Parents of abandoned Zamfara students in Cyprus begin mediation efforts

The Parents’ Association of Zamfara’s abandoned 88 students studying at Cyprus International University has entered into mediation and consultation with the university and the Zamfara State government to resolve the impasse.

In a press conference held on Friday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) correspondents chapel office in Zamfara State, the Chairman of the Zamfara Cyprus Students’ Parents’ Association, Ambassador Ibrahim Tudu, called on all concerned to desist from further unsubstantiated remarks and the politicisation of the issues of Zamfara Cyprus students.

“We are here once again on the issue of the 88 Zamfara State-sponsored students at Cyprus International University, Nicosia, who have been facing challenges, and their situation has generated a lot of concern from parents, groups, and the general public.

“This time around, we are here to send a direct message of commendation to His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, Dr Dauda Lawal, for listening to us as the parents and guardians of the children and graciously sitting, meeting, and discussing with us all the issues raised with a view to remedying them.

“We also wish to send special thanks to the Zamfara State Ulama Consultative Council, led by Sheik Ahmad Umar Kanoma, for the role they played and for their timely intervention based on our request by successfully facilitating the meeting with the state government.”

The parents of Cyprus students acknowledged the role played by other individuals and personalities who showed concern over the plight of their children.

“We wish to also inform the general public that, as parents, we are pleased to enter into consultation and mediation between Cyprus University and the Zamfara State government with a view to resolving the impasse to enable the children to continue and finish their studies and come back home,” he said.

It could be recalled that a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Zamfara Circle Community Initiative, raised the alarm about the living conditions of Zamfara government-sponsored students in Cyprus, saying they still lack proper accommodation and some male students still sleep in the mosque.

Dr Aminu Lawal, Chairman of Zamfara Circle Community Initiative, during a press conference held in Gusau, the state capital, lamented that most of the Zamfara students in Cyprus have to engage in menial labour to feed themselves.

According to him, their visas and passports have expired. “To live in a foreign country without legal documentation puts them at risk of imprisonment and deportation,” he mentioned.

He stated that already one of the students had suffered this fate and was deported to Lagos in handcuffs, while one is still in prison,” he further lamented.

Dr Lawal highlighted that Zamfara Circle, on 17 October 2024, submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Zamfara State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology seeking information on the status of the Zamfara State students left stranded in Cyprus.

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