The United States government is seeking to have more Nigerian students study in American tertiary institutions.

This was made known during the formal opening of the EducationUSA Centre at the American Space, on Friday in Calabar.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Centre, Aruna Amirthanayagam, Country Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy, Abuja, disclosed that EducationUSA was an arm of the U.S. Government promoting education in the USA.

According to Mr Amirthanayagam, there are about 4,500 educational institutions in the USA, making it one of the greatest educational destinations in the world.

He said “We really want more Nigerians to come and take part in our educational system; through our EducationUSA Centre in Calabar, we hope to have more students from Cross River going to the U.S. to further their education.”

Stephen Ibelli, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate General Lagos, said the centre helps to facilitate the movement of Nigerian students to tertiary institutions in the USA.

Mr Ibelli said through arrangement, no fewer than 14,000 Nigerians had gained admission into schools in the U.S.

“At present, we have over 14,000 Nigerian students studying in the U.S and we hope to grow that number and further strengthen the ties between both countries.

“This is where the EducationUSA Resource Centre comes in, so we urge the residents of Cross River to visit the centre and learn about the educational opportunities in the U.S. free of charge.

“We are also opening centres in Benin, Akwa, Enugu to provide this information, so that students don’t have to travel all the way to Lagos Abuja or other big cities,” he said.

In his remark, Godwin Amanke, Cross River Commissioner for Education, said the state was proud to identify with EducationUSA.

Mr Amanke said the state would take advantage of the centre to ensure that its students get first-hand information on scholarships and empowerment programmes.

“The information given here is the information that people pay for but through the EducationUSA Resource Centre, it is free.

“However, as much as it is okay for Nigerian students to travel to the U.S. to study, all I ask for is for them to come back and develop our country when they are done,” he said.