the storm in a foreign country.
Students who joined the meeting across the globe raised several questions and concerns about non-regular payment of their scholarships, NYSC registration, professional body examinations/registration, racial discrimination, passport and consular matters and other issues affecting their academic pursuit abroad, which was adequately handled by the relevant stakeholders.
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