Amidst 6 months ASUU strike: over 5m Nigerian students abroad, spend over $28bn

By allcitynews.ng

It may no longer be news that university lecturers have been forced to stay away from work for six months, since Valentine Day, February 14, 2022 hitherto.

However, it might be news to some concerned people that the move for industrialisation could be a mirage unless the demands of the striking lecturers are met on time.

No doubt that education has been known as the bedrock to fast track the development of any society, but the current leadership of the country who are feigning ignorance of the danger of their inaction, because they have their children abroad studying are not bothered on the children of the generality of the country.

Amidst the systematic grounding of Nigerian universities, thousands of students from Nigeria are having uninterrupted studies outside the shores of the country.

The findings by allcitynews.ng showed that 12,860 students enrolled in the 2020/2021 academic year, in United States alone.

Over 5 million Nigerians in oversea universities are spending nothing less than $28 billion at the detriment of university students here in the country, according to Central Bank of Nigeria.

A report by PREMIUM TIMES said the population of students in UK rose by 64% in one year while Nigerians were the highest.

The figure, which amounts to an almost 64 per cent increase within a year, is confirmed by data from the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency.

The UK has also witnessed a 13.08 per cent increase in the international student enrolment at the postgraduate level between 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Central Bank of Nigeria once said that
Nigerians spend over $28 billion on foreign education in 10 years,

Worrisome, despite the near-zero growth of the nation’s economy in the past seven years since President Muhammadu Buhari took power, coupled with his lip-service attention towards addressing the demands of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), thousands of students whose parents could not afford such are being forced to stay at home.

In spite of scarcity of foreign exchange,
Central Bank of Nigeria few months ago said Nigerians spend $221m on foreign education in three months, between December 2021 and February 2022.

In December 2021, the apex bank stated that it spent $90.67m on foreign education.