Thousands of students from Rivers State studying in various universities around the world under the platform of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) have cried out over their monthly allowances that have gone unpaid for over seven months.
“Most of us that are recipients of this scholarship are poor children who couldn’t afford the cost of going to higher institutions in Nigeria, but [for] the laudable program which was set up by our Governor,” they said in a statement.
They said Governor Rotimi Amaechi offered the scholarships to deserving Rivers State students following a rigorous screening, leading many of them to educational pursuits in such places as Canada, England, Scotland and India.
The students complained that while they have been singing the praises of the government, its failure to remit their allowances has resulted in great suffering for many of them, with most of the beneficiaries being thrown into the streets for unpaid rents.
“The worst case scenario, is that some students have been suspended or terminated from their schools for unpaid
fees, and this [has hindered] students from completing their studies,” they said.
They described the difficulties in trying to reach officials of the RSSDA. “Sometimes, they reply to our emails and numerous calls with no good excuses why we have not been given our allowances, and most times they don’t even reply or answer our calls,” the statement said.
“This is an issue of pure neglect by our government who have failed us at this critical time, they just brought us here several miles away from our poor parents and decided to dump us. Our poor parents back home who have been communicated the situation at hand are deeply worried about our well-being and don’t have any powers to help us at all.”
They called on Governor Amaechi, the Rivers State Government, the federal government and all other Government bodies to come to their aid before the situation gets too ugly and brings shame to the respected name of Nigeria.
