The Bayelsa Government has paid the outstanding fees of N250 million for 21 of its scholarship students at the Lincoln University in the United States of America.
The State’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, disclosed this in a statement he issued on Saturday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the University had threatened to deport the students over the unpaid fees.
However, the state government officials had prevailed on the institution to allow the students to conclude their academic work.
The commissioner said that Gov. Seriake Dickson gave the approval for the payment, which has been remitted to the Ministry of Education for onward transfer to the University.
According to him, even though, the students have all graduated, as a responsible government that is ever alive to its responsibilities, the governor gave the approval and equally ensured its remittance to the institution.
He explained that, the delay was as a result of the economic down turn, which had drastically affected the finances of the State Government.
The commissioner said that Dickson expressed the gratitude of his administration to the authorities of Lincoln University for their extreme show of understanding in the whole matter.
He recalled the educational friendly disposition of the governor as well as the excellent performance of the students, some of whom made first class.
Obuebite said that one of the students emerged as the best overall graduating student in 2017 at the university.
Obuebite stated that despite the general poor financial state of the country, Dickson had remained committed to the administration’s policies and programmes in the educational sector.
The commissioner commended and congratulated the students for making the state proud by turning out some of the best results in institution. (NAN)
NN/DO/AFA