Dear,
I am writing this article for you to use your platform to create awareness regarding 7 months unpaid allowance of rivers state scholars abroad. the students on scholarship abroad under the rivers state government have not been given their allowance including rent for 7months now and we are still counting. a lot of us are from poor backgrounds, and our parents are doing the little they can to support us but everything has been exhausted at this stage. our school fees have not been paid till date as I am writing this article I am about to be homeless, I have explained to my landlord for 6 months now and he has been patient enough with me as he has a mortgage to pay.

from the little i know, the sponsored students are in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Czech Republic, the United States of America and Canada and we are definitely over 500 student( just underestimating as i do not know the actual figures but we are more than this). As far as I know, our student reps have emailed the government several times with 'Be patient'' and ''pray' ;' being the constant reply. We have been patient enough, no rent money, no fees paid- most of us do not have access to the library as we speak as our student cards have been disabled, most of us do not have access to lectures and other learning materials online for the last 2weeks and exams are just around the corner and i have exhausted my last garri( I soak garri on a daily basis) as that is all i have). i am exhausted, i am stressed, tired of all this.

a lot of the students are scared of speaking up because no one wants to get in trouble; i must say that I appreciate the rivers state government for sponsoring their citizens abroad but I do not want to die in silence. some one needs to speak up. this is unfair, I know the oil prices fell greatly and the vast majority of our budget is dependent on oil but 7 months!!!!. owing students rent and feeding allowance for 7 months is just the limit we can take.

Please I would like for you to use your platform to publicise this treatment we are getting and appeal to the Rivers State government to come to our aid. we are suffering in silence. salaries of rivers state civil servants have not been paid for 2 months as well so our parents can not really do much for us at this stage.

I heard some students contacted their various ambassadors who promised to contact the state. we are been trying to get the news out there but i guess desperate situations call for desperate measure...I am desperate.

Kind Regards.