The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed strong support for the Federal Government’s recent decision to scrap the foreign university scholarship scheme for Nigerian students. According to the union, the move is both appropriate and long overdue.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Nigerian Tribune, ASUU’s National President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, welcomed the decision, stressing that international scholarships should operate on a reciprocal basis. He argued that while Nigerian students travel abroad for academic pursuits, there should also be a flow of foreign students into Nigeria to study, describing this as the essence of balanced bilateral relations.
Professor Osodeke criticized the long-standing one-sided nature of the arrangement, where only Nigerian students benefit by going abroad, while no international students come into the country. He called such a system lopsided and unsustainable.
He further described the entire model as wasteful, emphasizing that the union has consistently urged the government—both federal and state—to channel those funds into improving Nigeria’s own universities. According to him, investing even a fraction of the money spent on foreign scholarships into local institutions could significantly raise the standard of education in the country.
Osodeke proposed that if the government commits just five years to resolving the core issues confronting public universities, including upgrading infrastructure, providing essential equipment, paying lecturers and staff competitive salaries, and creating a conducive learning environment, the results would be transformative. He noted that such a move would not only elevate Nigeria’s education system to global standards but would also benefit other sectors of the economy.
