Rep says Nigerian universities must give the returnees the opportunity to continue their education in Nigeria
Nigerian tertiary institutions have been urged to absorb students who returned from war-ravaged Sudan to continue their academic activities.
The House of Representatives reached this resolution on Tuesday following a motion of urgent public importance moved by Sada Soli (APC, Katsina) during plenary.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how fighting started on 15 April between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group, RSF. Over 500 people have been killed in the violence and many counties including the US and Saudi Arabia have evacuated their citizens.
The Nigerian government also evacuated thousands of Nigerian students studying in the country.
Moving his motion, Mr Sada said the war has caused disruption of the academic activities of many of the students, who now face uncertainty as to when they would be able to return to the troubled North African country.
He stated that Nigerian universities must give the returnees the opportunity to continue their education in Nigeria.
"There is a need for swift intervention by the Federal Government through absorbing the students into tertiary institutions in the country in order to enable them to continue with their various educational programmes.
"Some tertiary institutions have shown willingness to absorb the affected students, however, the approval of the Federal Government would be required," he said.
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Mr Soli added relevant authorities should expand the quota system of schools to admit medical and law students.
He said a similar exemption was granted to students that returned from Ukraine.
"Federal Government should consider the quota systems imposed on certain courses such as law and medicine and waive them for the students concerned in order to enable them to continue with their programs pending the resolution of the Sudan crisis.
"In the face of the Ukraine/Russia war, there was a similar intervention whereby Nigerian students who fled from those countries were absorbed into tertiary institutions in Nigeria to continue their various educational programmes.," he said.
The motion was taken without debate, and the Committee on Tertiary Education and Services was mandated to ensure compliance and report back within one (1) week for further legislative action.
