The Zamfara State Government under the leadership of Governor Dauda Lawal has exonerated itself from the problems faced by 93 students sponsored by the previous administration in Cyprus.
Recall that the administration of former Governor Bello Muhammed Matawalle sponsored 93 Zamfara indigenes to study different courses at the Cyprus International University in the year 2020.
It was learnt that the students who are on scholarships at Cyprus International University are currently stranded over unpaid tuition, accommodation, feeding allowances, and improper documentation.
Reacting to the development on Monday evening at a media briefing in Abuja, the Zamfara State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mallam Wadatau Madawaki, explained that it was the “lack of legal and binding agreement between the previous administration and the university authority that exposed the students to unwanted and unwarranted bad treatment by the university.“
According to the commissioner, “Right from the beginning,the process was fraught with dishonesty and outright selfishness as there is “No documentary evidence” of any type showing “Memorandum of Understanding “ signed between the University and the previous administration that sponsored the students.“
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He posited that the “administration of Governor Dauda Lawal should be commended, for sorting out the embarrassing damage caused by the administration of Governor Matawalle including nonpayment of scholarship for sponsored students to India, those sponsored to Crescent University Abeokuta as well as nonpayment of NECO and WAEC examinations outstanding fees running into billions of Naira of which Governor Lawal has almost liquidated as a patriotic administrator and leader.”
His words: ”The attention of the present administration under the able leadership of Governor Dauda Lawal, has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by Zamfara State students sponsored by the previous administration led by the former governor of the state, Alhaji Bello Muhammed Matawalle to study different courses at the Cyprus International University.
“In the spirit of fairness and just balancing, the attention of Zamfara State Government and in particular, the state’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and /or its parastatal, that is Zamfara State Scholarship Board should give its own side of the story.
“The main reason for the convocation of this conference is to “Put the records straight and disabuse the minds of the general public, most especially the parents” of those students sent to study at the Cyprus International University by the previous administration.
“For the avoidance of doubt and as was earlier mentioned, the administration of former Governor Bello Muhammed Matawalle sponsored 93 Zamfara indigenes to study different courses at the Cyprus International University in the year 2020.
“However, right from the beginning the process was fraught with dishonesty and outright selfishness as there is “No documentary evidence” of any type showing “Memorandum of Understanding “ signed between the University and the previous administration that sponsored the students.
“All records available to the present administration at the Ministry of Education, Scholarship Board and the University showed that a “Consultant” was hired who negotiated between the previous administration and the university, processed admissions and traveling documents for the students and delivered them to the university authority.“
”In that arrangement, the students’ accommodation and feeding were handed over to the university authority and that whether the students ate meal or not for whatever reason, they will be charged by the school authority as having eaten, “he said, explaining that, “That was a very unfair arrangement that has formed part of the difficulties faced by the students.”
Furthermore, Madawaki said:”From the year 2022, the previous administration of Governor Bello Matawalle abdicated from its responsibilities of funding the students’ studies at the Cyprus International University as tuition fees, accommodation and feeding allowances were not paid to the university authorities thereby exposing the students to hardships and difficult conditions.
“That by extension caused the accumulation of huge debt by the previous administration which continued up to the end of its life span Monday, May 29th 2023.
”It is on the unfortunate lack of legal and binding agreement between the previous administration and the university authority that exposed the students to unwanted and unwarranted bad treatment by the university, since there was no signed document that outlined responsibilities of each party with regards to the students’ stay in the university.
“They 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 out of the 93 students left the university, the remaining eighty-eight 88.”
Speaking further, the commissioner said, ”After the inception of the present administration of Governor Dauda Lawal, his attention was drawn to the difficult situation being faced by the students in Cyprus.
“His Excellency Dauda Lawal quickly swung into action and directed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to engage with the university and find out what was the burden of debt being owed by the State Government.
“The Secretary to the state government arranged zoom meeting with the university authorities and it was at that point the rot manifested itself as the university presented an outrageous debt profile owed by the government.
“What was made glaringly clear from that meeting was that:The university authority presented a debt of tuition fees being owed by the government even when they knew they had stopped the students from attending lectures for almost one year.
“The university authority charged the government feeding money for the students even when they knew that they had not taken a meal for almost one year as their feeding was tied to their stay in the accommodation.
“The university authority charged the government the fees (both accommodation and feeding) of the five students even when they knew that they had left the university.
“The present administration refused to accept what the university presented as it was meant to dubiously shortchanged the government.
“However, in order to demonstrate its willingness and sincerity in addressing and resolving the issues, the present administration took the following bold steps:On the 13th November, 2023 the sum of N84,700,000.00,equivalent to E70,000.00 as at then was sent to the university authority as part payment for the tuition fees pending reconciliation of accounts between the two parties.
“On the 16th November 2023, the sum of N30,932,000.00, equivalent to BP21,573 was handed over to the students leader by name Isah Muhammed to pay for the students accommodation between three to six months.
”Upon receipt of the part payment for the tuition fees the school authority promised to look into its records, reconcile its figures and relay to the state government the actuals accordingly.
”However, that they could not do so up until the end of March 2024 when the rent of those with three months expired and that prompted the Commissioner of Education to send the sum of Nine million, Nine hundred thousand Naira only to the students to pay additional three months in order for them to be at par with those who paid for six months.”
He disclosed that the process has reached an advanced stage for the payment of one year accommodation fees; six months feeding allowance;renewal of the students’ expired passports and the renewal of the students resident permit.
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