The International Students on scholarship are in dire need of help.
The students numbering about 24 have been starved of funds to complete their studies.
It is a fact that most of these students are doing their final year at different Universities in Russia.
For some reasons only known to the Governor, the students have not been provided with the basic feeding allowance and hostel fees.
All of them have not paid their tuition fees this academic session that started 1st of March, 2016.
Nearly all the students have been placed on different punitive measures as a result of the non-compliant of the Cross River State government to honor the agreement it entered into with the Russian Federation during the Liyel Imoke administration, 6 years ago.
Speaking with the students Liason Officers for African cooperation with some of the Universities in Russia, I was told that “some of the Cross River State scholarship students are now squatting in hostels with other African nationals because they have been evicted from their own hotels”.
“The worst is that we (Africans) can help our own.
“But most of the students from Nigeria (CRS) have been denied their research evaluations, appraisal, and supervision because their government has not honored their cooperation agreement”.
Speaking with some of the students on Skype, they described their situation as a living hell, desperate, and first class suffering in foreign land.
One student from Krasnodar University said that they were informed by the scholarship board in Calabar that HE, Governor Ben Ayade is in touch with the Universities so as to proffer solution to their problems.
But he reacted this way: “Ok, thanks. The governor has been saying that he contacted us personally which is not true”.
Another student from Volgograd State Technical University in his final year summarized the situation thus:
“We heard that the governor said he is in touch with us in Russia.
“That is absolutely not true..!!
“It should be noted that all 24 of us are not in one university.
“We are distributed across four Russian cities: Krasnodar, Volgograd, Saratov and Rostov”.
“An incident happened sometime in January when the University in Volgograd wanted to evict the students because of non-payment of fees and other charges.
The students had to plead with the Head of Foreign students to call the governor to remind him of the agreement the CRS government signed with Volgograd State University since 2012″.
“That was done, but the University said they got a very undiplomatic response; with the governor getting angry and questioning how they got his number.
“And it ended there”.
“Like many others in other universities, the students are left on their own, under all forms of threats. Could that be what the governor is referring to?
“We don’t know why this is happening to us now under this present government of two heavy-weight academics and professors”.
It is quite sad that the government of Cross River State would behave the way it has behaved.
But like the behaviour of most international students, I called the Charge D’Affairs Embassy of The Federal Republic of Nigeria in Moscow, Russia to verify the true story.
The Embassy said that “we are aware of the harsh conditions most scholarship students are mandated to go through because of the insensitivity of their various governments in Nigeria”.
“How can you send students abroad and forget about them for whatever reason they way some States have forgotten about their agreements with foreign countries?”
The Embassy also forwarded a letter it received from the Cross River State scholarship students across Russia.
Below are the letter and the names of students from Cross River State:
CROSS RIVER STATE GOVERNMENT SCHOLARS –RUSSIAN FEDERATION
30th Mar, 2016
The Charge d’Affairs
Minister, Deputy Head of Mission,
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
Moscow, Russia.
Ma/Sir
APPEAL FROM CROSS RIVER STATE SCHOLARS IN RUSSIAN FEDERATION
We the Cross River state Scholars in the Russian Federation humbly wish to draw your attention to our plight. The new academic session began since 1St September 2015, within this period we were expected to have completed the following:
-Payment of Tuition fees, covering accommodation, clothing allowances and personal allowance to feed.
-Immigration registration, to enable the procurement/extension of visa to cover the new academic session,
-Health insurance registration,
-Begin the preparation and submission of research papers, and project work.
None of these have been executed as our state government has not sent any allowances to us for the on-going academic session. This has left us with the following problems:
*Expired visas (which are always renewed at the beginning of every academic year to cover only the period of studentship);
*Expired hostel/accommodation rent, exposing us to the threat of ejection, and we are now living in our hostels based on the written appeal we made to the schools to allow us some more time;
*Not having been grouped into any academic group because students cannot attend any lecture or take part in academic activities until tuition fees have been remitted;
*When any health issues arise concerning any one of us, no medical assistance can be sought since we all have expired medical insurance.
*In the event of expulsion, we cannot even afford our air-tickets back home, as we have barely enough to even sustain us.
We are now surviving on the goodwill of friends. More so the inflation rate makes even survival without remitted funds unbearable.
We kindly appeal that you use your good offices to prevail on our State government to bail us out.
We know that under previous administrations, even Non-scholarship students normally receive financial assistance from their state governments when they find themselves in this kind of situation and appeal to their governors.
Let ours not be different.
