hydeka: Written by Ikenna David Ike

In light of these, we demand:
i) That our stipends (January- September) be paid within a fortnight.
ii) That the annual accommodation allowance of $800 promised by the Federal Scholarship Board be included in our package from this year onward.
iii) A compensation payment of $1000.
iv) An upward review of our existing allowances in concordance with current economic realities.
v) That a structure be established to ensure prompt and timely payment of scholars’ allowances.
vi) Adequate evacuation and airlifting measures be put in place in case the current political tension escalates.


It is our hope that we will not have to undertake such extreme measures but if the federal government, the Federal Scholarship Board and the Nigerian embassy in Moscow fail to put an end to this injustice, we are willing to do this and explore other extreme measures to fight for our rights.

Source: http://www.thescoopng.com/olori-gbeske-plight-nigerian-federal-scholarship-students/

LOL.

Not funny..but I can't help but laugh.
Person dey owe you since January, he no pay. U never collect your arrears first na im you come dey put more demands join.

Ok o. We shall see.
Country wey im embassy dey owe parking tickets and electric bills overseas.
Nigeria wey dey wear debt like badge of honour.

By the time dem finish with you..Una no go remember how to sing the national anthem.

francawilson: Evrythng abt Nigeria is a fraud.We won't b surpriced dat someone is diverting dat money&using it 2live large while the young&future leaders of d country are suffering. SMH

InvertedHammer:
/
LOL.

Not funny..but I can't help but laugh.
Person dey owe you since January, he no pay. U never collect your arrears first na im you come dey put more demands join.

Ok o. We shall see.
Country wey im embassy dey owe parking tickets and electric bills overseas.
Nigeria wey dey wear debt like badge of honour.

By the time dem finish with you..Una no go remember how to sing the national anthem.

\

InvertedHammer:
/
LOL.

Not funny..but I can't help but laugh.
Person dey owe you since January, he no pay. U never collect your arrears first na im you come dey put more demands join.

Ok o. We shall see.
Country wey im embassy dey owe parking tickets and electric bills overseas.
Nigeria wey dey wear debt like badge of honour.

By the time dem finish with you..Una no go remember how to sing the national anthem.

\

pendusky:

must you comment? who told you everything in Nigeria is fraud? we can only reminded The highest authority to do something about The situation and not making nuisance comment here. it won't help. GOD BLESS NIGERIA!

Kalvan500:

Please patriotic Nigerian, don't kill us with your "engrish".

hydeka: Written by Ikenna David Ike

On behalf of all federal scholars, I will like to bring to the public’s attention the current challenges facing the Bilateral Education Agreement scholarship scheme with various countries, including Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Cuba and especially Russia.

The BEA scholarship scheme is a good initiative that has existed for more than 30 years in various forms. It is sad that the same problem that beset this scheme 30 years ago still rears its ugly head today. The Nigerian government has shown complete disregard for the welfare of its scholarship students.

This year, Nigerian government scholars have not been paid for 8 months. It is important to note that all scholars solely rely on the government stipends. Majority of the students are from humble backgrounds. They were awarded this scholarship based on their excellent academic achievements. Due to laws governing the rights of foreign students in the above listed countries, these students are not permitted to
work and in cases where they can, culture and language barriers make it almost impossible for them to find employment.

As a result of the above factors, delays associated with the payment of stipends often lead to a humanitarian crises. The existing arrangement is that the students will be paid every quarter. This means that students would be paid their stipends for the next quarter at the end
of the last quarter. For example, the stipends for April-June will be paid at the end of March. Unfortunately, for the past 7 years, this has never happened. Not even once.
At best, payments were made for the previous quarter at the beginning of a new one. For example, the stipends for Jan-March paid at the end of March or mid-April. Over the last seven years, the situation has deteriorated to a point where students were owed for 3 months, 4 months and last year, a little over 6 months and currently, 6 months in arrears.

Every kind of explanation has been given: from delayed budget approval by the Senate to Central Bank verifications, delays associated with the Ministry of Education’s budget implementation to release of funds to the Nigerian Embassies in the respective countries. Even when the budget (allocations?) was released early and the allowances for the year were expected to have been made available, it was always a battle to
ensure payments were made on time. The students were often made to wait for months before they were paid.

Today, students on the program, with no rich family to help them, with no rich friends around to help them, wait and starve as they hope that someday, their stipends will be paid. Many students defended their Bachelors and Masters’ theses in June but for the whole year, they have not received a dime for their upkeep or feeding, or accommodation or research. Some cannot even go to school, as they do not have money for
tral, as they do not have money for
transport. In this period of examinations, motivation is low and spirits down as the students feel like they have been abandoned and
neglected to starve to death. Graduating students are at risk of overstaying their visa, as they do not have the necessary funds to buy tickets to go home after 7 years of study. In countries like Russia and Ukraine, this comes with a heavy penalty (imprisonment and deportation).

