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Amid the wage of immigration restrictions across Europe and America, the Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Andrey Podelyshev yesterday unveiled his country’s plan to increase the number of African and Nigerian students studying in Russian universities as part of a broader educational and diplomatic engagement strategy.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Podelyshev disclosed that Russian President, Vladimir Putin, aims to raise the number of international students in Russia to “500,000 in the long term.”
Prior to the war with Ukraine, which broke out in February 2022 that displaced many international students including thousands of Nigerians, Russia had been the less fancied destination for many students.
Currently, that figure is less than half the target, with around “32,000 African students enrolled in Russian universities,” and only “about 2,000 from Nigeria.”
“In line with the president’s objective, the quota will grow every year,” Podelyshev said, adding that the Russian government had provided “220 scholarships to Nigerian students for the 2025 academic year.”
These scholarships were approved in 2024, with preparations currently underway for students to begin studies in September 2025.
Due to recent changes in Nigerian government policy, which halted funding for transportation and accommodation under scholarship programmes, Russia has introduced a separate grant system.
This initiative aims to cover not just tuition but also living expenses and travel costs for selected international students.
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