The Patriotic Citizens of Nigeria (PACON), a non-governmental organisation, has called Bayelsa State Government to pay the school fees and allowances of foreign scholarship students who are stranded. It made the call in a statement issued on Thursday in Yenegoa jointly signed by its Chairman, Aluzu Ebikebuna, and Secretary Powedei Debekeme.

The group noted that stories of Bayelsa students on government scholarship suffering deprivations in their schools overseas are putting the state in bad light.

Eleven students on the scholarship of the Bayelsa Government at the Kings University College (KUC), Aplaku Hills, Ghana, have been barred by the institution’s authority from sitting for the end of semester examination.

The NGO said that affected students were asked not to sit for the examination which began on May 18 because the Bayelsa State Scholarship Board had not paid their school fees.

PACON further explained that among the eleven students, three are in their final year law degree programme while six in other disciplines are also in their final year.

It noted that the KUC management had on May 3 written to the affected students informing them that the state scholarship board had defaulted in the payment of their school fees, despite earlier assurances to the contrary.

PACON said the university’s management had concluded plans to send the indebted students back home on May 29.

The group also said that two other scholarship students, Elizabeth Ebikake and Aikien Abasi, of Knusford University College, Ghana, and the University College Sedaya International in Malaysia were facing the same issue.

The Bayelsa Government had earlier explained that it is finding it difficult to meet its financial obligations to beneficiaries of foreign scholarships, pledging to clear the outstanding fees in batches.