Nura Inuwa Fagam, the overall best candidate for the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, in Jigawa State, has appealed to the state government to fulfill the promise of sending him abroad to study.
According to Daily Nigeria, the whiz kid who graduated from the Jigawa State Academy for the Gifted in Bamaina, in 2018, had the best result in the history of the state.
In the result, Mr Fagam, 20, scored 8 distinctions.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Fagam, who is from Fagam town in Gwaram local government, recalled that shortly after the results were released in 2018, the governor of the state, Badaru Abubakar, invited him to the government house, where he congratulated him and promised to sponsor him to India to study medicine and surgery, but the promise has yet to be fulfilled four years after.
“The governor, His Excellency Abubakar Badaru, invited me to his office to congratulate and wish me well. During our conversation, he asked about my ambition, and I told him I want to be a medical doctor.
“He immediately gave a directive that I should source admission from India, which I did.
“Since that promise was made, I haven’t heard anything from the state government. Early this year I met with the deputy governor, Umar Namadi, and told him about the challenge to get the offer redeemed.
“He then promised to find out what was causing the delay and get back to me, but still there is no response from him.
Mr Fagam said since the government promise to sponsor him abroad was not forthcoming, he applied and gained admission to study medicine and surgery at the Federal University Dutse.
He, however, noted that his studies have been very challenging due to his poor family background, adding that he lacks the basic learning materials that would ease his studies.
“I’m currently studying medicine at the Federal University Dutse, I was in 200 level before ASUU embarked on strike.
“To be honest with you, it has not really been easy, because I came from a poor family and studying medicine is quite expensive.
“As I speak to you, I have only one textbook out of many that we are required to buy.
“I don’t have a laptop and other basic materials that are needed for ease of study. I’m really suffering, I expect the government to support me, so as to serve as an encouragement to the younger ones.
“Since the hope of studying abroad is dashed, I’m appealing to the state government to support my education, because I’m suffering, and my parents are poor,” he pleaded.