Forex Crisis: Nigerian Students Abroad Transferring to AUN, Says Varsity

Paul Obi in Abuja

Following the crisis and challenges bedeviling the foreign exchange market, the scarcity of dollars and the difficulties in sourcing other foreign currencies, the American University of Nigeria (AUN) has said many Nigerian students studying abroad are transferring to the AUN as precautionary measures to complete their education.

The AUN stated that due to the difficulties in sourcing for forex, some Nigerians in the Diaspora had decided to send their children to the school to finish their education at home.
The Assistant Vice President, Digital Services and Chief Information Officer of AUN, Mr. Julius Ayutabe, confirmed this to journalists at the 16th graduation ceremony of Global International College in Abuja.

Ayutabe, who did not mention the figures of foreign Nigerian students who had transferred to study in the university, maintained that the school had received students from the United States and United Kingdom.

According to him, “Nigerians in the Diaspora are sending their children back home because they now realise the potential back home to train their children at par with those abroad. Especially with the value of the naira today, parents don’t have the option than to bring their children back home.”

Ayutabe further stated that the university is “doing that already. We have received students from America and England. It makes economic sense, and more importantly to the parents, I can speak as a parent, I have children in the US and I have children who studied at the American University. They are at par in terms of the quality of instruction, faculties and infrastructures.

“The one that comes quick to my mind is the Nigerian parent from Minnesota, whose son even got admission to some of the best universities in America but he and his wife decided that they should bring the child to AUN, presently, he has done two semesters in AUN and he is very happy as well as the parents.

“I don’t have the statistics in terms of the total number, but it is high, A student who came from the UK and another from the US complained that she was in the US for two years and she was almost feeling depressed because she had no friends and the world was just closing in on her.

“She called her parents and said she wanted to come back home. The parents mulled where will we take she? So they brought her to the American University of Nigeria. The child is very excited; she is doing well in school.

“When the parents realize that the quality back home is worth making their children to be globally competitive, and for financial reasons, it makes logical sense for them to bring their children,” Ayutabe said.