The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi, says Nigerians have become the second-highest recipients of EU’s Erasmus+ scholarship.

Isopi, who said Nigeria is second to Pakistan, disclosed that beneficiaries from Nigeria have significantly increased.

She noted that the number of Nigerian students awarded postgraduate scholarships under the Erasmus+ programme have quadrupled since 2019.

Isopi said this in Abuja on Wednesday at a Study In Europe Fair and Pre-Departure Orientation organised for the over 200 beneficiaries of the Erasmus+ scholarship to study in European universities.

She stated that Nigeria moved from 6th position to 2nd next to Pakistan in the ranking of countries benefiting from the programme.

She said the 2022 awardees of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Scholarship were selected by a consortium of top European universities.

The diplomat stressed that the scholarship recipients would have the opportunity to visit up to six countries across Europe during their period of stay.

She said: “This is a postgraduate master’s degree program that will run for 12 or 24 months. Nigerian awardees will go to 75 different universities in 20 different countries across Europe, including 18 European Union member states. During that period, they will have the opportunity to visit up to six countries across Europe.

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“In three years since 2019, Nigeria has been able to quadruple the number of students participating in the program. Moving from the sixth to the second position right behind Pakistan. Nigerian awardees were just 44 in 2019 then the number increased to 93 in 2020 to 133 last year to reach the record number of over 200 this year.

“This makes us very proud and you have to be very proud. We know that it’s not enough because the potential of Nigeria is really very, high and that’s why we want to work together with you and with the Federal Government for these numbers to keep growing in the next few years.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, admonished the awardees to explore all opportunities that would enable them succeed in their various careers.

Adamu, who was represented by the Director Federal Scholarship Board, Asta Ndajiwo, charged them to be law-abiding, and avoid unnecessary behaviour in their various institutions so as to excel in their fields of study.

On his part, the Deputy Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki, commended the European Union for its tremendous support and contributions in generating, disseminating, and expanding the frontiers of knowledge to develop Nigerian manpower.

Maiyaki disclosed that the NUC and critical stakeholders recently embarked on some legacy projects including guidelines on transnational education to allow foreign investors and universities into the Nigerian university space through the establishment of four campuses in Nigeria.

Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Osiro Abubakar, who was awarded the Erasmus Mundus Masters of Science in Imaging and Lighting in Extended Reality (IMLEX) in a Hungarian university, said they hope to implement knowledge and experiences gained through the programme to further improve Nigeria’s technological sector when he returns to Nigeria.

“My countries of mobility would be Finland in the first semester, second semester would be in France, and my third semester will be in Japan.

“I applied for the Erasmus Mundus master’s degree programs because it’s one of the most prestigious scholarships I know that covers virtually every aspect of our expenses and allow us to study in different highly reputable universities,” Abubakar said.

The Star