At least 91 students hailing from Zamfara state have been rusticated from Cyprus International University over the Zamfara state government’s failure to pay the students’ tuition and other miscellaneous fees.
The expelled students were on state-sponsored scholarships in the university and were kicked out because Zamfara had not fulfilled its end of the agreement for the scholarship to the University, agreed upon, several years ago.
A few of the students who had spoken to BBC Hausa Service, on Monday, had lamented that they were facing hunger, starvation, and threat of arrest, over the fact that their residency permits were expired and they could be arrested by the authorities for staying in the country illegally.
An anonymous female student had confirmed that they (the students) are currently in a very bad way and that the urgent attention of the Zamfara State Government was critically needed.
Another male student who had spoken on the condition of being anonymous had also stated they have talked with the Zamfara State government through different platforms about their distress so that a solution to the problem could be found as soon as possible, “but they have either failed to act or not acted as fast as expected.” The student had said.
The Zamfara state government, according to Nigeria Abroad report, when contacted on the issue confirmed the predicament of the students in Cyprus, and it announced that the State Government had started working on addressing the challenges.
The Commissioner for Information in Zamfara State, Ibrahim Dosara, had revealed to BBC Hausa Service that part of the funds being owed to the Cyprus university and the affected students had just recently been paid.