EXCLUSIVE: Why 246 Nigerian Students on Scholarship in Canada Face Deportation

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nigerian students facing deportation canada

At least 246 Nigerian students studying in nearly 14 universities in Canada on scholarships are likely to be deported by December following failure to pay their allowance since January this year.

The Nigerian students are youths from poor backgrounds who were handed scholarships to study in Canada by Nigerian governments and agencies covering their four year degree programme.

With tuition and living expenses owed running into millions of dollars, the Canadian government and some of the university authorities have resolved to deport the Nigerians if the accumulated debt are not paid before the end of December.

The President of Nigerian Students Association in University of Manitoba, Oyindamola Alaka said the Nigerian students are in distress over failure to access their living allowances for the past 11 months and their tuition running into millions of dollars in arrears.

“The situation is now critical. The issue is gaining momentum here due to huge of students affected in Canada,” Alaka, told SavidNews from her campus residence in Winnipeg.

“The Nigerian students have owed millions of dollars in overdue fees due to the failings of the overseas study scholarships programme given to many of them.

“Time is running out for the students as they only have 30 days to upset their debts or else face deportation. They need urgent intervention from the Nigerian government to avoid having their study programme abruptly ended,” she said.

One of the affected students, Wisdom Eji, who is an engineering student at University of Regina, said his fellow Nigerians who were admitted on scholarships, have been left to cater for themselves after failure to receive funding from sponsors.

“We have been abandoned,” We live right now like we don’t have sponsors. Like things get bad — I just wish I didn’t even come here. I just wish I was at home,” Wisdom Eji, RSSDA-sponsored University of Regina engineering student told local media.
According to Eji, you just wish you didn’t even have the scholarship in the first place because things get bad, I just wish I didn’t even come here and wish I was at home.

Eji is one of nearly 50 students sponsored by the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) to study at the University of Regina, but he lamented his deteriorating situation which had seen his result marks dropped by 15-20 percentage points.

RSSDA is a Rivers State government organisation sponsoring hundreds of poor but academically gifted students to study at universities in 14 countries, including Canada.

Aside tuition, Eji said that RSSDA promised them a living allowance of $1,100 a month to cover their rent, food and other expenses. He recalled that, “Before we left Nigeria they are like, don’t even work. We’ll give you everything you need.”
SavidNews learnt that the RSSDA owes students about $3 million in living allowance, which had seen the affected students taking up working part-time job while continuing his full-time studies.

It also added that RSSDA owns $2.5 million in tuition to 14 Canadian universities with $1.3 million debt to the University of Regina for the 2014/15 academic year of 124 sponsored students studied at the institution.

Meanwhile, the acting executive director of Nigeria’s Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency, Godwin Poi, has credited its failure to pay tuition and living allowance payments for students to the falling oil prices.

“It is absolutely correct to do so. It’s a government, and we can’t afford government obligations and responsibilities to fail,” Poi said.

With 30 days ultimatum running out, Poi is pleading with the Canadian universities and government for patience on behalf of the Nigerian students.

“It is tragic and sad that we’re in the situation we are in. To the best of my knowledge all the governments have done their best to fund the situation for them,” he continued, “We have gone through a very serious phase of funding for the country and the state.”

However, the University of Regina, which has admitted the largest number of Nigerian students in Canada, had during the 2012/13 academic year, taken in 155 RSSDA sponsored students.

The director of executive reporting services at the University of Regina, Lamont Stradeski, said the Canadian high institution holds a relationship with the RSSDA since 2008 and expresses confident the university will be paid.

“I guess the recourse the university has is we can stop students from registering further,” Stradeski continued, “however, we wouldn’t do that unless we had serious concerns that we would not receive payment, which at this point we don’t.”

At University of Manitoba, which is owed The RSSDA owes more than $250,000, looks likely to approach the matter with a tougher resolution.

Gift Amadi who is a degree student on scholarship funded by RSSDA and studying political science at the University of Manitoba, is facing troubles of paying his tuition bill which is due.

Gift Amadi who is a degree student studying political science at the University of Manitoba on scholarship funded by RSSDA, is facing troubles of paying his tuition bill which is due.
Gift Amadi who is a degree student studying political science at the University of Manitoba on scholarship funded by RSSDA, is facing troubles of paying his tuition bill which is due.

Amadi confirmed to SavidNews that, “The school is saying you have just about 30 days left to pay what’s left for this term and If not I won’t be able to register for the winter term.”

“Right now I’m taking classes and I’m thinking of feeding. I haven’t eaten since morning and I’m in class.”
Meanwhile, the President of Nigerian Students in University of Manitoba said the association are taking action through forming a committee to mobilize support for the affected students.

They also aim to push friends, family and the media to pressure the Nigerian government.

“We have formed a committee and looking at alternatives to which we can mobilise supports for the students, especially in Manitoba.

“It’s a truly difficult time for us and the affected students. I’m comfortable with this satiation, but someone has got to stand to say ‘OK, this is the right thing and we can do it if we stand for what is right and we speak up about it,” she said.

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