We appreciate the financial stress on the government, but let them support us to stay alive, finish our programmes and return to be part of the transformation efforts of the new government!
Out of the twenty-four of us left out here in the extreme Russian cold, more than half are in their final year.
Let something be done so that they can graduate, as such their four years of studies wouldn’t be a waste!
Scholars and their faculties including their year of study are as follows:
S/N NAME UNIVERSITY FACULTY PROGRAM LEVEL
1. Ikem, Azorshubel Ikem Kuban State Technical University, Krasnodar Engineering (Energy) PhD Final
2. Ugbong, Innocent Akwazi Kuban State Technical University, Krasnodar Geoengineering PhD Final
3. Odey, Philip Ogar Southern Federal University, Taganrog Engineering (Robotics and Mechatronics) PhD 2nd of 4
4. Bassey, Bassey Echeng Kuban State University, Krasnodar Mathematics and Computer Methods (Maths. Modeling) PhD Final
5. Ogban, Gabriel Ogban Kuban State University, Krasnodar Mathematics and Computer Methods (Maths. Modeling) PhD Final
6. Bassey, Iniko Ekeng Kuban State Technical University, Krasnodar Engineering (Oil and Gas) PhD Final
7. Ephraim, Philip Girne American University, Cyprus (Previously at Saratov State University, Russia) Communication and Media PhD Final
8. Egbe, Gevolo Inya Kuban State Technical University, Krasnodar Engineering (Oil and Gas) B.Eng Final
9. Eteng, Eteng Okri Kuban State Technical University, Krasnodar Engineering (Oil and Gas) B.Eng Final
10. Andiemen, Peter Akomaye Kuban State Technical University, Krasnodar Computer B.Sc Final
11. Eyo-ita, Maurice Ibok Kuban State Technical University, Krasnodar Food Technology B.Sc Final
12. Moffi Bakaten Igobor Seratov State Medical University, Seratov Medicine M.D 4th of 6
13. Enyim Ogbe Otazy Seratov State Medical University, Seratov Medicine M.D 4th of 6
14. Oguma Victor Mbingi Seratov State Medical University, Seratov Medicine M.D 4th of 6
15. Ofem Mary Peter Seratov State Medical University, Seratov Medicine M.D 4th of 6
16. Bassey Ruth Donatus Seratov State Medical University, Seratov Medicine M.D 3rd of 6
17. Eyo Emmanuel Seratov State Technical University, Seratov Architecture B.Sc 3rd year
18. Ngun Clement Takon Seratov State University, Seratov Biology Ph.D 1ST year
19. Fernandez Anthony Emmanuel Volgograd State Technical University, Volgograd Chemical Engineering B.Eng Final
20. Effangha Henshaw Offiong Volgograd State Technical University, Volgograd Information Technology B.Sc Final
21. Egiga Jonah Lekpara Volgograd State Technical University, Volgograd Information Technology
22. B.sc FinalOfut Ogar Tumenayu Volgograd State Technical University, Volgograd Information Technology Ph.D 1ST year
23. Bassey Bassey Itu Volgograd State Technical University, Volgograd Chemical Engineering Ph.D 1ST year
24. Etim Glory Eyo-Nsa Seratov State University, Seratov Geology Ph.D 1ST year”.
I am therefore calling on all relevant stakeholders in Cross River State to pressure Governor Ben Ayade to act appropriately to avert a disaster in Russia.
Let me warn the governor that two of these scholars are seriously ill and may need deportation.
In any event that any of these student should die, he will be held responsible.
A governor planning a second term comeback in 2019 does not have to be this insensitive and ignorant of the suffering of Cross Riverians that the previous government sent abroad for studies.
e-CC:
SEN (Prof) Ben Ayade (Governor of CRS)
Prof Ivara Ejemot Esu (Deputy Governor of CRS)
Hon Pastor Usani U. Usani (Minister of NDA)
Sen. John Owan Eno (Senate: CRS Central)
Sen. Gershom Bassey(Senate: CRS South)
Sen. Rose Oko (Senate: CRS North)
Hon Agom Jarigbe Agom (FHOR, etal)
Hon Legor IdaGor (FHOR, etal)
Hon John Gaul Lebo (Speaker CRSHA)
Hon Eteng Jones William (Yakurr Const., 2 etal)
Hon Hilary Bisong (Boki Const.,1 etal)
Hon. I. Okon (PDP Chairman, CRS)
Hon. Cletus Ochala (Ag Chairman: APC)
Fellow Cross Riverians, please share to your honorable members.
Ifere Paul