Student union leaders at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, outrightly rejected rice palliatives distributed by President Bola Tinubu to student union presidents across Nigeria......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
Their rejections were contained in separate statements issued by the union leaders.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that each SUG president from universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education was allocated two 25kg bags of rice for distribution.
According to Asefon Sunday, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Students Engagement, two student leaders from each zone were invited to Abuja to collect the palliatives on behalf of their respective SUG presidents
They condemned the initiative, arguing that the provision of rice fails to address the underlying challenges plaguing Nigerian students.
Damilola Isaac, President of the OAU Students’ Union Government (SUG), declared that he had not received the rice palliatives and would refuse them even if they were delivered.
“My administration is committed to advocating for improved educational standards and student welfare, not accepting handouts that do little to address the systemic issues within the education sector,” Isaac stated.
ABU student leader echoes rejection
Similarly, Ibrahim Nazeer, President of the Students’ Representative Council at ABU, voiced his refusal to accept the palliatives unless there was adequate provision for all students.
“It is not enough to distribute rice to union leaders while many students still struggle with hunger, inadequate infrastructure, and skyrocketing tuition fees,” Nazeer said.
Atiku’s aide reacts
Olarewaju Daramola, an aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, while speaking exclusively with Legit.ng on Thursday, January 23, praised OAU’s stance, describing it as a beacon of resistance to misgovernance.
“Great Ife has once again shown that it remains a stronghold of robust student activism in Nigeria.
“Sharing rice to students’ unions is not just an insult to intellectuals but also a reflection of Tinubu’s politics of inducement and compromise,” he said.
Both student leaders and observers have called on the federal government to focus on long-term solutions that address the root causes of challenges in Nigeria’s education system, rather than relying on symbolic gestures like rice distribution.
Tinubu’s govt approves N4bn cash transfer for Nigerian households
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Bola Tinubu administration has approved a N4 billion allocation as conditional cash transfers to support vulnerable Nigerian households.
Speaking at the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) at the United Nations (UN) House in Abuja on Thursday, January 23, Nentawe Yilwatda, minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management, outlined the initiative aimed at addressing the nation’s growing humanitarian challenges.
The cash transfers are scheduled to begin in February and run through April 2025, targeting families affected by displacement, particularly in the northeast geopolitical zone.