Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buhari’s media aide, says Nigerian universities are good, “even better” than foreign tertiary institutions, urging parents to focus on training their children in the country.

“You can see that a lot of foreign institutions are extending invitation to the students at discounted rate to study overseas,” Mr Shehu claimed. “I will say that Nigerian universities are equally as good and even better, and we are hoping that we will be able to stabilise university education in the country so that parents don’t have to pay exorbitantly to educate their children abroad. University education in Nigeria should be the best for our children.”

Mr Shehu stated this on the sideline of the 11th graduation ceremony of Glisten International Academy in Abuja on Saturday.

The presidential aide, whose son is graduating from the school, said, “For the graduating students, I want to say that they have a major decision to make, which is going to the next level in their education pursuit.”

The presidential media aide reacting to the recent extension of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities by one month, called on parents to join Mr Buhari’s regime in begging ASUU to return to the classroom.

” It came like a bolt in the sky. We are shocked because it came at a time the president is giving full commitment to resolving the ASUU strike and having the students and teachers back in the school. The extension, I believe, should not have been done because the spirit at which the government now is trying to resolve the problems of ASUU is such that there should also be a benefit of doubt in favour of the government on the part of ASUU,” he said.

He expressed hope for an early resolution.

“The strike is unnecessarily extended, and this should not have been the case. I want to advise parents to join (the) government in begging ASUU to end this strike as the government is doing its part and parents are worried, and they should start talking to ASUU,” said Mr Shehu.

(NAN)