Nigeria: Students complains financial pressure, agency probes Kano in foreign scholarship program

“The state government has involved the commission to supervise, investigate and take charge of the lingering foreign crisis, which is becoming very worrisome by the day. The commission’s intervention reveals that consultants were used as intermediaries, which makes the program easy to be manipulated. Allegations exist that fraudulent activities bedeviled the program and some of the hardships encountered by the students are orchestrated by some of the consultants and political gladiators involved."

To investigate the use of funds made for Kano's foreign scholarship in Nigeria has been launched, according to a report by The Nation.

The investigation has been launched by the Kano State Public Complaints with the Anti-corruption Commission which will find out the use of the scholarship around six years ago, it reported.

The issue aired after several students raised complaints of existing financial pressure. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Kano State governor to it said that he has settled an amount of N7 billion of the total foreign scholarship program that he inherited from the prior administration.

The scholarship program was reportedly started Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, Ganduje’s predecessor, sponsored the students of Kano to enroll and study in foreign universities naming, Uganda, Sudan, China, Egpyt, India, and Cyprus.

The amount of N7 billion of the scholarship which has been spent by the Ganduje administration was reportedly assigned for tuition fees, books, accommodation, medical insurance, resident permit, and 'upkeep allowance.

However, Ganduje on the investigation said he has been asking the government to allot more funds.

Adding to it, Muhyi Magaji, Chairman of the anti-corruption commission disclosed, “the governor is worried about the unending demand on the issue (scholarship) which ought to have ended by now".

Magaji stated the Ganduje has instructed the anti-graft body to monitor the current position and the procedure of the foreign scholarship program.

“The state government has involved the commission to supervise, investigate and take charge of the lingering foreign crisis, which is becoming very worrisome by the day. The commission’s intervention reveals that consultants were used as intermediaries, which makes the program easy to be manipulated. Allegations exist that fraudulent activities bedeviled the program and some of the hardships encountered by the students are orchestrated by some of the consultants and political gladiators involved,” Magaji said.

Magaji, however, added that the investigation has begun to disclose the truth, stating that the government has released a total of N144 million to the commission to facilitate the students studying abroad.