Bello Galadi (Turakin Galadi, Chiroman Batauna),
1. Good day Your Excellency. I hope you are having a pleasant weekend.
2. I have watched the video presentation of the Zamfara State students of the Cyprus International University.
3. I have also read the Press Release, issued by the Zamfara State Government on the subject matter, dated 2nd November, 2024. It is an international embarrassment, to say the least.
4. In truth, you have shown commitment to the plights of the students. This point is demonstrated in two (2) folds: One, from November 2023 to June 2024, you paid over N215, 000, 000.00 (two hundred and fifteen million naira only) to the Cyprus International University as liability. Two, on 14th August, 2024, you dispatched a 3- member delegation, comprising Hon. Malam Wadatau Madawaki, Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology; Hon. Bello Muhammad Auta, Commissioner of Finance and Hon. Barau Muazu, Special Adviser to the Executive Governor of Zamfara State on Finance and Economic Matters. The primary mandate of the delegation was to interface with the students and the university management in Cyprus, in an attempt to resolve the lingering issues. These twin gestures are commitments worthy of commendations.
5. Your Excellency, so many things are wrong with the delegation, the chief of which is the composition of the committee. The membership is grossly scanty. The task of the committee is too enormous for three (3) individuals. The membership should have comprised representation from the Ministry of Justice, Scholarship Board, Students’ Unions, academia, religious leaders and representatives of the parents.
6. Ordinarily, the delegation shouldn’t have left Cyprus without reaching a reasonable milestone with the university management. Alternatively, one of the members of the delegation should have remained in Cyprus until all the basic formalities are completed. The discrepancies on the actual liability should have been settled, reconciled and resolved within days of their visit. The university management should have been bounded by a comprehensive and validly signed memorandum of Understanding during the visit.
7. In my understanding, there was no proper follow- up by your government on the outcome of the meeting between your delegation and the university management.
8. In the Press Release issued by your government, dated 2nd November, 2024, you said the foundation on which the relationship between the university management and the Zamfara State Government was built, was faulty ab initio. You need to be reminded that government is a continues process and is successive in nature. Whatever wrong that was committed by the past government, you are expected to fix it and forge ahead.
9. As a government that declared state of emergency on education, I expect to see uncommon commitment and robust transformation of the education sector in Zamfara State, including regular payments of scholarship to students, local and abroad.
- Even though, education is not a right under the Nigeria’s Constitution, by Section 18(1),(2)&(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), every responsible government is expected to design, develop and implement its blueprints on education.
- The 93 students, who were sponsored on scholarship in 2019 by the Zamfara State Government, are our critical assets, as such, you need to give their case the proper attention it deserved. It is immaterial which government sponsored them. They are indigenes of Zamfara State, and therefore entitled to your attention as their governor.
- I am therefore appealing to you, to spare your time to personally visit the students and interface with the university management. Do not leave Cyprus until all the issues are resolved- issue of accommodation, tuition, allowances, residency permit, access to school facilities and canteen, etc.
- If this option fails, the issue should be cascaded to the local government level. All the political, religious, community, traditional and business leaders should organize themselves and take over the case and resolve it individually, in favour of the students of their local government areas. Education is too important to be the responsibility of the government alone. It is our collective duty to promote education, for our common good.
- And if all the options failed, I implore you to take steps to repatriate the students and secure admissions for them to complete their studies in Nigeria. There are quite a number of universities in Nigeria that are more qualitative than the Cyprus International University, in terms of academic excellence.
- On the final note, you may have to engage the services of Chartered Accountants and Auditors, to carry out forensic and thorough analysis of the whole transactions and determine the actual payments made, since 2019, and the actual outstanding liability.
- Please accept the assurances of my sincere goodwill, Your Excellency, Sir.
Galadi is a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gusau Branch (covering Zamfara State). He is the President of Bello Galadi Foundation.
He can be reached on:
Muhammadbel_law@yahoo.com and muhammadbellaw80@gmail.com and twitter handle:@bello_galadi1
2nd November, 2024
