TheCable

The house of representatives has asked the federal government to direct all tertiary institutions to absorb Nigerian students fleeing the war in Sudan.

The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution during plenary on Tuesday after the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Sada Soli, a lawmaker from Katsina.

While moving the motion, Soli said there was no end in sight to the war in Sudan, leaving Nigerian students returning from the country in confusion about the way forward regarding their various educational programmes.

He said there was a need for a “swift intervention” by the federal government to ensure that the students were absorbed into tertiary institutions to continue with their education.

The lawmaker said some tertiary institutions had shown the willingness to take the affected students but that the approval of the federal government was required.

“In the face of the Ukraine/Russia war, there was a similar intervention whereby Nigerian students who fled from those countries were absorbed into tertiary institutions in Nigeria to continue their various educational programmes through the window — higher institutions transfer programme,” he said.

He explained that the federal government needed to “consider the quota systems imposed on certain courses such as law and medicine and waive them for the students concerned to enable them to continue their programmes pending the resolution of the Sudan crisis”.

The motion was passed when it was put to a voice vote by Femi Gbajabiamila, the presiding officer.

Following that, the lawmakers mandated the committee on tertiary education and services to ensure compliance and report back within one week for further legislative action.