Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Education said that there is nothing wrong with Nigerians seeking university education in other African countries or abroad.
He made the remark while appearing on Channels Television’s program which was monitored by BizWatch Nigeria.
According to reports, approximately 75,000 Nigerians are studying in Ghana, Benin Republic, and Egypt, but the minister, who spoke on Wednesday, stated that this is not a new development.
“It is not a bad reputation in the sense that people going out to study is not a bad thing,” he said during the show. “The only thing you have to say is that our universities should try to attract students so that instead of money going out, money will come in.”
He denied that parents send their children to study in other African universities due to the insecurity of Nigeria’s educational system, claiming that the internationalization of schools means students can study anywhere.
“So, going out to study can never be a problem to anybody,” he argued.
The minister, who also addressed the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, stated that the Federal Government has made an offer to the university teachers.
“The agreement we reached or the position that I offered of government that I offered to is something government can pay if they say they will agree,” the education minister further noted.
The government, he claims, has proposed a one-time package for the striking lecturers, explaining that it will not be paid in installments.
The minister stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is saddened by the 200-day strike and has promised to resolve the dispute.
“Fellow Nigerians, I sit here promising you I will do the best I can to see that the ASUU strike is called off, and even without making this pledge to you, my intention is to immediately after this interview, I am going to meet the president of ASUU and it is not going to be a social visit. It is just in continuation of what we have been doing before,” he said.
“I am telling you, I do not have the words to tell the nation the weight I feel of this strike on my shoulders and I will do the best I can to end it.”