Despite these issues, we have continued to uphold the pride of the nation by refusing to engage in criminal activities to sustain ourselves. It is
unfortunate that scholars, who have continued to excel in their academics in spite of their nation’s disregard for their welfare, have had to resort to begging in order to fend for themselves.

In addition, these patriotic citizens of Nigeria have been unwilling to engage in any form of demonstration at the Nigerian embassy in Moscow to press home their demands. The leadership of the students’ association (The Association of Nigerian Scholarship Students in Russia) has explored
several diplomatic measures to bring an end to this injustice but all efforts have proved futile.

You would recall that the students on the amnesty program had a violent demonstration at the Nigerian Embassy in Moscow a few months ago. Their stipends were only delayed for a couple of days! Since that incident, their money has been paid regularly with no delays.
However, after 8 months, the scholarship students are expected to be on their best behaviour and represent the nation in the best light. That is a baffling expectation. Must we wait for a student to starve to death or do something disgraceful, before the right thing is done?
The BEA students are truly suffering in their different countries.

Even as threats of war and political instability loom in Ukraine and Russia, there has been no measure to ensure that these citizens of Nigeria are
adequately protected and taken care of. Not only are these poor students starving and sick, the government is taking no effective measure to ensure their safety in event of a breakout of war or escalation of the current crisis.

In light of these, we demand:
i) That our stipends (January- September) be paid within a fortnight.
ii) That the annual accommodation allowance of $800 promised by the Federal Scholarship Board be included in our package from this year onward.
iii) A compensation payment of $1000.
iv) An upward review of our existing allowances in concordance with current economic realities.
v) That a structure be established to ensure prompt and timely payment of scholars’ allowances.
vi) Adequate evacuation and airlifting measures be put in place in case the current political tension escalates.

If the conditions listed above are not met within a fortnight, the whole student body will commence peaceful sit in protests at the premises of the Nigerian embassy in Moscow. Embassy activities shall be disrupted and we will meet daily at the embassy premises until our demands are met.

It is our hope that we will not have to undertake such extreme measures but if the federal government, the Federal Scholarship Board and the Nigerian embassy in Moscow fail to put an end to this injustice, we are willing to do this and explore other extreme measures to fight for our rights.

Source: http://www.thescoopng.com/olori-gbeske-plight-nigerian-federal-scholarship-students/

hod898: What a sorry situation. Is the reason why most Nigerian students who studied abroad fail to come back to 'develop' their country still far-fetched? They prefer to stay where their talents will be appreciated; countries unlike Nigeria, where every body has a right. These students are suffering while our senators, ministers and ambassadors are always getting prompt pay. Sometimes, I wonder who the 'leaders of tomorrow' really are in Nigeria.

hydeka: Very bad. it seems the government is bent on frustrating nigerian students wherever they go. In Nigeria they constantly live with the fear of ASUU strike, fee hikes, etc and also abroad they are made to starve and live under desperate conditions. If we hear now that Nigerian students robbed a bank or caused a riot in Moscow, the government will just term them as 'bad eggs'. I'm not in any way proposing that crime is the way out but this is not the way to encourage the young generation. Absolutely not!

mployer:
Sorry op for your plight.
But we know you got the scholarship through one connection or the other and we he didn't hear you complain about that. The government was definitely your friend at that Point in time despite her irresponsibility. Now I'm surprised on how you expect commitment from an irresponsible friend.

Pls spare me the 'merit' talk, we know how it happens.

hydeka: I guess you're talking to Ikenna the original writer of this article, right? I only posted this here to create awareness about the plight of these people abroad. And 'merit'? Yes some people got it based on merit.

mployer:

Sorry if you are not the original writer.
As for the 'merit' there is nothing like that bro. I used to think there is until I got close.

Kalvan500:

You can't make such an absolute statement without proof.

mployer:
I'm an eye witness.

Braggante:

There you go again, making no sense at all.

Do you have people around you who can read your comments before you post them? Or are they as empty as you and applaud your barrenness?

You can stay and 'fight', remember a man fights for what is his right. A scholarship is a privilege and responsibility, which can be stopped when the donor deems fit. You have no right to fight. It is not an entitlement, you tool!

But you wouldn't understand that now, would you? Well then, while you pack your bags and do as i graciously advised, get someone to interpret it for you. Cheers!