Admin l Tuesday, July 7, 2020
LAGOS, Nigeria – A Political Analyst and Social Commentator, Jumu’ah Abiodun has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and governors of the 36 states to give Nigerian students in tertiary institutions financial stimulus or forgo the session school fees.
Jumu’ah in his open letter addressed to President Buhari copied the Nigeria Governors’ Forum through their Chairman, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the Nigerian Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila respectively said it’s important for them to provide this stimulus in order to save many of the students from dropping out of schools due to financial crisis ravaging the country.
Others copied in his letter are National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemaka Uwajuiba, the Conference of Speakers of the State Legislatures of Nigeria, National Association of Nigeria Students, National Association of Polytechnics Students and National Board for Technical Education.
The activist explained that lots of parents are facing economic hardship despite gradual phases of reopening of the economy from the global lockdown.
Jumu’ah explained further to the federal and state governments that property owners are not to be blamed because most of them built their properties with loans.
He then enjoined the government to increase the testing capacity as the majority of confirmed cases and the deaths toll reported are for influential people in the country.
The Social Commentator in his letter also sent special greetings to medical teams, caregivers, journalists and men of Nigeria Police Force specifically Lagos State Command led by CP Hakeem Odumosu and Commander of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad, ACP Tunji Disu who according to him have done a great job during the global lockdown.
The full letter read:
OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI: AN APPEAL FOR STIMULUS FOR TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS STUDENTS OR FORGO CURRENT SESSION SCHOOL FEES
As-salamu Alaykum Your Excellency Sir, let me start by introducing myself, my name is Jumu’ah Abiodun, a Political Analyst, Social Commentator, Journalist and a Concerned Citizen of this great country.
Your Excellency Sir, I will like to commend you, your deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Chairman of your COVID-19 Taskforce Team, Boss Mustapha, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and their wonderful teams for your great effort in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria. Believe me Your Excellency Sir, we are in this together.
Don’t let me forget my special greetings to those medical teams, caregivers, journalists and men of Nigeria Police Force specifically Lagos State Command led by CP Hakeem Odumosu and Commander of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad they have been wonderful during the lockdown. “You are all doing a great job”
Your Excellency Sir, as a Social Commentator, I’m very much more on ground, very much closer to my fellow citizens than you Sir. There’s need for you and your team to increase the testing capability, the total number of confirmed cases and deaths toll reported on a daily basis are far beyond what is out there. Majority of tests done so far are from the influential people and their families, though, some people with a strong immune system would get healed without not being under any ventilator or visiting any health care facilities, while so many people are dying of the deadly virus every hour.
Your Excellency Sir, without not wasting so much of your precious time reading my letter, let me go straight to the points.
We all know that the number 4 agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), set in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and intended to be achieved by the year 2030 is for every child to have access to Quality Education.
The main aim of my Open Letter is to appeal to you to provide financial stimulus or forgo current session fees for all federal tertiary institutions students in Nigeria.
Your Excellency Sir, looking at the current economic situation of this country ravaging on us by the COVID-19 pandemic, you will agree with me that so many students will drop out of school due to not being able to pay their fees.
Mr President Sir, it has come to my attention that some property owners are already sending messages to students for renewal of their various hostels or accommodations. By and large, Your Excellency Sir, we can’t blame some of these properties owners as most of them are on mortgage payments scheme, some survive, feed and finance their own wards school fees through their investments.
Your Excellency Sir, by doing this, I use this opportunity to appeal to you to meet Nigeria Governors’ so as for them to initiate the same in their respective states with their various state universities, polytechnics and other higher institutions of learning.
May the peace and blessing of Allah be with you and your family Mr President Sir.
Ma Salaam
Yours faithfully
Jumu’ah Abiodun
