Malaysia repatriates 28 Rivers students

Malaysian authorities have repatriated to Nigeria 28 students of Rivers State origin who were on a state sponsored scholarship for allegedly shouting wolf where none existed.

The students were repatriated for embarrassing the Malaysian government over their claim that the universities they were sent to study on scholarship by the Rivers State government were unaccredited.

Sending the students packing, the Malaysian authorities were said to have told them to finance their flight back to Nigeria.

Daily Trust gathered that the affected students were the students’ union executive officers of the estimated 265 students of Rivers State origin who the Odili administration sent on scholarship last year to study in Malaysian universities.

Some of the students on scholarship were studying courses in engineering and oil and gas to enable them get employment in the oil companies that abound in the state at the end of their studies.

Trouble however started a few weeks ago, when the students sent a Save-Our-Soul (SOS) message to the state government, lamenting that the schools where they were registered to study were not accredited by Malaysian authorities and therefore do not have international recognition.

For this reason, Governor Chibuike Amaechi immediately dispatched Mr Dennis Atako, the permanent secretary in the state ministry for education to Malaysia to ascertain the students’ claim.

The state legislature also followed suit by sending a three –man delegation to Malaysia to verify the true situation.

Before leaving for Malaysia, Atako had said that the students’ claim was neither here nor there and castigated them for raising false alarm whenever there is a change of government. He stated that the schools the students were sent to, were listed in the federal government approved international schools.

It was not possible to ascertain if Atako has returned from the trip and if his findings corroborated the students’ claim before they were sent packing from Malaysia. The three legislators mandated by the state assembly to visit Malaysia had not traveled before the students were sent back home.


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