President Bola Tinubu has extended palliative support to the Student Union Government Presidents across all 36 states of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory.
The distribution of rice to the SUG Presidents was made via the office of the Special Adviser on Students Engagement to the President, Asefon Sunday.
Speaking while distributing the rice to the students in Abuja, on Tuesday, Asefon said the gesture was part of the President’s support for students and the community, particularly in December 2024, when the President provided palliative support to student leaders for Christmas and the New Year.
“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.
“The President gave them the rice, but unfortunately, the rice arrived in Abuja very late, around December 28th last year. So, this year, we thought it wise to ask them to come to Abuja so that we could personally hand over the rice to them. We selected two SUG Presidents from each zone to represent them and manage the distribution of the palliative.
“It has never happened in the history of this country that the President will reach out to stakeholders and student leaders, particularly SUG Presidents, in December. This is the first time it’s happening,” Asefon stated.
In 2024, Asefon promised that students would benefit more from the Presidential initiative.
“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.
One of the student representatives, Fahad Abdullahi, the Student Union Government President of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, appreciated the President’s initiative, through Asefon.
“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,” he said.
