An approval has been granted by President Bola Tinubu for the allocation of buses to student bodies in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide.
This directive was stated in a press release by Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to the President.
It was reliably gathered that the aim of this is to alleviate the impact of fuel subsidy removal on higher institution students.
The press release indicated that the President’s goal is to ensure that students can conveniently access their campuses despite increased transportation costs.
This initiative aims to ease the burden on students and facilitate their transportation needs.
Removing the burden of additional transportation costs
Mr Alake emphasised that in addition to easing the transportation burden on students, the provision of buses will relieve parents and guardians of the additional cost of daily commuting.
He assured Nigerians that the President remains committed to ensuring that no Nigerian student abandons their educational pursuits due to financial constraints.
He said, “…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.”
Removing restrictions on student loans
To fulfil this promise, he authorised the removal of all restrictions on student loans, making them accessible to any student or household in need of financial assistance.
This move aims to support students and their families in overcoming economic challenges and pursuing their educational goals.
He said, “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.”
Likewise, he stated that President Tinubu has instructed the officials in all Federal Higher Education Institutions to refrain from imposing unwarranted fees.
Fund transfer, food distribution
According to Mr Alake, President Tinubu ordered the release of more than 200,000 Metric Tonnes of grains to families across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He said this to assure Nigerians that the government is actively working to ensure that vulnerable students also benefit from conditional cash transfers and food distribution initiatives.
He reiterated that the Federal Government is concerned with the welfare of Nigerian students during these challenging times by prioritising education.
He concluded that the government aims to address the needs of both teaching and non-academic staff and invest in infrastructure to enhance the global competitiveness of higher learning institutions.
