By
Anas Sani Anka
I have listened to the press briefing by Malam Ibrahim Tudu on behalf of the forum of parents and guardians of Zamfara students studying at Cyprus University, and I am of the humble opinion that the Governor, as a matter of public interest, should intervene directly and resolve the issues affecting their studies.
My reasons are not too complex for anyone to understand and I believe that whatever has happened from the time of Governor Matawalle, who initiated their scholarship scheme, to the present, no one can put the blame on these students.
From the inception, no one doubted that the intention of former Governor Bello Matawalle in initiating this scheme was genuinely good. From the selection process to the completion of their departure to Cyprus, everything, based on the testimonies of both the parents and guardians of these students, was done transparently.
However, one must admit that the former Governor allowed some heartless individuals within his government to hijack the entire exercise, and it eventually became fraudulent.
Ordinarily, the former Governor should have intervened directly to ensure that the exercise did not collapse. Instead, he allowed certain people who were not part of the initiative to lead the exercise and advise him wrongly.
It is regrettable that throughout his tenure, despite consistent appeals made to him to save this initiative, he refused to see the wisdom in it and instead took a stand that undermined the entire program.
When Governor Dauda Lawal was campaigning, some people said he promised to save these students if he was elected as Governor, which gave renewed hope to the families of the students left stranded in Cyprus.
Surprisingly, however, a lot of indecisions characterized the Governor’s goodwill in his efforts to address the crisis affecting these students, and that is very sad.
I believe the Governor does not need to be informed of the benefits attached to education because he is a product of public education himself.
It is my humble view that, in the interest of promoting education in the state, I support the idea of the forum of parents and guardians of these students that the Governor should, instead of recalling these students back to Nigeria, try as much as he can to settle the backlog of debt incurred by these students and allow the them to complete their programs.
Abandoning their program due to a lack of willingness on the site of the Governor to settle the incurred debt would be the highest form of injustice these students could face.
The future of these students now lies in the hands of Governor Dauda Lawal, and the Governor should, as a matter of public interest, not listen to those within his government who want to complicate and politicize the matter.
The response by Malam Ibrahim Tudu to the media outburst by one of the Governor’s spokespersons, Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, is a testament that if the Governor is not decisive, these individuals may hijack the entire process and further confuse these stranded students.
The Governor should not dwell on what happened before he became Governor but should instead push forward to resolve this impending catastrophe for these students.
Critical stakeholders in Zamfara including Emirs, politicians, religious leaders and friends of the Governor should also lend their voice by talking to the Governor in their different ways to let him see wisdom in saving the future of these students.
It is my prayer that God Almighty will use the Governor to end this controversy so that the future of these students can be saved.
