Gift Amadi says his education and his future are in doubt because he's been abandoned by the Nigerian government agency that brought him to study at the University of Manitoba.

The political science student is one of almost 250 Nigerian students studying at 14 Canadian universities on a scholarship from a government-funded agency in Nigeria called the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency.
The agency promised to pay their tuition and provide a $1,100 monthly living allowance.
They haven't received that allowance for 11 months, and much of their tuition fee payment has been delayed too, Amadi said.

The agency and the government that funds the program have left the students to fend for themselves, he said.

"It's not just a delay," said Amadi. "It's more like they don't care. It's not of value to them."

Amadi, who is in his third year at the U of M, said he's behind on his rent and is struggling to feed himself.

"Right now I'm taking classes and I'm thinking of feeding," Amadi said during an evening interview. "I haven't eaten since morning and I'm in class."

About 50 students sponsored by the agency are currently enrolled at the U of M, said Leah Janzen, U of M's vice-president of outreach and engagement. She said she's aware of their situation.

"I know some of them have accessed our student food bank," Janzen said. "It's a very difficult situation."

The RSSDA owes $2.5 million to Canadian universities, with the majority owed to the U of M, the University of Regina and Simon Fraser University. The agency owes more than $250,000 to the U of M, Janzen said.
Godwin Poi RSSDA

Godwin Poi, acting executive director of the RSSDA, said the fall in the price of oil is to blame for failures to meet tuition and living allowance payments for students. (Courtesy of Rivers State Sustainability Development Agency )

"We remain in contact with this organization, and they're asking us to be patient," she said. "But at this point, we're not sure what to expect from them with regards to those arrears."

Godwin Poi, the acting executive director of the RSSDA, said the Nigerian government is experiencing a revenue shortfall due to plunging oil prices and fluctuations in currency. As a result, the government has not been giving his agency money regularly, he said.

"I can only tell you what the government tells me which is that the funds are not available," said Poi. "Allocations from central government and state government have dwindled and the state government relies predominantly on the central government for funding."

The RSSDA and the government have every intention of paying the universities and the students when the money becomes available, he said.


source: http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/saskatchewan/story/1.3331142

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