A Zamfara State-based civil society organisation, Zamfara Circle Community Initiative, has lamented the situation of some stranded Zamfara students in Cyprus and called on the state government to take steps to address the problem.

The Chairman of the organisation, Dr Al-amin Tsafe, made the call at a press briefing in Gusau on Saturday.

Mr Tsafe appealed to the state government to immediately commence the process of paying debts affecting the students.

He said, “We are in contact with various philanthropists and well-meaning individuals and organisations from within and outside the state who are willing to intervene and help to support the students. We believe the matter is the responsibility of the government.”

According to Mr Tsafe, as a CSO working to promote humanity, it believes that parents cannot continue to watch while the lives of their children are in serious danger,

He said, “Therefore, we give a five-day ultimatum to the state government to take action before we embark on an appeal fund project to rescue the students. On October 17, 2024, we submitted a memorandum to the state government concerning the status of the state’s students stranded in Cyprus. That was to balance the information from the side of the government with what was obtained from other stakeholders including parents, CSOs and the students themselves, identify the gaps and advise the government where necessary. Till today, however, there is no response to that inquiry.’’

Mr Tsafe, however, said that the problem was inherited from the previous government, adding, “We believe the business of governance is a continuum.

We noted that the state government under Governor Dauda Lawal made some moves to help the students.”

He lamented that the students still lacked proper accommodation and had to engage in menial labour to feed themselves.

He decried that the students were under the risk of exploitation by employers due to the lack of legal documentation.

He stated, “Their visas and passports have expired, for them to live in a foreign country without legal documentation puts their lives at the risk of imprisonment and deportation. Already, one of the students had suffered this fate and was deported to Lagos in handcuffs and another one is still in prison. We urge the state government, as a matter of urgency, to provide those students with funds for upkeep and accommodation.’’

Mr Tsafe urged that the state government should take steps to renew their passports and visas so that they can live freely without fear of arrest, imprisonment or deportation.

He added, “The state government should act urgently to save the students from being held in prison or deported. Government should use the figures generated from the students’ portals as the verified debt owed to the university by the state government. We appeal to the state government to take tentative steps to mitigate further occurrence of this problem.’’

Mr Lawal, in a press release signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Sulaiman Idris, said the state government was taking plausible measures to resolve the issue. 

(NAN)