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SOS Letter To Gov. Chibuike Amaechi By Rivers Scholarship
Students Studying in India
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African Examiner
Thursday, August 09, 2012
Copyrights © 2007  All Rights Reserved African Examiner Online is owned by RD Frontline LLC, a state of Maryland registered company
P. O. Box 11582 Baltimore, Maryland, 21229, USA Tel: 443-904-1239. Editor-In-Chief: Oludare Sunday Fase
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point Agenda
DR. UMAR ARDO
Friday, August 03, 2012
7th August 2012

Your Excellency,
Rt .Hon. ROTIMI CHIBUIKE AMEACHI
Executive Governor of Rivers State,
Government House,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State, Nigeria.
                       
Your Excellency Sir,

A SAVE OUR SOUL MESSAGE TO THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF RIVERS STATE TO
RESCUE RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT SPONSORED SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS IN INDIA

This letter will be incomplete, if we fall short of deeply saying a resounding thank you for the
opportunity to further our education through the instrumentality of the Rivers state Sustainable
Development Agency, RSSDA Scholarship Scheme. Obviously, among the 36 states and capital in
the country you are the most outspoken and ardent supporter of sustainable growth and educational
development. This you have shown through the various scholarships given out by your administration,
rebuilding of educational institutions and the training of teachers. We wish to use this medium to
commend and appreciate your relentless commitment in ensuring that education in the state is giving
a new direction.

However, we have some troubling issues agitating out minds which we need to bring to the front
burner concerning our welfare as RIVERS STATE SCHOLARS IN INDIA. For purpose of clarity these
issues will be stated in points.

1.     DELAY OF MONTHLY STIPENDS AND ACCOMMODATION

As students we are here in India to achieve academic success that will in turn benefit our families, the
state and the nation in the future, but distractions caused by unpaid allowances, landlord pestering,
tuition demand from individual our schools might pose a major distraction to achieving the desired
goal. We have on several occasions debated with our concerned agency - RIVERS STATE
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (RSSDA) on the issue of our monthly stipends and
accommodation allowance which no longer come to us as at when due. This issue has degenerated
to strained relationship and sometimes has turned out to be a subject of exchange of words between
the students and the agency who sees the students as being insulting, each time we demand or
complain about the delay of our their monthly stipends and accommodation allowances.
Shocking to us in a recent message sent by the RIVERS STATE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
AGENCY (RSSDA) via an electronic mail, were told that the three months stipends and
accommodation allowance for the months of JULY, AUGUST and SEPTEMBER which to date has not
been paid was due to constraints by the Rivers State Government.

Suffice it to say, that many students are not only suffering and, but are equally distracted from their
studies because the no cash situation is frustrating. For over a month and still counting, no way to
feed, pay the respective owners of the houses we occupy, We have faced untold embarrassment and
ejection by our landlords. Utility bills and other bills unpaid have attracted stiff penalties in line with the
India government regulation.

Some students have resumed schooling for the new academic section and others are yet to resume.  
Our school fees have not been paid, our school stationeries pending, with the present situation of
delayed stipends and accommodation allowance, we pray that the school does not follow suit with the
embarrassment of stopping our school attendance due to non-payment of tuition in line with the
school regulations.

We wish to crave your indulgence sir, in handling this very disturbing issue.

2)      FAILURE TO FULFIL PROMISES

Our commitment to people naturally defines our integrity. Hence, going by this very saying, on several
occasions, our the RIVERS STATE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (RSSDA) has made
various promises relating to payment of stipends and accommodation allowances but on many
occasions they have failed to redeem those promises.

We have been promised that at most 28th of every month, we would receive our stipends and
accommodation allowances for the upcoming month. However, that has continued to be an elusive
dream. We humbly, crave your indulgence our amiable governor to use your good office in handling
and resolving this issue, to ensure that your mandate for education which translates to our mission in
India can be achieved. We want to also find out how true is RSSDA claims that the Rivers state
government is responsible, because we are yet to believe that. We have been meaning to write to you
on this issue, but we don’t have your email address.

Lest we forget, one important thing we must also address is that the money usually sent is no longer
enough, I believe it has to do with the fluctuations in the global money market. The money is grossly
inadequate following the trends in the exchange market. Regrettably, no one seems to understand our
plight. It is already worst that we are contending with money that is hardly enough, but to also
contend with the reality that the said money is no longer available is a dream killer.
As we look forward to your fatherly intervention, it is our prayers that you save our soul from this
dilemma.

Warm Regards From India,

Yours faithfully
(Concerned RSSDA Scholarship Students in India)