The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa says it has resolved the case of Nigerian students of Amnesty Programme who are facing financial challenge in South Africa.

Amb. Martin Cobham, Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner in South Africa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday in Abuja by telephone from Pretoria that the mission had intervened in that regard.

He said that the mission had been able to resolve a consular concern where more than 30 Nigerian students of the Amnesty Programme were served notice by their landlords in South Africa.

“On the issue of the students in South Africa, I was able to intervene and it was addressed frontally.

“The students appeared to be abandoned, as if there is no government reaching out to their plight, ordeal or frustration.

“These people were being brought to South Africa officially to undergo some professional study and were not being paid their allowances since February,” he said.

He said that the issue called for concern so as to avoid a situation whereby they would begin to create problems and they would be arrested or seen as threat to the environment.

He said that he had spoken to the coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme, retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh to pay them their stipends as and when due.

Cobham said that the effort was to repudiate consul’s problem and ensure that the students were not being thrown out by their landlord and landladies.

“The problem is that if the issue is not addressed on time they can turn to social vices to survive such as stealing, fraud and what have you.

“And this thing has a way if reverting to our country by denting our image, we have problem of image in South Africa.

“So anything that wants to smear our image we want to prevent any image smearing of our country,” he said.

According to him, Boro has promised to pay their stipends in good time.

(Source: NAN)