…since at least 1998 Turkey has established its presence in Nigeria as one of the biggest outside forces for development in our education and health sectors. Today its 16 non-denominational Nigeria-Turkish international primary and secondary schools spread across Nigeria in Abuja, Kaduna, Lagos, Kano, Ogun and Yobe states – and with plans for more – are among the very best in the country.
To some, the name Kimse Yok Mu might not ring a bell in Nigeria, but to those that follow this secular charity organisation, especially its scholarship programme in Nigeria that has made it possible for many underprivileged persons to go to school, the NGO may simply be the best thing to happen in Nigeria’s education sector.
Everywhere in Turkey, people are talking about the clampdown on the Turkish media. The situation is quite dire. At Samanyolu, a TV station, has 14 broadcast channels in Turkey, English, Arabic and Kurdish and dozens of radio stations and popular news portals. Foreign news chief, Adnan Tokkapi, said its general manager, Hidayet Karaca, has been held in prison without conviction since December 2014.
AS a Nigerian who has experienced Turks and their culture both at home and in Turkey for over a decade of my life, I have come to see and feel Turkey as my second country. My first interaction with the Turkish society was through education in Abuja at one of their many schools nationwide before I went on to spend five years in Istanbul.
Nigerian Turkish Nile University, in its vision, hopes to grow into a vanguard university that gains the respect of the world through academic excellence by providing the highest quality university education for students from around the globe. Located in the heart of Abuja, the nation’s capital, the NTNU boasts of a clean academic environment and a friendly atmosphere.
Cemal Yigit is a member of Hizmet Movement, founder of the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges (NTIC). In this interview, he reacts to the recent declaration by the Turkish President that he would push for the close down all Turkish schools outside Turkey.