President Bola Tinubu has approved the provision of buses to students’ bodies of all universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
The provision is said to be in furtherance of the president’s desire to ease the burden of the fuel subsidy removal on students of higher institutions of learning.
In a statement issued on Monday by Mr. Dele Alake, Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, the president posited that with the buses, students could access their campuses without much difficulty as a result of higher transportation costs.
“The provision of the buses will also remove the burden of additional cost of daily commuting on parents and guardians,” the statement reads in part.
He added that in line with the president’s 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.”
He added that similarly, President Tinubu had 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 didn’t have to face too many difficulties.
The president’s aide said while it was important to reiterate that President Tinubu had directed release of over 200,000 metric tonnes of grains to families in 36 states and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the government was working to ensure that vulnerable students could also benefit from conditional cash transfers and food distribution.
He said the federal government applauded the courage, wisdom and partnership of Nigerian students “as our country navigates this challenging time.”
He assured that President Tinubu would continue to prioritise education and the needs of the students, improve welfare of teaching and non-academic staff and invest in infrastructure to make the nation’s institutions of higher learning become more globally competitive.