The management of Integral University, India, has acknowledged the receipt of about N460 million from the Sokoto State government as an outstanding balance of school fees for state indigenes studying at the university.
Pro-chancellor of the university, Dr Nadim Aktar, disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit to the state deputy governor along with the students who have 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, it was only after the university reached a level where it cannot continue to retain the students, it decided to contact the state government for the settlement.
The pro-chancellor expressed appreciation to Governor Ahmed Aliyu, for the settlement of the balance immediately after the issue was presented to him.
Dr Nadim also thanked the deputy governor for the role he played which facilitated the payment.
In his remarks, the state deputy governor Alhaji Idris Mohammed Gobir expressed satisfaction with the high grades obtained by some of the graduates.
He pointed out that the first class with honours obtained by some of the students was indeed a pride to the state.
The deputy governor also expressed appreciation that all the graduates 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 with 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 their support to the students during their challenging period and pledged the state government’s readiness to continue to partner with the institution.
Representative of the chairman of the state Scholarship Board, Alhaji Abdullahi Ahmad, described the prompt settlement of the outstanding balance as a clear indication of the governor’s desire to improve the standard of education in the state.
In a vote of thanks, two of the graduates, Dr Ibrahim Sirajo and Dr Nusaiba Aliyu, thanked Governor Ahmed Aliyu for coming to their aid, which paved the way for them to successfully complete their studies.
Of the 23 students, 18 have successfully graduated while the remaining 5 are in their final year.
During the visit, all the graduates were presented with their certificates. Courses read by the graduates include Pharmacy, Radiology, Biotechnology and Bio medical laboratory.
