BOSTON -- Boston, MA - The news from Nigeria over the last month has been of Boko Haram attacks and the 270 kidnapped girls. Today will be different. 100 students escape the hardships of Nigeria to begin a new life in Boston, MA at Northeastern University thanks to the US Pathway Program (USPP) between Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and Kaplan International Colleges.
The 100 students will arrive at Boston’s Logan airport on Luftansa Flight 422 at 2:35pm dressed in black pants and green & white shirts representing Nigeria accompanied by Hon. Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria on Niger Delta Affairs and the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Program.
The USPP program was created by a consortium of North American universities to provide an academically rigorous pathway for international high school graduates and to prepare for their future at US colleges or universities such as at Northeastern University
The Nigerian government will sponsor the students paying, in full, for their tuition, books, and room & board.
The USPP selected the Nigerian students from the deprived oil producing communities in Niger. Nigeria’s Niger Delta region is part of the amnesty initiative aimed at ensuring that non-militant youth in the communities that were most affected during the struggle make progress through education.
Students entered the program enrolled in intensive fall and spring terms in Nigeria and are continue with the Summer Bridge term at Northeastern University. Once the summer term is completed they will be admitted into Northeastern Universities sophomore class.
Tonya Merritt, who saw the first wave of students arrive on the campus of Alabama State University, expressed her continued support of President Goodluck’s initiative on education. Merritt will also be on site tomorrow to welcome the students from Nigeria at Logan Airport.
Hon. KuKu is traveling with the students and will meet with the Northeastern University Faculty and Administration this week. Kuku will then travel back to Nigeria to work with President Jonathan to ensure that the USPP sponsorship beneficiaries will be gainfully employed.
Speaking at the graduation on May 14, 2014, Hon. Kingsley Kuku said: "I use the opportunity of this event to join millions of other God-fearing Nigerians to tell Boko Haram and its backers to quickly release the young girls that were dastardly abducted at the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State so that they can continue their education just like the kids we are celebrating today."
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Sabrina A Taylor
