Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
Kano
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on Thursday released the sum of N209,596,633.00k for the payment of outstanding tuition and maintenance fees of 37 students of Mansoura University, Egypt.
A press statement by Malam Abba Anwar, the Chief Press secretary to the governor that was made available to VerityNews said the governor has pardoned the students over their gross misdemeanors.
It could be recalled that, sometime last year, the students wrote an apology letter and sent to the governor, regretting their action.
In the letter they said “We are the 37 students of Mansoura University, who were earlier removed from the government’s sponsorship due to some misinformation communicated between the University authorities and the government. That misinformation had generated some sequence of events which led to the government’s decision to bring us back home.”
They further explained, “Your Excellency Sir, we know our issues had generated a lot of politicking and controversies in the past. Some political actors have used us in order to achieve their political ambition. The former governor of Kano state had even promised to continue with our sponsorship to the end of our studies, but he failed to do so.”
All the 37 students unanimously said to the governor in the said letter, “but now, we understand and we have come forth to accept all our mistakes and apologise for all the wrongdoings done to the government in our names. We have been foolish and naive. And we hope Your Excellency will forgive us….So we solicit the kind gesture of Your Excellency to rescue our lives as sons and daughters and indigenes of Kano state.”
Not only Mansoura University students, governor Ganduje also released the sum of N48,220,002.00, being outstanding tuition and maintenance fees in respect of 6 sponsored students of October 6 University, Egypt, making the total sum of N257,812,635.00 for the students of these two Egyptian universities.
Governor Ganduje pledged upward review of students scholarship allowances in universities within Nigeria. The State Scholarship Board, has since ordered for the sale of Scratch Card, which shows that time would not be wasted when schools reopen.