A group called the Zamfara Circle Community Initiative has raised concerns about the living conditions of Zamfara government-sponsored students in Cyprus, stating that they still lack proper accommodation, with some male students sleeping in a mosque.

This was disclosed by Dr. Aminu Lawal, Chairman of the Zamfara Circle Community Initiative, on Friday night during a press conference held in Gusau, the state capital. He lamented that most Zamfara students in Cyprus have to engage in menial labor to support themselves.

?The students are at risk of exploitation by employers due to a lack of legal documentation,? he said.

According to him, their visas and passports have expired. ?Living in a foreign country without legal documentation puts them at risk of imprisonment and deportation,? he explained.

He further mentioned, ?Already, one of the students has suffered this fate and was deported to Lagos in handcuffs. Another student remains in prison.?

Dr. Lawal highlighted that on October 17, 2024, Zamfara Circle submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Zamfara State Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, seeking information on the status of the Zamfara State students stranded in Cyprus.

?The intent was to balance information from the government with that obtained from other stakeholders, including parents, civil society organizations, and the students themselves, to identify gaps and advise the government where necessary,? he added.

?To date, however, there has been no response to our inquiry. While waiting for the government?s response, a popular critic, Dan Bello, released a video detailing the students? hardships and how they are forced to work menial jobs to feed themselves,? he said.

He emphasized that the students? outcries in the video prompted the government, through the governor?s spokesperson, to issue a statement clarifying the efforts made to address the students? issues.

?In August 2024, the state government set up a three-member committee to, among other things, establish the actual amount Zamfara State owes the university for the 93 students sent on scholarship since 2019; verify the number and status of these students, including their courses, expected graduation dates, living conditions, and available learning resources; and devise mutually agreed terms for settling outstanding and future liabilities,? he said.

He revealed that apart from verifying the students, the committee did not achieve any of its objectives.

?The committee also toured where the students live but noticeably refused to visit the mosque where most male students sleep, with one committee member rhetorically asking, ?What would change if we were to see the place?? Of course, nothing has changed since,? he stated.

The Zamfara Circle Community Initiative recommends that the state government urgently provide these students with funds for upkeep and accommodation.

?The government should take immediate steps to renew their passports and visas so they can live without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or deportation.?

He advised, ?The government, in collaboration with the Nigerian Mission in Ankara, should take steps to secure the release of the student being held in prison or facing deportation. The government should also use the verified debt figures from the students? portals to immediately begin the process of settling the university?s outstanding debts.? (Nigerian Tribune)

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