Sokoto students protest non-payment of scholarship

Category: News Published on Thursday, 07 March 2013 05:00 Written by Sunday Isuwa, Kaduna

Sokoto State Students Association yesterday in Kaduna, protested over non-payment of scholarship since 2010.

The students also frowned at a story published in a National Newspapers (Not Daily Trust), credited to the Executive Chairman, Sokoto State Scholarship board, Alhaji Abdul Kadir Jelani Kalgo that over N1billion was spend in 2012 on both foreign and domestic students.

Speaking with Daily Trust, the leader of the Sokoto State Student Union in Kaduna Polytechnic, Bello Abdulaziz said the purported splashing of N1 billion on foreign and domestic students in 2012 as stated in the story was untrue adding that they have not received a kobo since 2010.

“As you can see, the leaders of the Sokoto State Students Union in ABU Zaria are here, those of Kaduna Polytechnic are here, FUT Minna and that of University of Abuja are all here. Our students from various schools wanted to embark on a violent protest but we told them no. We called for this meeting in Kaduna to intimate our governor, Magatakarda Wamakko concerning claims that N1 billion was spend in 2012 on Sokoto state students,” he said.

When contacted, the Special Adviser to Sokoto State governor on Media, Sani Umar said that the state government has shown total commitment to the welfare of the students adding, “if there is a problem over non-payment, it should be from somewhere.”

“We are not aware that the students have not been paid. This should be a problem either from the Banks or from the Scholarship board but certainly, the government will look into the matter,” Umar said.