*As NANS shelves protest, urges FG to address challenges
WorldStage Newsonline– The Federal Government of Nigeria has said that it has no plan to slash scholarship students’ allowances as recently projected in the media.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, stated this during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Abuja on Friday.
There was a report that the ministry, through the Federal Scholarship Board, announced a slash in allowances of foreign scholars stranded in Russia, Morocco, and Algeria among others.
The slash in scholars’ allowances under the federal government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement Scholarship (BEA) was attributed to the economic crises.
Mamman said that there was no slash in scholars` allowances but rather an adjustment due to Foreign Exchange fluctuations (FOREX).
“We want to clarify what has been in the media on allowances paid to scholars under the Bilateral Scholarship Agreement.
“We want to place it on record that the ministry and the Federal Government for that matter have not slashed the allowances due to students.
“What happened is some adjustments in the amount due to them because of FOREX fluctuations, and as soon as we get the balance we have applied for, we will pay them.
“But for now, what is in the budget is what we can pay. So, there is no slash, we will even be happy to increase, so this is what has led to the adjustments,” he said.
SHELVES PROTEST
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has pledged not to get involved in the planned protest scheduled for Aug. 1, over hardship in the country.
The National President of NANS, Lucky Emonefe, disclosed this in a meeting with the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, in Abuja on Friday.
The meeting was led by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Sunday Asefon.
Emonefe acknowledged the significant hardship being experienced by citizens across the country due to the implementation of recent reforms and policies by the government.
He said the measures, though aimed at steering the nation towards sustainable development, had undoubtedly brought about economic challenges that had impacted every Nigerian household.
Emonefe urged President Bola Tinubu to put mechanism in place to alleviate the hunger among Nigerians as a result of hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023.
“We want to say that there is hunger in the land and Nigerian students are most affected. We are aware that palliatives were given to governors.
“We are saying that as the government is distributing palliatives, they should remember the student constituencies.
“Though we have challenges but we want to say that we have resolved to be law abiding and not to join any chaos in the society,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman acknowledged the rising cost of living in the country.
Mamman said that the government had been rolling out palliatives and measures to cushion the hardship on Nigerians.
According to him, the Federal Government has launched an expanded transformative scholarship programme, aimed at supporting the education of 45,000 students across the country.
Mamman said the initiative highlighted the federal government’s commitment to broaden educational access and advancing the academic and professional growth of Nigerian youth.
Additionally, Mamman outlined the key initiatives of President Bola Tinubu, including improvements in campus infrastructure, and welfare packages for unemployed graduates.
Others, he said were consideration of discounted electricity bills for Universities, and curriculum updates covering all sectors of education under the DOTS Project.
“The DOTS framework aims to enhance educational data management, support and development for teachers, skills infusion, and training from primary through tertiary education.
“The government is also focusing on integrating out-of-school children back into the education system and supporting job-seeking graduates.
“Furthermore, the federal government has established Safe School Centres to ensure the safety of students,” he said.
He urged all state governors to ensure that schools were connected to the safe school centres for students’ protection.
