Sixteen Nigerian medical students studying
in St Vincent and Grenadines in the
Caribbean, under the Rivers State
Scholarship scheme, have resorted to
stealing and fraudulent acts to survive, just
as they are reportedly being starved of their
monthly upkeep allowances and tuition fees
for close to two years.
The aggrieved final year students who spoke
with Vanguard separately, said that two of
the medical students who are billed to
graduate with the other 14 this October, went
into stealing when it was apparent they
didn’t know where their next meal will come
from.
At the time of filing this report, some of the
students (males and females) confirmed that
they had not eaten for three days, let alone
pay school fees.
Begging for alms
According to them, their living conditions
degenerated to a level where they beg for
alms in churches to survive, as their
landlords eject them from their apartments
due to non-payment of rent, compelling
many of them to live in the streets. The
fortunate few among them are presently
squatting with people.
Due to non-payment of their tuition fees by
the Rivers State Government, Vanguard
investigation revealed that the school
authorities have stopped them from
completing the remaining clinical rotations
before graduation.
Presently, the students who are sending
save-our-soul messages to both the Rivers
State Government and the Federal
Government, disclosed that if the
development is not checked, it will further
worsen Nigeria's already bartered image
abroad.
The 16 medical students were the candidates
the Rivers State Government awarded
scholarships in 2013 under the Rivers State
Sustainable Development Agency, RSSDA.
The students are accusing the Rivers State
Government of abandoning them to suffer
for close to two years in a strange land
without any explanation.
Abandoned for two years
Recounting his ordeal, Mr Promise Adimele
Amaechi, one of the medical scholars in the
Caribbean, who spoke with Vanguard said:
“We are supposed to graduate in October this
year, but due to non-payment of our school
fees, the school authorities have stopped us
from our clinical clerkships.
“The school said we can’t graduate if our
school fees are not paid, hence the school
has to stop us from completing our
remaining clinical rotations.
‘’Moreover, because our upkeep allowances
are not paid, we can not feed and pay our
rent. Because some of our landlords think we
could leave the country without paying them,
most students’ travelling documents have
been seized and legal action taken against
us to recover the debts.
"Two students among us who recently
engaged in stealing and fraud in order to
make ends meet, were arrested. As I speak
to you, I have not eaten for the past three
days, this is how bad the situation is with
us."
Amaechi who urged the state and federal
governments to come to their aid said, “We
are stranded, frustrated and hopeless."
Also, Abiye Datoru, 28, one of the scholars
from Okrika Local Government Area, Rivers
State said: “We have gone from our parents
borrowing to pay our upkeep, to selling all in
the family, to taking loans. At this point,
there is just no more money to borrow and
no property to sell.
Cursed blessing
‘’Honestly, it’s difficult to know where to
start explaining. We started this journey with
plenty joy and now it's like a cursed blessing.
It has been one year and 7 months (19
months) without upkeep and accommodation
allowances.
"The government back home will always give
us unending sweet words like: “We are
processing your payments,' 'Send us your
passport to facilitate payment,' 'Our
commitment to you is top priority,' 'Things
will improve after the elections,' 'Once the
court case is over' etc."
‘’Tuition for my colleagues and myself has
not been paid for close to two years, the
school authorities have stopped us from
going to school over and over again, but they
eventually allow us resume after mountains
of letters from RSSDA has been received
promising to pay, but they always fail.
‘’We are now known as debtors, bad tenants,
sick and abandoned children. Food in itself is
a luxury we get when we visit our friends
who by the way, now hide their food when
we visit. Transportation is something we
don’t even bother talking about.
"Personally, I have been mobbed by the boys
of someone I borrowed money from. At some
point, my safety was at stake. Every time the
Governor talks about our issue, he keeps
saying he will pay for the final year students
and has paid over 50% of the money for the
said final year students.
Invisible funds
"I want to state here categorically that I am
in my final year. I am not studying
Economics or English language, I am
studying medicine, I have not received any
upkeep allowance, neither has any of my
fees been paid, not to talk of the over 50%
that the Governor says he has paid. Since
late last year, it is the same story that has
been coming from the Government.’’
On her part, Miss Onyinyechi Chinyere
Kalagbor, 24, a final year medical scholar at
All Saints University in the Caribbean, said it
has not been easy for her.
“We have not received funds or tuition from
our sponsors and the government of Rivers
State for over 17months now. Most of us
are homeless and have to squat with other
friends. We have been stopped from clinical
rotations several times and I don’t blame the
school, they have really been patient with
us. It is very discouraging. The course we
are studying requires energy, 100%
concentration and attention. But how can
you give what you don’t have?
"Friends and family tried to support me the
much they could but obviously, there is only
so much they can do. It's surprising that the
government has abandoned us till now. How
do they sleep at night? All I can say is that
we have suffered, we are still suffering and
we need help urgently," she said.
Another medical scholar from River State in
the Caribbean who identified himself as Paul
Babeye said he has been surviving through
the help of his girlfriend.
He said: “I should have contacted Vanguard
earlier, but frustration and hopelessness took
the best of me. Most of us here are
homeless and some are involved in criminal
activities. I am honestly feeding off my
girlfriend, because my family can’t afford it. I
don’t even have a place to call home.”
RSSDA responds
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Rivers
State Sustainable Development Agency,
RSSDA, Mr Larry Pepple, in a telephone
conversion with Vanguard affirmed that the
16 Nigerian medical scholars in the
Caribbean are owed their living allowances
and tuition fees.
He said: ‘’Since I took over as the Executive
Director of RSSDA in January this year, I met
backlog of old tuition and backlog of unpaid
living allowances. As at today, it has clocked
17 months that the scholars have not
received their allowances."
According to him, the government of Rivers
State has already made it public that they
will only look after those who are already in
their final year overseas.
Change of plans
Pepple disclosed that about 328 of the
scholars have returned to Nigeria to
conclude their education as scholars under a
special scholarship scheme.
He explained that the reason is because the
state government is struggling like any other
government of Nigeria, with scarcity of fund.
‘’The ones that are in the final year, the
governor has given approval for everything to
be paid to them so that they can conclude
and return. But unfortunately, this approval
as we speak, is yet to translate to cash,
because of the limited resources. We are
currently working with the Minister of
Finance,’’ he said.
Moreover, when Vanguard contacted the
Secretary to the State Government of Rivers
State, Mr. Kenneth Kobani on this issue, he
simply referred us to the State Ministry of
Education.
Insufficient funds
In his reaction, the Commissioner for
Education, Rivers State, Professor Kainye
Ebeku in a telephone conversation with
Vanguard said: ‘’The truth of the matter is
that before this administration came into
office, the former administration had in their
wisdom awarded those scholarships.’’
He explained that as at the time of awarding
the scholarships to study abroad, Rivers
State had enough money in the state of
about 17billion a month, adding ‘’but now,
we have about 3.3billion a month with
various needs of the state.
He said: ‘’There is nothing like
abandonment. If there is anything like
abandonment, it was the past government
that abandon them and not this government.
If you are in final year, then we will know
how to do it for you to come back.’
However, the students who noted that they
are tired of the endless promises urged
Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, the Rivers
State Government, Rivers State House of
Assembly, Rivers State Sustainable
Development Agency (RSSDA) and her
partners (SHELL, NNPC, Total, ExxonMobil,
Chevron, Agip, World Bank, USAID, DFID and
NDDC) to please "come to our aid, as we are
totally stranded, hopeless and frustrated.’
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