Zamfara Government Blames Ex-Governor Matawalle Over 93 Stranded Students In Cyprus

Approximately 93 Zamfara State students on scholarships at Cyprus International University find themselves stranded due to unpaid tuition, accommodation, and feeding allowances, causing severe disruptions to their education.

Zamfara’s Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Wadatau Madawaki, addressed the matter in a press conference in Abuja, highlighting the students’ struggles under mounting debt and administrative negligence.

He attributed the crisis to the previous administration under former Governor Bello Matawalle, now Minister of State for Defence, who allegedly failed to honor financial commitments to the students.

“These students were simply left at the ‘mercy’ of the university authorities by unpatriotic elements who cashed in on the poor arrangement to make fast money,” Madawaki stated.

He added that five students have since left the university, leaving 88 stranded and unable to attend lectures for nearly a year due to unpaid fees.

Madawaki clarified that Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration has made significant efforts to alleviate the situation, including payments totaling ₦84.7 million and ₦30.9 million to cover tuition and accommodation expenses.

However, the commissioner noted that the previous administration did not establish a formal agreement with the university, leaving students vulnerable to exploitation and mismanagement.

“The main reason for the convocation of this conference is to put the records straight and disabuse the minds of the general public, especially the parents of those students sent to study at the Cyprus International University by the previous administration in 2020,” Madawaki explained.

He also disclosed that steps are underway to provide one year’s worth of accommodation, six months of feeding allowances, and to renew expired passports and residency permits for the students.

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 (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 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 (1).

“It should be noted that process has reached advanced stage for the payment of the following; one year accommodation fees, six months feeding allowance, renewal of the students’ expired passports.”