BREAKING NEWS:
NIMASA Finance Director, BASHIR Yusuf Jamoh, NSDP program Coordinator, Macfoy Irene in $1.8MILLION FRAUD in Romania…295 Nigerian Students on Federal Govt Scholarship Face Expuslion at Constanta Maritime University
*Receives THREAT of Deportation from Romania Immigration Office
*Romania Varsity warns Nigerian Students of Payment Unwilingness, Delay tactics by NIMASA
* Hunger, Suffering, Homelessness, Hard Times hit Nigerian Students in Romania
*Begs Nigerian SENATE for intervention, Task EFCC to quickly investigate this matter
* “We are Staging Mass Protests against NIMASA on Monday April 10. The Directors are Conmen”-Angry students confess in a memo
* “NIMASA lied to us. It is a hopeless situation for Nigerian students. 40 of them EJECTED from their apartment for debts, Many can’t feed, others had no money for transportation to school”-Professor Cornel Panait, Constanta Maritime University (Ministry of Education)
BY TAIWO OLAYIWOLA/REPORTER IN AUSTRIA, CHINEDU OGBEIKE/STAFF WRITER MARITIME, LAGOS & GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU, FOREIGN BUREAU CHIEF, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
THIS IS SIMPLY CORRUPTION, a canker-worm the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has been fighting since the inception of his democratic government two years ago. The shocking discovery made our team of crack reporters exposed the rot, stealing and various back-door moves being made daily by majority of public office holders appointed to serve the people. Rather than offer selfless service to the people genuinely, they service their personal bank accounts and pockets in the detriment of the suffering masses. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh – Executive Director (Finance & Administration) for The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Hon Irene Macfoy, Coordinator of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) and one Mr Mandy, a Consultant to NIMASA are in ‘hot soup’ for allegedly looting the sum of $1.8million that ought to be released to 295 Nigerian students on Federal Government scholarship in Constanta Maritime University, Romania.
This scam and scandal were exposed by incontrovertible documents leaked to these embattled Nigerian students within Constanta Maritime University being correspondence between NIMASA Directors and the Romania University. It is a fraud. We are using this medium to reach out to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to speedily investigate this matter, Senate should call for an emergency meeting on it, while the Buhari government should take a deeper look at this issue that seems already going out of control.
As at press time, all the 295 students had been dropped from school due to payment not made by NIMASA, 40 of these students ejected from their apartments, many of them are homeless, as they sleep on the streets while starvation is hitting them. Romania Immigration Office is already preparing to deport them all back to Nigeria. One of the affected Nigerian students’ activists in Romania who would not want his name mentioned to avert backlash as he pleads that we hide his identity granted us this exclusive interview below:
Q: Can you tell us what exactly is the issue affecting Nigerian students on Federal Government scholarship to Constanta Maritime University in Romania?
A: Please help us look into our suffering, neglect and fraud being committed by some directors in The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) against us here in Constanta Maritime University in Romania. Please, we are dying of hunger, many of us are now homeless. We want the Nigerian Senate to hear us sir. We are 295 Nigerian students on scholarship by the Nigerian government through NIMASA enrolled for various courses here.
As a matter of fact, some of us will be graduating this year. The Nigerian students under the scholarship scheme of the Federal government sponsored by NIMASA are having a tough moment in Romania. The students are about to face expulsion due to the inability of their sponsors (Nigerian government) to pay their SCHOOL FEES and WELFARE of the 2016/2017 academic session ……. Please let the SENATE and well meaning Nigerian look into it as a matter of urgency.
Q: What specifically do you want Nigerian Senate?
A: We want Nigerian Senate to hear us and treat this matter as of urgency on the floor of National Assembly. We were sent as scholars to acquire great knowledge that we will be of good contribution to the Nigerian economy through our knowledge impact on the people back home. We have been deceived, abandoned to our fate, while we are all now at cross-roads here.
Q: So, how many Nigerian students from NIMASA are studying in Romania in total?
A: We are 295 students in whole studying various courses. Morale is very low. There are many of us who cannot even feed, no money to take transport to school. Worse still, no more accommodation over our heads here in Romania because we have been ejected from our apartments, due to inability to pay our house rents. Many of us now sleep on the streets here.
Q: Can you specifically mention how Nigerian government scholarship scheme failed you all?
