The Federal Government has paid the eight months
allowances it owed the over 322 Nigerian students on the
Bilateral Educational Agreement scholarship in Russia.
The PUNCH had exclusively reported on Tuesday that the
failure by the Federal Government to pay the allowances
of the students had forced them into begging and
resorting to illegal jobs, which put them at risk of
deportation in Russia.
Following the report, our correspondent gathered on
Thursday that the students had since started getting
credit alerts on their respective bank accounts.
One of the affected students, Moyosore Ojuri, who is in
her second year studying Metallurgical Engineering at the
Volgograd State Technical University, Russia, told our
correspondent on the telephone that the sum of $4,450
had been paid into her bank account.
The money, she explained, included $4,000 meant for her
stipends from January to August; $200 for annual
medicals and health insurance, and $250 covering her
annual protective clothing.
Ojuri said she hoped that the Federal Government would
begin paying them their allowances as at when due and
save them from undue hardships.
“Before now, the Federal Government owed us from
January to August. But now they have paid us everything.
I can pay my accumulated debts and I am sure that I
won’t be sent packing from the hostel over unpaid
accommodation fees,” she said.
One of the student leaders, Akinola Akindamola, a post-
graduate student of the Department of Mechanical
Engineering, Volgograd State Technical University, Russia,
stated that he and other student leaders were going
round to ensure that all of them, especially the new
students, had received their allowances.
Akindamola, who is the President of the Senate
Committee of Association of Nigerian Scholarship
Students in Russia, said, “The payment of the money is
in process and I am confident that by the end of today,
we would all have been paid. The least problem we want
now is to be financially handicapped. We appreciate the
Federal Government for their prompt response.”
When contacted, the Director, Press and Public
Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, Mr. Olu
Lipede, confirmed that the Federal Government had paid
the students all their entitlements.

Source: punch newspaper

The issue is where was d money kept before? why hasnt it been released until now? haba naija govy

Why were this innocent and vulnerable students allowed to go hungry in sub-zero temperatures and street begging before their accumulated allowances was suddenly paid?

We just can't do things the right way unless forced to either by hook or crook.

Nigeria! I hail thee.