The Malaysian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gloria Tiwet, says no fewer than 13,000 Nigerians study annually in her country, signalling robust bilateral relations between the two countries.

Ms Tiwet made this known on Tuesday, at the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) Alumni Programme 2022 in Abuja.

She noted that the numbers of Nigerian students in Malaysia had started to pick up again following a disruption of academic exercise, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Before COVID-19, every year, we had a total of 13,000 Nigerian students.

“During COVID-19, there was no movement, so there was zero students because most of them would have returned to Nigeria.

“Starting this year, our borders have been opened since April, and right now, we have around 4,000 Nigerian students who returned to continue their studies and there are also very few who are just starting their universities.

“So, right now, there are around 4,000 and I look forward to the numbers to increase to the numbers before COVID-19, that is, 13,000. Every year, there were 13,000 students.”

She also noted that the numbers of students received in Malaysia were either sponsored by their parents, the government, or through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

President of MTCP Alumni, Solomon Adams, said the training had “impacted us positively,” adding that he hoped for more citizen participation in the near future.

The event, in its third edition, witnessed the provision of food items to individuals by the MTCP Alumni, with support from the government of Malaysia.

(NAN)