Nigerian students currently studying in Turkish private universities that have been shut down in the wake of the failed coup, have now been transferred to public schools where they will pay very little or no tuition, the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Hakan Çakıl, has said.
A statement issued by the Deputy Director (Press and Public Relations) in the Ministry of Education, Ben Bem Goong, said Cakil made the clarification during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu, on Friday in Abuja.
He said, “All students affected by the closure have been moved to public varsities nearest to them.”
Cakil informed the minister that “no Nigerian students would be allowed to suffer the effects of the closure; adding that “any student electing to return to Nigeria will be doing so as a matter of choice.”
In his response, Adamu expressed profound gratitude to the Turkish government “for paying special attention to the wellbeing and safety of Nigerian students.”
He assured the Envoy that the government of Nigeria would continue to work hard to deepen educational cooperation with Turkey as well as boost the overall bilateral relationship between the two countries.
A Turkish army faction backed by tanks and fighter jets had, on July 15, 2016, launched a coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish authorities had called on the Federal Government to shut down 17 Turkish schools in Nigeria over their alleged links with a movement it claimed was involved in the July 15 failed coup.
