FG Rolls Out Fresh Measures To Cushion Effects Of Subsidy Withdrawal, Approves Buses For Student Bodies

By Ayodele Oni

Still working on measures to cushion effects of subsidy withdrawal on petrol, President Bola Tinubu has again rolled out some measures to make it convenient for students to continue with their education.

A State House statement on Monday by presidential spokesman, Dele Alake revealed the measures to include provision of buses to students bodies in universities, Polytechnics and colleges of education.

The buses will be used to convey students to and from homes to classes thereby reducing burden of transportation for parents and students.

The statement: “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 provision of buses to the students’ 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 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 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.

“Similarly, 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.

“While it is important to reiterate that President Tinubu has directed release of over 200,000 Metric Tonnes of grains to families in 36 states and 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 welfare of teaching and non-academic staff and invest in infrastructure to make our institutions of higher learning become more globally competitive.”