A group of postgraduate students from Borno State who were awarded scholarships in non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields have made an urgent appeal to Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, asking him to intervene in the disbursement of their scholarship funds, on Monday.
These students, who are part of the 524 recipients of scholarships announced on June 7, 2024, are raising concerns that they have not yet received their stipends, despite being part of the original group.
The total scholarship amount awarded to all students in the program was 4.5 billion naira, but according to the non-STEM recipients, their STEM counterparts have already received their funds, leaving them excluded.
The non-STEM awardees say that they went through the same application, screening, and award process as their STEM counterparts.
They were also included in all official communications up until the point when the funds were disbursed. However, when it came time to distribute the scholarship stipends, they were left out with no explanation.
To add to their frustration, the affected students reported that they were suddenly removed from the official WhatsApp group that was set up to facilitate communication and coordination among the scholarship recipients.
This exclusion has only heightened their concerns and left them feeling marginalized and uncertain about their situation.
In light of these developments, the non-STEM awardees are now appealing to Governor Zulum to intervene and ensure that their scholarship funds are released.
They are hoping that the Governor’s involvement will help rectify the situation and bring them the financial support they were promised.
As of now, the Governor has yet to make a public statement on the issue, but the non-STEM students remain hopeful that their concerns will be addressed in a timely manner.
