Paul Orude, Bauchi
President of National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Prince Mohammed Sani Hassan, has raised the alarm that about 1,000 Bauchi State students currently studying abroad are stranded.
Hassan explained that their plight is due to inability of the State Government to pay their scholarship.
He made the disclosure on Sunday, while addressing newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat, in Bauchi.
He maintained that of the 36 states of the Federation, only 10 are up to date in payment of scholarship.
Said he, “For the past three years Bauchi State Government has been unable to pay scholarship for students of the state studying in Nigeria or abroad, as a result 100 of them students have returned home from abroad without completing their studies, while some of them are roaming around the streets without transport fare to return home,” he said.
He said most of the affected student are those schooling in Egypt, Cyprus, Russia, Vietnam and England, adding that the state government has failed its students woefully in terms of payment of scholarship.
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He explained that, “Bauchi State Government has started sales of scratch cards for scholarship but let me tell you out of 30,000 students of Bauchi state.
“No fewer than 10,000 bought the scratch card. Because we have lost confidence in him. We think government is just playing politics with us.
“After three years without scholarship now that the election is approaching he wants to lure students with scholarship to vote him in the coming generation election. Government should stop playing politics with students welfare and our studies”.
He explained that the scholarship is not much but the students need it in time so that it will tarry with their plans and program of activities in school.
He also called on all state governors to fear God and pay student their scholarship at as when due.