A 24-year-old man identified as Samuel Ogbonna, is among 150 Nigerians studying in the United Kingdom on scholarships, who may be forced to return home before Christmas because their funding has been stopped by their sponsors.

A British newspaper, The Sunday Telegraph, first brought the plight of these students to the knowledge of the public in a publication that recently caused a stir in the education sector in Nigeria.

According to Punch Metro, Ogbonna, in an online interview, painted a disturbing picture of the condition in which he and his fellow compatriots have found themselves in the UK.

Saddled with debts of up to £20,000 each, most of them, especially those who completed their courses last academic session, have been informed by their respective universities that they will not receive their degree certification.

Ogbonna, like many others, has been evicted from his apartment on campus for failing to pay his rent and now lives with some of his friends outside the university.

“It is difficult for me here because I don’t receive any support from home. My mum, a single parent who works as a civil servant, barely has enough to assist me financially. I have had to depend on the friends and families that I met here for food and shelter,” he told our correspondent.

Narrating how he came to find himself in such a situation, he said, “Right from my first year of study at the university, the Rivers State Government through the agency, the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency, delayed payment of my school fees and maintenance fee. It only got worse as time went on.

“At some point, my colleagues and I were owed maintenance/upkeep money for 15 months. As a result, we were in debt for several months. Most of us couldn’t afford to pay our rent as there was no money. Some students were kicked out of their residences, especially those living in private houses. Those of us who lived in the university were threatened several times with lawsuits for breaching our contracts.

“Several months after it failed to pay our upkeep money and tuition fees, the state government officially announced in 2016 that they were going to withdraw funding for our scholarships. By this time, some students had already been kicked out of their courses.

“Some institutions, such as the University of Huddersfield, even sent delegates to Nigeria to discuss with the government on how they could resolve this issue, maybe come up with a plan on how fees can be cleared, but nothing positive came out of that.”

Ogbonna also said the government did not pay his second year fees. As a result, he is unable to proceed to final year. In September, the management of the University of Leeds placed him on temporary leave. This means that he will not be allowed to attend classes until he clears his outstanding fees.

It got to a point that he was forced to open a gofundme account online to raise funds from charity and well meaning individuals.

“Although I have managed to find a paid job, as an international student I have limited permission to work. This means that I am restricted to only part time hours of employment. This continues to make it very difficult for me to gather enough money to clear my outstanding charges and financially plan for my final year.

“Apart from this, my fees cost so much that I can’t afford it. Now I have to raise two times the amount to pay my second year and final year fees, respectively,” he explained.

A few weeks ago, it looked as if fortune was about to smile on Ogbonna and his fellow students when Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State visited London. But their hopes were dashed when the governor declined to address them.

Ogbonna said, “We felt it would be a good opportunity to speak with him directly about our condition and our struggles. But this did not go as we expected because the governor refused to grant us audience. I was there in London and I saw for myself how he treated us.

“My colleagues and I waited outside the Chatham House for him to give us an explanation and also tell us how and when the funds will be released to clear our fees but he refused to talk to us.

“However, inside the house, he did answer a question regarding the scholarship. According to him, the scholarship was cancelled because the previous administration had awarded the scholarships to children of their political aides. And also, that the courses we were studying were those like Economics, English, Philosophy that can be studied back home. But that is not true.”

Asked what he thought might be the state government’s real motive for withdrawing funding for those studying abroad, he replied, “I suspect that the political rift between the previous and the present administration is the real and main reason for the cancelation of the scholarship.”

However, Ogbonna has appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to assist him financially to complete his education. “My desire is to return to school, complete my degree and become a graduate so that I can apply the skills that I have acquired to the benefit of the society,” he said.


http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2017/11/i-am-now-depending-on-friends-for-food.html

That's bad upbringing

Ppl do leave Nigeria illegally to go and survive over there and here you are complaining.

Why not leave them n go hustle

See your face self, Egbo encrusted face

You look so unintelligent

How did you get the scholarship?

Scholarship that was denied so many of us simply bcs we don't know-man-know-man despite having a record of 3.75 CGPA in 2nd year by 2005. It was a real mystery trying to understand how the scholarship awardee were selected during those days.

All the same I feel sorry for this current crops of beneficiaries. May God touch d heart of Nyesom to approve the payment

You will scale through

.

sorry

If you expect me to empathize with you; then you are a mumu.

Life is very simple....you mustn't study abroad.
Come back to Auchi Polytechnic.

oga find work

I still don't understand why states in Nigeria give people scholarships to study abroad when the states have their universities that offer the same courses...........

My desire is to return to school, complete my degree and become a graduate so that I can apply the skills that I have acquired to the benefit of the society,” he said.

Taaaaaaaa, Who u won scam? Which society? So u are telling me that after your studies u will return back to Nigeria?My friend tell me another story or come back, we that's here are still breathing!.
I just dey watch you like this!!

