El-Rufai’s Scholarship Scheme a Mere Propaganda, says, NAKASS … Threatens to shut down if…

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El-Rufai’s Scholarship Scheme a Mere Propaganda, says, NAKASS

… Threatens to shut down if…

Zainab Tanimu

Kaduna, North-West, NIGERIA

The National Association of Kaduna State Students (NAKASS) has described Governor El-Rufai’s scholarship Scheme as mere propaganda.

The students who had threatened to shut down activities across the 3 senatorial zones in the state  after the expiration of 21days ultimatum warning given ((which ends on Thursday 1st November. 2018) while addressing journalists in a press conference today, Thursday, October, 11th  at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Secretariat Kaduna said the denial of scholarship to indigenous  students schooling across the nation by Governor El-Rufai has caused them untold sufferings. This they have described as a  breech on the part of the Governor.

The Spokesman of the group Secretary General NAKASS, Comr. J.T. Gwaza in a statement jointly signed said,

NAKASS has exhausted every means possible to dialogue with every relevant agency for years over the issue but to no avail as they kept giving them stories each time an approach was made to resolve the matter.

This has necessitated the need to address the press..

“Today we are gathered here as a united force to address an issue that has long affected the welfare as well as the well being of Kaduna State indigenous students schooling round the nation.

We must understand that Scholarship has played a salient role in making this country as it has impacted meaningfully to its development from colonial era till date.

As a matter of fact it helps in giving birth to most of our Nationalists who fought for the independence of this great Nation that we strongly hold at heart.

“ It’s no longer news that we all know Scholarship was a major concern to our founding Fathers prior to independence and even after, as they insisted strongly on it, in fact we still hear old folks speak of how wonderful it was for them those days.

Governor El-Rufai they argued was a beneficiary of such scholarship

“It was this same scholarship our Governor enjoyed in the 70s as well.  It’s not in any human to deny fellow humans whatever privilege one enjoys such as scholarship.

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I read in one of the Governor’s write ups where he talked about those who went abroad.  It gives me a chew why he pays more attention to Foreign Scholarships to the extent that he ignores the local one of which he was in that same category during his own time? Again I ask, why?

“ Today it is with a heavy heart we express our disappointment with the government of Mall. Nasir El’Rufai to the general public over his neglect of tertiary students of this great state in his acclaimed Educational reforms. This was the leadership we all had very high expectations for as students in the aspect of scholarship but to our disappointment, since the inception of his administration every appropriation bill had an allocation for scholarship but no payment was ever recorded made to local students which has led to the lugubrious hardship amongst our students especially Orphans, those from less privilege homes, those whose parents were retrench from the state civil service by his administration, those whose parents are retirees and the list goes on.

Still expressing their dissatisfaction,

“The Government of Mall. Nasir El’Rufai introduced a new scholarship towards the ending of 2017 which was categorized into Merit(For Those with 3.5 upward), Need Base (For Those with 3.49 down ward), also for Sport Category and Special for People with Disability, these set scheme was given a good media projection which  most of us and every other believer of the Governor clap our hands not knowing it was all in vain. Students were given a link to follow and register within less than 15 days not long after this announcement, we were able to get students to do so and they (Students) all traveled from all over the country as instructed down to their local governments areas for Screenings, and for some to the Scholarship board itself, risking their lives, forfeiting academics and spending their little pocket moneys as a result of the palatability of the prospective scholarship soon hitting their Bank accounts, as I read this some of them are graduates because they never saw the money for some of us we knew the whole scholarship thing was just a Propaganda.

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“It was not Long in Zaria during an event organized by one of Zaria’s student association we were again confronted with another hit by the Governor when he say the state government are working together with Commercial banks to give Kaduna state Students Scholarships in form of loans as it is been done in some developed countries, that was when we knew we are not in any way close to the middle of the tunnel.

“ I personally find it hard to place why a Government that comes to the media to Boast of generating so much revenue for the state yet can’t pay students scholarships, truly speaking it’s not really a funny experience for

“Those of us following the trend of events in the state It has been three(3) Academic Sessions now without a penny from the state government to help Kaduna State Students augment for the high cost of living in most school environment around the country which has brought about a perilous experience to a lot of student.

“As a result of this ordeal over 73,632 students are subjected to various forms of hardship and challenges ranging from Tuition Fees which has led to deferment of sessions, Semester and in some cases even withdrawal, also House Rents which has led students to stay more than 5 in a room, and some sent packing, it must be noted this two above mention issues has really brought concern especially in the aspect of ladies taken advantage of either strangers or the opposite sex just for the sake of meeting ends which is not a good record for this administration. Also the cost of printing assignments has left some students with carry overs as some could not even borrow to do those course works

as they were not even sure of the next meal. Now a new session is already here and some state institution have given a short time for registration the question is what will be the fate of Kaduna state students this registration season again?

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“It must be understood that Kaduna State students are studying under intense frustration which is leading to immense depression, thereby hampering on Academic performance amongst students which has been on the decline within this almost 4years of this administration.

“Lastly it is with great displeasure we bring to the notice of the General Public the sudden disappearance of Visiting Lecturers in state own institutions which has now complicated things as we see shortage of man power in Institutions around the state, which is greatly affecting most of us students schooling in those institutions, for God sakes this is the center of learning! It is so pathetic, we are tired of this agonizing situations and we cannot take it anymore!

The submission of the group read thus:

Our Demands!

  1. We demand for the immediate reversal of the new scholarship scheme

as it all but a bunch of cake in the middle of nowhere in other words

very unrealistic.

  1. For not paying the student scholarship as reflected in the state appropriation bill for 3 years, we want to believe you have intensions to which is why We demand for the payment in arrears of our old Scholarship Bursaries for those three Sessions.
  2. We also demand the refund of 500 Naira paid to the scholarship Board by almost 50,000 students to purchase scholarship forms which was never granted, payment should be made to their personal accounts as we all know some of them have graduated and others even are no more.

In the light of the above we are giving the state government an ultimatum of 21days (which ends on Thursday 1st November. 2018) to meet our demands as failure to do so, we shall, without compromise shutdown the 3zones in the state ubiquitously until our needs are met. This is not a promise, it is our decision.

“We call on all sister unions to join in solidarity as this matter affect everyone whether directly or indirectly.