Agency Report
Jigawa State government has disclosed that 195 medical students who were evacuated from war-torn Sudan and relocated to India and Cyprus, have started graduating with flying colours.
While receiving six out of the ten students studying in India yesterday, Executive Secretary of Jigawa State Scholarship Board, Saidu Magaji, announced that six out of the ten students who relocated to India from Sudan due to civil unrest, have graduated, with four earning a first-class degree in nursing.
He said when the war raged in Sudan, the Jigawa government proactively acted and evacuated 195 students from the country.
After the tedious processes of removing them from Sudan, it ensured that they returned to Nigeria without hitches.
“Even in Nigeria, upon their arrival in Abuja, government decided that they should not be taken to Jigawa with buses because they were still dealing with the trauma of how they escaped from Sudan.
“So, we chartered an aircraft that took them straight to Jigawa Airport, where we also provided them with transport fares to their respective homes.”
The secretary noted that due to the 12-point Human Agenda of the Umar Namadi government, he directed the scholarship board to secure admission for the students.
As a result, 185 of them were admitted to Near East University in Cyprus, and each was recently paid N4.5 million for their residence permits, health insurance and living allowances.
The executive secretary explained that of the ten students taken to Integral University in India, four are still there, with three studying Pharmacy and one studying Civil Engineering.
Meanwhile, the six students who graduated and returned to Nigeria include four female students who graduated with first-class degrees in of Nursing Sciences, while the remaining two male students graduated in the field of Industrial Chemistry.
“Already, we have approved N4 billion for living allowances, tuition fees, residence permits and other financial needs. We have also signed a bond with the students to serve in Jigawa for some time, along with the 185 students in Cyprus.”
Aisha Muhammad, who graduated with a first-class degree in Nursing Sciences, expressed happiness on her graduation, saying,“After the trauma of Sudan, we have now completed our studies successfully and we are ready to serve the state like never before.”
Abdullahi Isa, who graduated with a degree in Industrial Chemistry, said their studies in India was wonderful because the people were so accommodating.
Recalling how they suffered while crossing the borders of Sudan, he stated that if not for the timely intervention of the Jigawa State government, their education would have been over.
