Amidst the rising frustration of Nigerian students in Russia, a few of their mother and father on the weekend appealed to President Bola Tinubu to wade into the circumstances liable for the delay within the fee of the month-to-month allowance operating to 9 months to the scholars in varied cities in Russia.
The students are below the Bilateral Schooling Settlement, which is being run by the Federal Scholarship Board (FDB).
The scholars are entitled to a month-to-month allowance from the Nigerian and Russian governments. Whereas the host nation is assembly its obligations which cowl tuition and lodging, allowance from the Nigerian authorities which is supposed to cowl feeding and different upkeeps haven’t been paid since June 2023.
Chatting with our correspondent, a supply on the Nigerian Scholarship Board, who volunteered info on the situation of anonymity disclosed that the fee of the eight-month allowance had been ready and forwarded to the Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN)which is the final stage for disbursement.
“The fee is being labored upon, however it’s being affected by forms attributable to some administration adjustments and the depreciation of the naira worth which warrants a make-up via supplementary funds,” the supply mentioned.
Nonetheless, when our correspondent reached out to the spokesperson for the apex financial institution, Hakama Sidi Ali, on February 24 for affirmation, she promised to achieve out and revert. All correspondences afterward had been ignored, whereas a name put throughout to her yesterday was aborted.
A spokesperson for the mother and father group, Mr. Kola Benson mentioned since final yr June when the scholars had been paid their allowance, they haven’t been paid since then and that a lot of the mother and father need to beg kin for them to ship small monetary assist to their wards.
Of their safe-our-souls attraction to the President, the mother and father lamented that the scholars are being distracted by lack of cash and that the present financial challenges in Nigeria are irritating their efforts to face within the hole whereas the fee of allowance is being awaited.
“The poor financial state of affairs in Nigeria is making it tough for most of the mother and father to do something significant and the youngsters are pissed off.
“We’re begging President Bola Tinibu to bail us out in order that the youngsters wouldn’t be pushed by starvation to do what they aren’t speculated to do since their households are usually not in Russia,” a spokesperson for the mother and father mentioned.
There are presently, over 2,500 Nigerian college students finding out throughout the numerous universities in Russia, notably in cities like Moscow, St Petersburg, Kazan, Belgorod, Rostov, Voronezh, Kursk, and Samara.
