By Ibrahim Adam
Last two weeks Senator Shehu Sani wrote on his Twitter account that the Senates were on move to address the plight of abandoned Nigerian students in foreign countries. After reading the tweet I was deeply elated that at least somebody has noticed what went unnoticed for about two years.
It's common in Nigeria for a government in state or federal level to select certain students based on merit and sponsored them abroad for further studies especially in the medical fields with the notion of having their service in the society while they are back. Unfortunately, after the ceremonial launch, when the students left the country and dive into foreign lands, not all governments cares to ask about their wellbeing.
Few months ago, I came across an issue on social media regarding some students from Kano who were under scholarship program sent by the previous administration of Sen Kwankwaso to study in Egypt. but to my surprise, the current administration of Ganduje decided to return some of them back on the basis of poor performance, a case not thoroughly investigated. The story deeply attracted my curiosity to find the root of the problem. I reached out to many of them at different universities in Egypt, Sudan, Cyprus and India to see for myself what's really going on, who are these students and what's their story.
The first thing I learned after my brief discussion with some of the students representatives was that, they're really lost and alone in a foreign country and no one is aiming to rescue them from their hardships if not the attempt made Sen Kwankwaso some months back. While talking over the phone, one of the students lamented "We have not been receiving upkeep allowances for over ten months, our accommodation fee ended since last year which leave us jammed in apartment, the school didn't give us ID because our school fees hasn't been paid and that leave us with no means of identification. Most of our parents can't afford to pay our dues. We have been trying to reach out to the proper authorities but to no avail. Last time we were told that it's a directive order from the governor not to give us a penny."
I can't withstand listening to the innocent voice of a poor students taking away from their parents and letting them to suffer. I keep on asking myself, What's wrong with this government? Is the government not voted on the ground promise of continuity? Can Ganduje let his son undergoes such difficulty? This is cruelty.
I was so pissed that after everything the government has been saying about these students specifically those from Mansoura university, it becomes obvious to me that the negligence is from the government. It was the same government that asked them to stop going to school for 6 months, with a notion that they were going to be transfer to another university in which the transfer process directly affect the performance of the students for being absent from class and now the government put the burden on them. In addition to this torture, just last week the Kano state government sent a letter to their parents that from now on they'll have to continue taking care of their children, because government is tired of doing that. Why? Because of politics.
The government further sent a letter that, even those who are to continue taking the scholarship, will be terminated by June 2018 which means only 40 students will be able to graduate (who started the scholarship earlier) and the rest (who came later) will graduate by January 2019.
They're done with them weather they finish or not. It's left for them to find someone to take care of them or to return home without certificate. Please tell me what do you expect from them?
Gov Ganduje should please not play politics with the future of these promising young Nurses and Doctors in the making. We need their services in kano and Nigeria. Our hospitals needs them.
Ibrahim Adam
November 19, 2017.
It's common in Nigeria for a government in state or federal level to select certain students based on merit and sponsored them abroad for further studies especially in the medical fields with the notion of having their service in the society while they are back. Unfortunately, after the ceremonial launch, when the students left the country and dive into foreign lands, not all governments cares to ask about their wellbeing.
Few months ago, I came across an issue on social media regarding some students from Kano who were under scholarship program sent by the previous administration of Sen Kwankwaso to study in Egypt. but to my surprise, the current administration of Ganduje decided to return some of them back on the basis of poor performance, a case not thoroughly investigated. The story deeply attracted my curiosity to find the root of the problem. I reached out to many of them at different universities in Egypt, Sudan, Cyprus and India to see for myself what's really going on, who are these students and what's their story.
The first thing I learned after my brief discussion with some of the students representatives was that, they're really lost and alone in a foreign country and no one is aiming to rescue them from their hardships if not the attempt made Sen Kwankwaso some months back. While talking over the phone, one of the students lamented "We have not been receiving upkeep allowances for over ten months, our accommodation fee ended since last year which leave us jammed in apartment, the school didn't give us ID because our school fees hasn't been paid and that leave us with no means of identification. Most of our parents can't afford to pay our dues. We have been trying to reach out to the proper authorities but to no avail. Last time we were told that it's a directive order from the governor not to give us a penny."
I can't withstand listening to the innocent voice of a poor students taking away from their parents and letting them to suffer. I keep on asking myself, What's wrong with this government? Is the government not voted on the ground promise of continuity? Can Ganduje let his son undergoes such difficulty? This is cruelty.
I was so pissed that after everything the government has been saying about these students specifically those from Mansoura university, it becomes obvious to me that the negligence is from the government. It was the same government that asked them to stop going to school for 6 months, with a notion that they were going to be transfer to another university in which the transfer process directly affect the performance of the students for being absent from class and now the government put the burden on them. In addition to this torture, just last week the Kano state government sent a letter to their parents that from now on they'll have to continue taking care of their children, because government is tired of doing that. Why? Because of politics.
The government further sent a letter that, even those who are to continue taking the scholarship, will be terminated by June 2018 which means only 40 students will be able to graduate (who started the scholarship earlier) and the rest (who came later) will graduate by January 2019.
They're done with them weather they finish or not. It's left for them to find someone to take care of them or to return home without certificate. Please tell me what do you expect from them?
Gov Ganduje should please not play politics with the future of these promising young Nurses and Doctors in the making. We need their services in kano and Nigeria. Our hospitals needs them.
Ibrahim Adam
November 19, 2017.
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