Com bk home to study in naija

Joephat:
That's bad upbringing

Ppl do leave Nigeria illegally to go and survive over there and here you are complaining.

Why not leave them n go hustle

See your face self, Egbo encrusted face

You look so unintelligent

How did you get the scholarship?

It's quite amazingly sad that someone like you, who was duped over $150 by a fake travel agent just because you're so desperate to travel and become an illegal immigrant can come here, open your dirty stinky mouth and abuse someone who went out of his way for quality education.

He went there LEGALLY to study and you're here shouting your colones who are overseas Ilegally.

And that troll that said he should come back to Auchi poly, don't always try too hard to be funny. Sometimes, dey use your head.


Wike should not by any means play politics with the life of these children. Because one thing about studying in the UK for masters is that WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH THE PROGRAM, IT'S GUARANTEED YOU'RE COMING BACK HOME TO NIGERIA. So they're coming back to help the economy.

It's time to pay their fee off Oga Wike.

Peace.

NwaAmaikpe:

If you expect me to empathize with you; then you are a mumu.
Life is very simple....you mustn't study abroad. Come back to Auchi Polytechnic.

Ode

Joephat:
That's bad upbringing

Ppl do leave Nigeria illegally to go and survive over there and here you are complaining.

Why not leave them n go hustle

See your face self, Egbo encrusted face

You look so unintelligent

How did you get the scholarship?

You are absolutely right,he should have placed himself on Leave and go out there to work even before the school did it for him
They are just clueless students probably the children of clueless party members in fact cluelessness runs in thei blood

Bro,Sorry 1st of all

But thought u are an IboBring Out tha Our Ibo Brain

Ehyaa pele

Now when it involves Wike, all of his supporters have decided not to talk about it. The other day Wike was talking rudely to these guys as if they are beggars and nobody, which never happened during Ameachi.
The goat could go and watch life matches abroad while leaving his students to rot away in a foreign land.

They should come back home!

No place like home.

Home, sweet home.

Joephat:
That's bad upbringing

Ppl do leave Nigeria illegally to go and survive over there and here you are complaining.

Why not leave them n go hustle

See your face self, Egbo encrusted face

You look so unintelligent

How did you get the scholarship?

ask am o see as ehn hair dey like all ds yahoo rascal

and u expect us to pity u abi


nonsense , can't u repatriate yourself , na by force to stay abroad , with ur jagajaga hair .

msheeeeeeeeeeewww

NwaAmaikpe:


If you expect me to empathize with you; then you are a mumu.
Life is very simple....you mustn't study abroad.
Come back to Auchi Polytechnic.

There is a thin line between trying to be funny and looking stupified

brainpulse:
Now when it involves Wike, all of his supporters have decided not to talk about it. The other day Wike was talking rudely to these guys as if they are beggars and nobody, which never happened during Ameachi.
The goat could go and watch life matches abroad while leaving his students to rot away in a foreign land.

Wike is indeed a wicked man.You will be surprised to hear that the forex he took from rivers state treasury to go and watch that match can pay for what these unfortunate students are demanding. Many of them have finished their studies but can't get their certificates without clearing the debts.

Who awards these scholarships abroad? Why not sponsor them to Federal/State Universities here in Nigeria?

Come back home and get your degree in a school here.. Government no send una and UK na very hard country to survive in without finance.

Listen to my songs at http://my.notjustok.com/p/oracle

I've never been on scholarship but I'm having a similar situation.... Mine may be a little bit worse. I'm in the fifth year of study at a medical university in Russia. My father has been the one paying my fees since the beginning of my course. I lost my elder brother last year, he used to support with some money that I use for upkeep, it was a very terrible loss. Shortly after that my father had an auto accident that has left him incapacitated since then. As I'm typing this message, I'm in my room as I've not been able to pay both the tuition and my rent. The school authority has asked me to stop attending classes. And I don't know who to call for help. My father is critically ill and I'm sure if he hears that I'm going to be sent home soon his condition will get worse as he's suffering from Arterial hypertension before the accident. Please if anyone is reading this and has a way to assist me, even if it's not going to be personal, you can help me talk to anyone or any group who might be able to help me. I can provide all credentials if need be. Please help me.
simplespecialkenny@gmail.com
You may contact me here or +79648797757. Thank you

This is your best comment yet, its only a lazy man that will travel abroad and not be resourceful

NwaAmaikpe:


If you expect me to empathize with you; then you are a mumu.

Life is very simple....you mustn't study abroad.
Come back to Auchi Polytechnic.

Na Laziness dey worry this one, UK wey work plenty, wey Citizens no fit do put will fetch you good money at least they gave them 20hrs/week to work. My own time I work as I was schooling and I made good money and also made a good result.