Atiku's American University of Nigeria woos Nigerian students returning from Ukraine

FORMER vice president Atiku Abubakar's American University of Nigeria (AUN) has stepped up the recruitment of some of the recent Ukrainian returnees inviting them to consider enrolling at the institution rather than return abroad.

Over the last week, Nigerian students studying un the Ukraine have been airlifted to Abuja as hostilities with neighbouring Russia has made it unsafe for them. There are about 5,600 Nigerian students studying in the Ukraine, of which about 1,000 of them have been evacuated so far, via Poland and Romania.

Founded in 2005 by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, AUN prides itself on being Africa’s first development university and the first American-style university in Sub-Saharan Africa. University officials have appealed to the Ukrainian returnees to consider enrolling at the institution,  as AUN could meet their desires.

Daniel Okereke, AUN's executive director of communications, said: “Having fled the war in Europe to safely rejoin your families and loved ones under these traumatic circumstances must certainly have been a frightening time for you all. Like all of Nigeria, we rejoice that you have been able to return safe and sound.

“Your education has been violently and unexpectedly interrupted by international events beyond your control. Wondering what you should do next, we have one option for you to consider.

“If you desire to continue your education and research while you are back home here in Nigeria, you will find that AUN, a safe, diverse, cosmopolitan and well-resourced university, with an excellent digital library, organised on the US model of higher education, may meet your immediate needs. Here we have students from every state in Nigeria and from other African countries as well as the US, UK and Canada.

"They come to us for our excellent high-tech infrastructure, our high standards and our sense of community. We invite you to take a virtual tour on our YouTube channel and to see if our programmes will fit your educational and career needs."

With Nigeria's government having approved a sum of $8.5m to fund the evacuation,  all the remaining Nigerian students in the Ukraine are expected to be airlifted out. According to the United Nations, over 1m people have fled Ukraine since the outbreak of hostilities and it has warned that at this rate, the exodus could become the biggest refugee crisis this century.