Management of Integral University, India, has acknowledged the receipt of about N460million from the Sokoto State government as an outstanding balance for state indigenes studying at the university.
The university’s pro-chancellor, Dr Nadim Aktar, disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit to the state deputy governor and the students who had already graduated.
Dr Nadim said the university continued to retain the students despite the outstanding two-year fees that failed to be settled by the immediate past administration in the state.
He said that only after the university reached a level where it could not continue to retain students did it decide to contact the state government for the settlement.
The pro-chancellor expressed appreciation to Governor Ahmed Aliyu for settling the balance immediately after the issue was presented to him.
Dr Nadim also thanked the deputy governor for the role he played in facilitating the payment.
In his remarks, Deputy Governor Alhaji Idris Mohammed Gobir expressed satisfaction with the high grades obtained by some of the graduands.
He pointed out that the first-class honours obtained by some students were indeed a source of pride to the state.
The deputy governor also expressed appreciation that all the graduands studied health related courses, adding that this would increase the number of qualified health personnel in the state.
Alhaji Idris Gobir also said a number of state indigenes who could not continue their studies in Sudan due to the ongoing war in that country were secured admission by the state government and are currently studying in various institutions across the country.
He thanked the management of Integral University, India, for supporting the students during their challenging period and pledged the state government’s readiness to continue to partner with the institution.
Also commenting, the representative of the chairman of the state Scholarship Board, Alhaji Abdullahi Ahmad Sokoto, described the prompt settlement of the outstanding balance as a clear indication of the governor’s desire to improve the state’s education standard.
In a vote of thanks, two of the graduands, Dr Ibrahim Sirajo and Dr Nusaiba Aliyu, thanked Governor Ahmed Aliyu for coming to their aid and paving the way for them to successfully complete their studies.
During the visit, all the graduands were presented with their certificates. Of the 23 students, 18 have successfully graduated, while the remaining five are in their final year.
