The case of the stranded Rivers students in the United Kingdom whose scholarships were suspended by the State Government is one where that requires the intervention of former Rivers Governor and current Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

The scholarship scheme was established when Amaechi was in power through the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency with the objective of developing the state and addressing its manpower needs within the shortest time frame by providing a window of opportunity for youth who exhibit the propensity for superior academic aptitude to acquire education both locally and overseas.

Stopping the scholarships at this point will affect over 800 Rivers indigenes as they will be deported at the expiration of their visas without their degrees. This will have a lot of implications to the state including insecurity and other heinous crimes that are associated with such an influx of bitter former scholarship awardees.

The former Governor is occupying a vantage position today as a Federal Minister and one of the leaders of the ruling party in Nigeria, and as a result, he should use his influence to assist these students especially the final year ones to ensure that they at least graduate and the funds already spent on them is not wasted.

The federal government is operating various scholarship schemes which can be expanded to accommodate these students especially the ones being promoted by the Ministry of Niger-delta and the office of the SA to the President on Amnesty.

The success of these students is not for the state alone but the country at large. The federal government must not allow these citizens of hers to get trapped in the United Kingdom without making concrete efforts to alleviate their challenges.

Also, the Minister of Transportation is enjoined for the sake of these students to close ranks with his successor and put their personal differences aside to save these students. Their future must not be sacrificed on the altar of politics.

Editor