BREAKING NEWS:
United States Court Dismissed NIGERIAN STUDENTS’ suit against ALABAMA State University…30 students in trouble over Nigerian Government School Funds
*U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama ruled in favor of Varsity
*Judgement: ‘Plaintiff have adduced no evidence to show that they were treated differently than other similarly situated students’
*Nigerian Students claimed Alabama State University absorbed finances allocated to the students by the Nigerian Government
* “Alabama State University is pleased with the Court’s ruling and the dismissal of the lawsuit brought by the students who were seeking to obtain monies that the University contended belong solely to the government of Nigeria and not the individual students”-Kenneth L. Thomas, general counsel for Alabama State University
BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICAN FOREIGN BUREAU CHIEF & TIM OGUCHI/CORRESPONDENT, ABUJA
ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, OVER 30 NIGERIANS, undergraduates of Alabama State University, ASU, dragged the varsity to court claiming the educational institution deliberately held up excess funds that accrued from the school fees funds remitted to them by the Nigerian Government ‘for no just reason.’ After so long legal-battle in the United States District for the Middle District of Alabama, the court handed down judgement against these Nigerian students whose fates are presently hanging in the balance. In short, this suit filed by Nigerian students against ASU had been dismissed.
Recently, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama ruled in favor of ASU. The judgment stated that the plaintiffs “have adduced no evidence to show that they were treated differently than other similarly situated students”.
For the records, the federal complaint was filed in 2016 on behalf of more than 30 Nigerian students, having claimed ASU absorbed finances allocated to the students by the Nigerian Government. The Nigerian students’ suit was seeking for the court to order ASU to pay back the students what they were owed.
Elated, Kenneth L. Thomas, general counsel for Alabama State University said: “Alabama State University is pleased with the Court’s ruling and the dismissal of the lawsuit brought by the students who were seeking to obtain monies that the University contended belong solely to the government of Nigeria and not the individual students,” said.
Also, ASU President Quinton T. Ross corroborated same stance saying: “We are focused on moving the University forward. We are proud of our relationships with our international students, and we will continue to be a university that welcomes students from diverse backgrounds and cultures.”
The palntiff defence attorney, Julian McPhillips expressed confidence in filing an appeal against the ruling, “the students involved in the suit have not yet been consulted but will likely file an appeal. We strongly believe national origin discrimination against the Nigerian students occurred, but ASU developed a strategy to avoid litigation.”
Meanwhile, majority of these Nigerian students in this case are allegedly finding life very difficult as they had looked up to the accrued Nigerian government funds to cater for their needs.
However, the dismissal may have been informed when Nigerian government joined the students lawsuit as announced by an attorney in a motion for the Nigerian government against Alabama State University for allegedly misappropriating the students’ funds, only to have allegedly support ASU when it realised that the varsity was trying to safeguard the excess Nigerian funds, being fallout from the school fees’ payment that will be remitted to Nigeria.
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