President Bola Tinubu approved on Monday the provision of buses to the student bodies of all universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across the country.
This was disclosed by Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, Dele Alake, in a statement he signed on Monday titled ‘FG ready to provide buses for higher education students, removes restrictions on students’ loans’.
According to the press statement, the provision of buses for these tertiary institutions across the country is to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidies on Nigerian students.
The president also directed the authorities in all federal institutions of higher learning to avoid unjustified increases in various fees payable and, where possible, postpone further increases so that parents and students don’t face undue hardship.
Furthermore, Tinubu “approved the removal of all restrictions on the students’ loan to make it available to any student or household that may desire it”. This, according to the presidency, is “In line with his promise to ensure no Nigerian student abandons his or her educational pursuits as a result of the lack of money and economic circumstances of their parents”.
The press statement reads:
“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 student 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 the buses will also remove the burden of the additional cost 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 a lack of money or the 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 increases in various fees payable and, where possible, defer further increases 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 tons of grains to families in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the government is working to ensure that vulnerable students can also benefit from conditional cash transfers and food distribution.
“The Federal Government salutes the courage, wisdom, and partnership of Nigerian Students as our country navigates this challenging time.
“President Tinubu will continue to prioritize 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 more globally competitive”.
