In a press statement released by the Bauchi State Student Association on Thursday, 2nd August 2018, the students expressed there concern towards the attitude of the Government in supporting their education. The statement reads:
We are the 86 students under the sponsorship of Bauchi state government (BASG) who are studying various professional courses such as Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Medical laboratory science in Igbinedion University Okada (IUO), out of which 10 have graduated last year and 52 are due for graduation this year. However, we may have to wait for another year due to non-payment of our tuition fees for 2 consecutive sessions (i.e. 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 sessions) by the government. The school are tired of our indebtedness and we have been subjected to all kinds of psychological trauma because everyday we are being address as defaulters who are reaping from the tuition paid by the other students. The school management has affirmed and reaffirmed that our results will not be shortlisted and the senate would not approve and release our results.
As we are talking to you now none of us has seen his/her result, particularly the 52 graduating students, not to even know our stand. Many among the graduating students are to be mobilized for NYSC and those who studied health related courses are to be cleared for induction, but neither of them have been mobilized nor have they been cleared for induction. We are at the verge of spilling over if the government does not make the payment.
Many of us have not started our projects, while some have halt at the middle, Only few opportuned ones are able to complete theirs due to lack of resources to finance the project. The only time we have is now or spill over.
Other students that are not in their final year are denied access to bookshop for their textbooks and library for research all because of the continuing delay by the government to pay the tuition fees. The school management stated that the government officials have been deceiving them and they will not tolerate deception and politics as such their next plan will be to deprive us access to other school facilities if the government keep delaying to fulfill their promise.
I can recall vividly last year on two occasions i.e August and November, the Bauchi state government sent delegation through the office of the Auditor General to verify the number of students and tuition fees from the school management of which all has been done with bunch of promises to the school that the payment would be made as soon as they deliver the report to the government, but nothing has been seriously done. Likewise, in May this year, 2018, the government publicly announced through the office of the SA to the Governor in Media the approval for the payment of all the tuition fees and our upkeep allowances, surprisingly up to now, the payment has not been made. In the same lane, on 1st July this same year, another delegate under the ministry of Education came and granted us courage that as soon as they submitted their report, the payment is guaranteed. We keep pressing but the feedback from the government is always discourging.
It is with this regard that we are pleading with the Bauchi state government to as a matter urgency, speed up the payment process to rescue the life and future of it’s good citizens studying under the special sponsorship program of the State Government.
Long live Bauchi state.
Long live the federal republic of Nigeria.
My heartfelt sympathy goes to the students, we are calling upon Gov. M.A Abubakar to act fast and come to these students rescue because it is clear that he has every intention of doing so but time is not on his side… so the government should please speed up to secure their future and Bauchi state’s as well.