President Bola Tinubu has extended palliative support to the Student Union Government (SUG) Presidents from all 36 states of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory, through the distribution of rice.
The rice was handed out by the office of the Special Adviser on Students Engagement to the President, Asefon Sunday, who spoke during the distribution event in Abuja on Tuesday.
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Asefon emphasized that the initiative was part of President Tinubu’s ongoing efforts to support students and the broader community. He highlighted that a similar gesture was made in December 2024 when student leaders received palliative support for the Christmas and New Year festivities.
“Today, the SUG Presidents across the Federation, by God’s grace, will also receive their rice from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a man who understands the importance of students as leaders not only of tomorrow but also of today,” Asefon said.
He further explained that the rice had arrived late in Abuja last year, around December 28th, but this year, the students were invited to Abuja to personally receive the support.
“We selected two SUG Presidents from each zone to represent them and manage the distribution of the palliative,” Asefon added. He also noted that this is the first time in Nigeria’s history that a President has directly engaged with student leaders during December.
Looking ahead, Asefon assured students that more initiatives would be rolled out in 2024. “This will be a time for Nigerian youth and students to reflect and express their thoughts while engaging with the government. The students and youth of this country are now feeling the presence of the government and experiencing its impact,” he said.
Fahad Abdullahi, the Student Union Government President of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, expressed gratitude on behalf of the student leaders.
“We were informed that all SUG Presidents across the 36 states of the nation should come and receive rice, a gesture from the President. We are sincerely appreciative and commend him for these initiatives, starting with the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and now the Rice Initiative. We are looking forward to more,” Abdullahi said.