A: The Nigerian Students under the scholarship scheme of the Federal government sponsored by NIMASA are having a tough moment in Romania. The students are about to face expulsion due to the inability of their sponsors to pay their SCHOOL FEES and WELFARE of the 2016/2017 academic session . Please let the SENATE and well meaning Nigerians look into it as urgent.
Q: Who are the Sponsors of the Nigerian students to Romania?
A: They are NIMASA
Q: What did Federal Government scholarship for these students cover in Romania University?
A: The Federal Government scholarship scheme covers the total cost of our tuition, feeding and welfare package for 4 years respectively.
Q: How long are these courses?
A: The courses last for 4 years each.
Q: How much are the School Fees and Welfare Package from NIMASA to the students?
A: We ought to be receiving $5,000 each, but we are being cheated in NIMASA by being given 1000€, while these thieves in NIMASA pocket $3,396 on each student tmultiply by 295 students= $1.8million. We fear that CORRUPTION will never ever stop in Nigeria. The calculation was done at an official exchange rate of ONE United States dollar to 0.94 Euro which is the standard currency conversion.
Q: As at today, how many NIMASA Students are presently facing expulsion threat from Romania University?
A: Everyone of us who are Nigerian students on this scheme are facing expulsion. We are 295 students in total.
Q: Is this the first time NIMASA is behaving this way or NIMASA had been doing it before to these students in Romania University?
A: No, they have done this before .. this is their second time.
Q: Who do you think are these bad-eggs in NIMASA, responsible for these problems in NIMASA?
A: I can tell you that these enemies of Nigeria are: the Director General executive finance, NIMASA and Mrs Macfoy Irene the Coordinator of The NSDP program and one Mr Mandy in NIMASA, they are thieves, reaping where they did not sow. Mandy is a Consultant to NIMASA.
Q: Do you think some officers in NIMASA are eating up all of you guys’ school fees and Welfare package in form of corruption?
A: Exactly sir
Q: Mention the names of the corrupt officers in NIMASA who are eating up you guys’ school fees?
A: The invoice is what we are receiving now… but the Video says we are supposed to be receiving 5000$ but we are been cheated by this men n women in NIMASA. So the invoice says over 2million Euro each. Details about the Invoice of our TWO groups. The yellow invoice is for 167 Nigerian Student with the total sum of € 2,2271,86800.00 for a year. Then the white invoice is for 128 students .. with the total sum of € 1,741,312.00. So, the total number of Nigerian students for this program comprises of 128 +166 = 295
Q: For how long as in how many months do you think you guys’ school fees had been corruptly eaten up by these NIMASA officers?
A: This has been on-going for sometime. We have done our human best for them in NIMASA to follow Nigerian Federal Government position on this matter, but FRAUD has made them to be editing our funds and cheating us on it as well.
Q: How many of you are in final year and how many are in 3rd year in Romania University?
A: Some of us are in the final year which is fourth year, while others are in their 3rd year in this University. The 3rd year students are 128 students and the 4th year are 167 students in numbers.
Q: Are you all planning to drag NIMASA to court in Romania?
A: Yes, we will drag NIMASA to court here in Romania if our school funds not paid. That is why I am charting with you to help use your medium to expose these Nigerian corrupt leaders.
Q: What other fraud was committed by NIMASA against the 295 Nigerian students?
A: In that invoice we sent you, our Winter allowance and Utility fees were illegally removed this season without knowledge. That made us suffer deeply cold winter.
Q: Why was all your Winter allowance and Utility fees removed?
A: Every year, we always receive 300€ for Winter, but no longer visible in NIMASA invoice, whereas they (NIMASA) lied to Nigerian Government to make them believe that everything is perfect with us here. That is not true, they lied. Our utility fee of 100Euro also was removed
.
Q: Are you all planning to drag NIMASA to court in Romania to stop the School from expelling you all from the school Or what legal steps are you all going to take?
A: At exactly 10am on Monday, April 10, 2017, we are staging a mass protest against NIMASA and Nigerian Government in front of Constanta Maritime University. We will certainly send you the video of the planned protest. We want the media to assist us publish this news and make noise about it so that the Nigerian Senate can hear what NIMASA is doing, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) can immediately investigate this matter of national security.
Q: Do you have a letter from Romania University as evidence that shows you guys are about to be expelled from the school?
A: Yes, I have just sent it to you now
Q: It is nice speaking with you
A: Naija Standard Newspaper, we are very grateful for this interview.
