By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
It is really sad that no fewer than 63 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the Home for the Needy Foundation (IDP) camp, Uhorgua, Edo, may be stopped from writing their semester exams at the Niger Delta University, Oghara.
This is as the management of the camp’s inability to pay the N116. 3 million owed the institution for sponsorship of the IDPs.
This was disclosed in a letter from the institution authorities signed by the Acting Registrar, Mr Elvis Ofotokun, which was cited by NAN, on Thursday in Abuja.
The letter which has as its headline: Re: ‘’Overdue Payment of School Fees for IDP Sponsored Students’’ said that the amount was the total outstanding amount for the 2024/2025 academic session.
“We write to follow up on our previous correspondence regarding the outstanding debt incurred by your organisation for sponsored students in Western Delta University, Oghara.
”As you recall your team visited our institution twice to discuss payment modalities as we were assured of regular payment to settle indebtedness.
”Unfortunately, our records indicate that only N7.5 million has been paid since March 2024. The total outstanding amount for the 2024/2025 academic session now stands at N116, 323,000.
”This significant debt poses a substantial challenge to the university operations. In light of the above, management has decided to take drastic action to recover the debt,’’ it said.
Consequently, all your sponsored students will not be permitted to sit for the upcoming first semester examinations until this debt is settled,’’ the institution said.
Mr Solomon Folorunsho, Coordinator of the camp told NAN that the camp was appealing to kind hearted Nigerians to assist in offsetting the bill.
He said presently about 60 of the IDPs were in 400 and 500 level in the institution, adding that the years they have already spent should not be allowed to be a waste.
”I am appealing to kind hearted Nigerians whether in the country or outside the country as well as corporate orgnisations with educational foundations like the Tony Elumelu Foundation, TY Danjuma foundation among others to come to our aid.
”MTN, Glo, and other telecom giants, multi-national oil companies as well as indigenous oil companies, please see these students as your brothers and sisters and contribute to their achieving a life-long feat.
”We cannot allow them to drop by the way now that they are almost at the goalpost, please help the camp to help.
”We cannot do it alone, please help us. This education funding challenge is one among many other challenges we are facing in the camp,” the coordinator appealed