by Nurat Uthman
No fewer than 93 Zamfara students who are on scholarships at Cyprus International University are currently stranded over unpaid tuition, accommodation, feeding allowances, and improper documentation.
The alarm was raised at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday by the Zamfara State Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Wadatau Madawaki.
While assuring that Governor Dauda Lawal is taking every possible step to repay all the outstanding debts, Madawaki blamed the previous government of Bello Matawalle, who is now the current Minister of State for Defence, for their plight.
His concerns come two days after the Zamfara Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Nurudeen Salisu, voiced a similar concern over the disheartening situation the students in Cyprus are facing.
Salisu lamented that the young scholars embarked on an academic journey to acquire knowledge vital to the future of the state but regrettably found themselves caught in a quagmire of humiliation and academic disruption.
But Madawaki, who weighed into the issue on Tuesday, said the school authorities presented a debt of outstanding fees, including tuition being owed by the government, even when they were aware the students had been dropped from attending lectures for almost a year.
He said, “The main reason for the convocation of this conference is to put the records straight and disabuse the minds of the general public, especially the parents of those students sent to study at the Cyprus International University by the previous administration in 2020.
“These students were simply left at the ‘mercy’ of the university authorities by unpatriotic elements who cashed in on the poor arrangement to make fast money. Five of the 93 students left the university, remaining 88.
“But at the inception of the present administration, the attention of Governor Dauda Lawal was drawn to their difficult situation and he quickly directed the Secretary to the State Government to engage the university and find out the burden of debt.”
According to him, the Matawalle administration reneged on its promise to make full payment to the university authorities, thereby exposing the students to hardship and other uncomfortable conditions.
There was also no documentary evidence showing any form of Memorandum of Understanding between the varsity and the previous administration, an action he claimed left the students at the mercy of the school authorities in Cyprus.
Madawaki lamented that available records also showed that a “consultant” was hired to negotiate between the previous administration and the university in terms of processed admissions and travel documents for the students.
“But on 13th November 2023, the sum of N84.7m, equivalent to 70,000 Euros as of then, was sent to the university authority as part payment for the tuition fees pending reconciliation of accounts between the two parties. Again, on 16th November, another N30.9m, equivalent to 21,573 British Pounds Sterling, was handed over to the student leader, Isah Muhammed, for their three to six months of accommodation.
“With the current state of things, the present administration of Governor Dauda Lawal should be commended for sorting out the embarrassment caused by the administration of Governor Matawalle, including the non-payment of scholarships for sponsored students to India.
“Finally, it should be noted that the process has reached the advanced stage for the payment of one year of accommodation fees, six months’ feeding allowance, and renewal of the student’s expired passports and resident permits.”he said.
