A visually impaired widow, Mrs. Josephine Hycienth, and over 600 students of ESM University, Benin Republic, alongside their parents, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reverse the recent ban on the institution’s certificate in Nigeria.
The distressed students, many of whom are beneficiaries of scholarships from the faith-based organization Omega Power Ministries, gathered in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with their benefactor, Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, to express their anguish over the Federal Government’s decision.
The students and their parents, visibly emotional, lamented the Federal Government’s decision, which they learned about with shock.
They argued that withdrawing them from school after significant progress, and after substantial investments in their education, is akin to jeopardizing their future.
Mrs. Hycienth, a visually impaired widow, shared the relief she felt when her son received a scholarship to study at the university in Benin Republic, given the hardship she has faced since her husband’s death.
“Nobody cares about us since after my husband’s death. I want President Bola Tinubu to come to our aid. They should not cancel their education. If my son is allowed to come back home, nobody will assist in his education. I need the president to help,” she pleaded.
Moses Nicodemus, a 200-level Computer Science student at the university, also expressed his frustration: “I came back to Nigeria for my Industrial Training only to hear that my school is not accredited. Our father (the cleric) has spent millions of naira on our education. We need help.”
Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, the General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries, revealed that he had personally verified the accreditation status of ESM University with the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja before sending students there.
He expressed dismay over the current situation, noting that he had been assured by the ministry that the university was accredited and that its graduates could participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Nigeria.
Chinyere appealed to Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the President, to influence her husband to reconsider the decision, citing the adverse effects on the students.
He emphasized that the funds invested in the students’ education came from church offerings and tithes, which he vowed to use for capacity building and helping the underprivileged.
“Only in the Benin Republic alone, I have spent more than N500 million from offerings and tithes that come to the church. Do you want this money to go, and they will come and start afresh?” he asked.
He urged President Tinubu to reverse the policy and allow the students to continue their education, saying, “Please, President Bola Tinubu, I know you are a father. Look at these parents, look at these children, and reconsider. Let this policy be reversed so that these children can return to school.”
The students are supposed to resume school this September, and Chinyere expressed concern about the possibility of starting over due to the lack of funding, given that the money used so far was from church donations intended to support the less privileged.
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