Hungary has offered foreign students whose studies were interrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the opportunity to continue their studies at Hungarian universities, authorities said.
“Hungary offers runaway foreign students #UkraineRussianWar (India, Nigeria, other African countries) to continue their studies at Hungarian universities”, tweeted Dr. Attila Demkohead of the Hungarian Center for Geopolitics.
“All refugees from third countries (mostly Africans) were accepted without problems and repatriated if they wanted to,” Demko added in a Sunday tweet.
Some Nigerians evacuated from Ukraine said they were relieved to return home, although they expect to return to the eastern European nation that is currently fighting back against Russian forces.
“I am glad that I am safe, but I am sad that my education was interrupted,” said Oru Dominic Gabriel, 27, one of many Nigerians evacuated from Romania on Friday, where they fled to escape. war in Ukraine.
More than 400 Nigerian citizens fleeing the war in Ukraine were flown home on charter flights provided by the Nigerian government over the weekend, according to the government agency, the Commission of Nigerians in the Diaspora (NIDCOM).
The first batch of repatriates I arrived in the capital Abuja early Friday morning from Romania, according to NIDCOM. That second batch evacuees arrived from Poland at the end of Friday, while third party landed in Abuja around midnight Friday from Hungary, according to a series of NIDCOM tweets.
Upon their arrival in Abuja, foreign ministry officials presented the returnees with a $100 stipend, Gabriel told CNN on Monday. He studied at the last year of the medical faculty of the Ternopil National Medical University of Ukraine.
He told CNN of his intention to return to the war-torn country.
“I would go back [to Ukraine] to complete my education. I was only two months away from graduation. Ukraine is my home,” said Gabriel.
Adetomiva Adenyi, another repatriate and final year medical student at Ternopil University, told CNN that returning to Ukraine was the hope of many repatriates.
“For most of us, Ukraine is our home,” Adeni, 24, told CNN.
However, he is considering studying elsewhere given the uncertainty of the war in Ukraine.
“I am still considering transfer options both at home and abroad. I only had four months left to finish my studies and find a place with the same tuition fee. [as Ukraine] almost impossible. Even private universities are here [in Nigeria] are more expensive,” Adenyi said. “War always drags on, not to mention the aftermath period for recovery… So it’s a whole basket of uncertainties, but at least we’re alive.”
Hundreds of foreign students, many of whom are Nigerians, remain locked in their dormitories in Sumy, in northeastern Ukraine, surrounded by Russian troops, amid explosions and shootings.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Jeffrey Onyama told CNN on Thursday that his office was aware of the plight of the stranded students and that steps were being taken to evacuate them.