Parents of Zamfara State students studying in Cyprus on government scholarship have pleaded with Governor Dauda Lawal to as a matter of urgency save the lives of the 88 students without further delay following non-payment of registration, tuition and students’ allowances amounting to about one billion naira.

The Chairman of Cyprus Students’ Parent’s Association in Zamfara State, Ambassador Ibrahim Tudu made the plea in a press conference held in Gusau, the state capital.

Ambassador Ibrahim said the press conference became necessary as they have shown their concern on the condition of their children sent on scholarship by Zamfara State Government studying various courses at Cyprus International University, Nicosia who are currently facing numerous problems.

He cried that the students have spent more than 4 years now in Cyprus and some are about to complete their studies while some should have even finished the last year 2023, but due to the loss of semesters arising from the alleged non-payment of school fees by the government, they could not finish the programme yet.

“The 88 students are facing numerous problems that are related to lack of feeding, accommodation, upkeep allowances, their safety, studies and serious state of mental health”, he lamented.

Ambassador Tudu further stated that the parents have acknowledged that, some payments were made by the present administration to the institution in Cyprus to the tune of N 224 million, adding, ”But the debt is still increasing which has generated a bad relationship with the school authorities which is detrimental to the student’s studies due to non-existence of any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

“The students are now in great pain, danger and encountering lots of hardship. They were ejected from their school accommodation dormitories, they are living in mosques and rented houses where they are being harassed for non-payment of rent.

“The Ten young ladies among them have added danger of multiple problems, the Student’s International Passports and Cyprus Resident Permits have expired and they are at risk of being caught on the other side of the law, in a foreign land, which could lead to their eventual detention, imprisonment and deportation to Nigeria, thus, risking their lives and their 4 years long stay and study in Cyprus.

“Their monthly students upkeep allowances which are meant for buying drinking water, washing and bathing soaps and other necessities of life could not be paid for 2 years now. The parents and guardians sending money to their sons and daughters are increasingly becoming very difficult and practically unsustainable”, he added.

According to him, the international community, Nigerians and the Zamfara state public are aware and worried about the situation of our children.

“The strong delegation sent by this government to Cyprus a few months ago served as a big relief to the parents and students but unfortunately has not ended the problems.

“The estimated cost of the debt owed by the state may reach one billion naira or more but since government is a continuum, the responsibility to pay falls on the present administration”.

”We are aware that, Governor Dauda Lawal, has demonstrated his ability to handle issues that touch on the lives, of ordinary citizens of the state. He has shown this with payment of Pensioners gratuities, payment of backlog of NECO/WAEC, payment of accumulated NEPA bills, payment of backlog of salaries of civil servants and facing issues related to insecurity in the state.

“We also acknowledged the fact that he has been attending to the construction and rehabilitation of roads, schools and hospitals around the state with the aim of putting the state on sound putting.

“We also acknowledged that the state has declared a State of Emergency on Education with the aim of reversing the backward trends on the educational sector in the state”

“The question is: Why is scholarship and the education of our children in Cyprus taking a back seat? The disappointment brought to Zamfara by this issue is unprecedented and is not worth it, especially by this administration that comes on a rescue mission.

”Moreover, we commend the effort of the Hon. Commissioner of Education, Malam. Wadatau Madawaki has taken a very passionate interest in the issue of the students otherwise the situation would have been a sad story, once and for all to enable the students to finish their studies and come back home safely.

”We acknowledge and thank the numerous efforts, calls and concerns expressed by various individuals and organizations on this issue, but we also wish to call on other groups to desist from politicization of the situation of this matter. They should not cry more than the grieved by escalating and making capital on the misfortune of these students” pleaded the Chairman.

The parents further appealed to Governor Dauda Lawal to as a matter of goodwill visit Cyprus, talk directly to the school authorities, sign a clear MoU, interact with the students and settle the matter once and for all.

”Lastly, as primary stakeholders on the matter of our children as responsible parents and guardians, we assure His Excellency of our support to his administration and also pray for him to succeed. May Allah bring more peace, security and prosperity to Zamfara State”.