In Republic of Benin, Nigerian students attend lectures in container- Presidency
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, has advised both parents and students to be wary of patronizing sub-standard universities in neighbouring countries.
In a statement issued in Abuja by her Media Aide, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the SSA gave the advice when Gbemileke Ogunronbi, President, National Association of Nigerian Students, Benin Republic Chapter, paid her a visit in Abuja.
Dabiri-Erewa raised an alarm that thousands of Nigerian students had their fate trapped in about 52 non-accredited universities in Benin Republic.
According to her, most of the private schools in the neighbouring countries, especially Benin Republic, with Nigerians as their main students, were sub-standard.
Dabiri-Erewa pointed out that most of the institutions in the neighbouring countries targeted Nigerian students, especially those that could not meet the admission standard in Nigeria.
She said: “Most of these institutions that Nigerian students attend in our neighbouring countries are sub-standard, we have better standard private universities in Nigeria than those schools.
“That is why National Universities Commission, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and the Ministry of Education had to blacklist some of these schools to save the innocent students.
“Nigerian students are being exploited in most of these countries.
“There is a particular country we went to that a university is being run in the portal cabin right inside a market.”
According to Dabiri-Erewa, Nigeria would not accept certificate from such schools for the National Youth Service Scheme because students who failed here run to those schools
She said: “Don’t waste your money, your resources, your energy going to those schools because they are substandard.
“We need to embark on awareness creation about these schools so that students would not be victims.
“Our children don’t need to go there and they are paying more and getting lesser quality.
“Let us start believing in ourselves towards revamping this country, the economy and using the money judiciously what it is supposed to be used for.
“If every government’s penny is spent judiciously we won’t be where we are today.
“We have to move forward and that is why we have to build this foundation.”
Dabiri-Erewa blamed the problem of education in the country on the bad leadership in the past, stressing that Nigeria has better quality education than most of the neighbouring countries.
