The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has announced that Teesside University in the United Kingdom has implemented a more compassionate payment method.
Dabiri-Erewa stated this at a press conference ahead of the National Diaspora Day Celebrations 2024 on July 25, in Abuja.
She noted that while students were still required to pay their fees, the new arrangements aimed to make the process more manageable.
For those students who were near completion of their payments and were asked to leave, Dabiri-Erewa stated that an agreement has been reached allowing them to finish their payments and receive their certificates once all fees are settled.
“The Teesside University has come up with a more compassionate payment method. The students are going to pay their fees. It is not charity, but they have devised ways that can be a bit more convenient.
“For those who were almost done with payment and were told to leave, they agreed that they would pay their fees but would not receive their certificate until they completed their payment,” she explained.
The NiDCOM Boss also mentioned that Teesside University was not the only institution affected; many other universities have Nigerian students facing similar issues.
“We are working closely with the student organisations in the UK and the Nigerian Mission to address these challenges,” she added.
The NiDCOM boss highlighted economic instability, security concerns, and inadequate living standards as the primary drivers behind the increasing migration of Nigerians abroad.
She noted that the theme for this year’s National Diaspora Day, “Japa Phenomena and its Implications for National Development,” reflected growing concerns over the demographic most affected by this migration—Nigeria’s youth.
“Factors such as economic instability, security concerns, and inadequate standard of living are ranked high among reasons for the exodus of Nigerians abroad.
“The consequence of this phenomenon is the decline of strong human resources because most of the Nigerians relocating are the youths,” Dabiri-Erewa noted. “This, in turn, makes a downward turn on labour and productivity in the country.”
Curled From The Punch Newspaper
