Reports

42 Ebonyi Diaspora PhD Students Lament Abandonment By Gov Umahi

Published

8 years ago

April 10, 2017

Forty-two Ph.D. students under the sponsorship of Ebonyi State government in the United Kingdom have lamented abandonment by the state governor, David Umahi.

The students made the outcry in a statement made available to Elombah.com on Monday.

They regretted that the incumbent Governor, Umahi reneged after promising to continue with the program which was set up by the past administration of former Governor, Martin Elechi.

They also lamented that the programme was abandoned despite that their first year’s tuition fees and stipends were already fully paid.

The statement reads in full:

We are 42 PhD students under the sponsorship of Ebonyi State government in the UK.

We were selected as best graduating students in the third convocation ceremony of Ebonyi State university and sent abroad for postgraduate studies by the past administration of Ebonyi State led by former Governor Elechi.

The former Governor paid our first year tuition fees and stipends but the present administration of Ebonyi State led by Governor David Umahi has paid blind eyes to our studies with our tuition fees and stipends being owned by the state government for the past two academic years starting from 2015 till date.

Despite that, an attempt by the government to alleviate the high level of poverty and illiteracy in Ebonyi State [moved] former Governor Sam Egwu to not only introduce scholarship from primary to tertiary institutions but also introduced foreign training and scholarship programmes for the teeming Ebonyi State indigenes to enhance their science and technological skills in the foreign Universities.

This good gesture was continued by the administration of former Governor Martin Elechi leading to the graduation of some PhD students who now lecture in our State own University as the contract of the sponsorship demanded.

Our own case has now become different as the incumbent Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State government having promised to continue with the program and also setting up of committee to investigate the genuine credentials of those on the scholarship did not only stop further sponsorship of new candidates but abandoned 42 PhD candidates who are already on the program with their first year’s tuition fees and stipends being fully paid.

This kind of day light abandonment have thrown us into perpetual slavery, condemnation, and mockery.

We are now homeless in the foreign land with huge threat by our institutions to terminate our studentships and forceful deportation should we not pay our outstanding fees before the end of April, 2019 and having given us more than two years grace for our sponsors to do the needful.

We have made several attempts to reach the concerned authorities including office of the Governor of Ebonyi State but all proved abortive.

We have attempt to book an appointment to discuss our plight with the Governor of the state but were rebuffed by the Governors protocols.

Sometimes last year we were thrown into excitement when we had that the State Governor of Ebonyi State Engr. Chief David Umahi approved the release and payment of the tuition fees and stipends of Ebonyi State government sponsored PhD candidates in the diasporan universities.

We were informed by the scholarship board and office of the Special adviser to the Governor on higher education to re-submit our credentials including account details for perusal and on-ward remittance.

Up till dates, we have received nothing and they have remained incommunicado with our various institutions.

Should we have fallen victims of corruption due to diversion of the money meant for the payment of our fees and stipends?

This is a question that is getting us confused. We engaged on this protest at the front of BBC office Salford Quays, Manchester, UK in order to enlightened the public of our unbearable and life threatening predicaments.

We are praying for the Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. Chief David Umahi and other stakeholders involved in the administration of Ebonyi State government to please come to our rescue as our situation has become like the story of the Israelite in the land of Egypt.

We need rescue, we are academically, financially and health wise deteriorating. Our conditions are bleeding and we need urgent attention.

God bless Ebonyi State of Nigeria.

God bless Engr. Chief Dave Umahi, the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State.

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