Varsity suspends 185 Amnesty Programme scholars over debt

…amnesty office explains delay in payment

The authorities of Baze University, Abuja, on Thursday ordered the suspension of some students of the institution due to outstanding fees.

The PUNCH gathered that about 185 of the affected students are under the Federal Government-sponsored Presidential Amnesty Programme’s scholarship.

The undergraduates were said to have been asked to leave when they were about to sit for their Digital Entrepreneurship examination.

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One of the affected students said, “On Thursday, December 8, 2022, all students offering the course titled Digital Entrepreneurship (GEN 201), amounting to over 500 students in number, convened at the Baze University multi-purpose hall to sit the final exams for this semester.

“We were seated and ready to start at any moment when a lecturer informed us that he would be calling out a list of names, and if your name or matriculation number is mentioned, you are to walk to the end of the hall.

“We were then escorted out of the hall and taken to the registration block, where we were informed that we have henceforth been suspended by the school from writing the final exams because we have not paid our school fees for this semester.”

Another student said, “Our school fees were not paid, and that is why we were sent out. We heard that the government has sent a representative to the school.”

An inquiry sent to the university has not been responded to at the time of filing this report.

The interim administrator of PAP, Major General BT Ndiomu, has however sent a letter to the university’s Registrar, Dr Mani Ahmed, giving reasons for the delay in the payment.

The letter dated December 8, 2023, read partly, “Due to the current financial commitments of my office as well as budgetary constraints, I write to notify you that there will be a delay in the payment of tuition fees for the students who are in training at your university for the 2022/2023 academic session.

“I can assure you that on or before the end of the first quarter of 2023, based on the scheduled release of funds by the Federal Government, the PAP Office would have fully met its outstanding financial responsibilities to your university.”