The Zamfara State government has accused the former governor of the state and current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of sending 93 students to Cyprus International University without adequate financial support and documentation.

The state government lamented that the tuition fees, accommodation, and feeding allowances of the students sent to the international university by the previous administration were not paid for, thereby exposing them to hardships and difficult conditions.

The government raised the concern 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 in 2020 to acquire knowledge vital to the future of the state but regrettably found themselves caught in a quagmire of humiliation and academic disruption.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Zamfara State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Wadatau Madawaki, blamed the crisis on the previous administration of Bello Matawalle, now Minister of State for Defence.

Madawaki noted that right from the beginning, there was no documentary evidence showing a Memorandum of Understanding between the university and the previous administration, as the students were simply left at the mercy of the university authorities in Cyprus.

He, however, said the state government has paid some money as part payment for the tuition fees, pending reconciliation of accounts, between three to six months of accommodation, and other debts.

He explained that the process of the scholarship from the beginning was fraught with dishonesty and outright selfishness, as there is “no documentary evidence” of any type showing a “Memorandum of Understanding” signed between the university and the previous administration that sponsored the students.

According to him, all records available to the present administration revealed that a consultant was hired who negotiated between the previous administration and the university, processed admissions and travel documents for the students, and delivered them to the university authority.

He said the negotiation had the arrangement that the students would be in a system that is tagged “full package.”

“In that arrangement, the students’ accommodation and feeding were handed over to the university authority and whether the students ate a meal or not for whatever reason, they would be charged by the school authority as having eaten. That was a very unfair arrangement that has formed part of the difficulties faced by the students,” Madawaki stated.

“From the year 2022, the previous administration of Governor Bello Matawalle abdicated its responsibilities of funding the students’ studies at 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 lifespan on Monday, May 29th, 2023.

“It is on the unfortunate lack of a 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 the 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 (5) out of the ninety-three (93) students left the university, remaining eighty-eight (88).

“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 the burden of debt being owed by the state government was.”

He also accused the university authorities of presenting 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.”

“Also, the university authorities 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.

“Moreover, the university authorities charged the government fees (both accommodation and feeding) of the five (5) 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 shortchange the government.

“But on 13th November 2023, the sum of N84.7m, equivalent to 70,000 Euros at that time, 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.”