By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
The government of Northern Cyprus has described reports trending in the media that African students, particularly Nigerian students, in the southeastern European island suffer intense inhumane treatment as false.
The country’s minister of education, Nazim Cavusoglu, said without sentiment that there were strong educational ties between Nigeria and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), insisting that the island was a safe haven for students to learn.
“It is safe and trouble-free. The island has an excellent reputation for being a friendly and safe place. Crime is remarkably low, and the destination is tourist-friendly,” he stressed.
Cavusoglu highlighted several reasons why African and indeed Nigerian students should study in Cyprus: “Our institutions are intact and democratic. Cyprus is a place where the rule of law prevails. It has a wonderful climate, rich history, cultural heritage and high quality for higher education.”
He listed institution accreditation, affordable tuition, cultural diversity, safe and trouble-free zone, qualitative education, medical insurance, improved language skills and tourist destination for travel enthusiasts as some of the things that international students need to know about Cyprus.
Cavusoglu further noted that the island has many universities where over 100,000 students from various countries study, even as he revealed that the number was exponentially growing every year.
“We are training foreigners in Northern Cyprus and it is conducted in English. Applicants must speak this language at a sufficiently high level,” he said.
He added that the educational process allows international students to get acquainted with the western education system, which has a lot of positive aspects. He noted that the schools have close ties with universities in England, Germany, France and Poland, among others.
“All universities in Northern Cyprus are accredited by the Ministry of Education in Turkey and equally recognized worldwide,” he added.
He equally reiterated his country’s commitment to promoting human rights, as well as providing a secure and peaceful environment for the people that live there.
Disturbed by the alleged human rights abuses against Nigerians students in Cyprus, director of the Global NGO Executive Committee (GNEC) and Minister of Youths, State of Africa Diaspora (SOAD), Olasumbomi Iginla-Aina, an old student of the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), Mr. Victor Olaniyan, and Light Up Foundation, as well as other delegates, decided to visited Northern Cyprus and investigate the alleged ill treatment being meted to Nigerians and other African students recently.
Iginla-Aina urged the Nigerian government to deepen diplomatic ties, especially on education policy, in the interest of both countries.
She noted that the issues that affect citizens and migrants from country to country are not the same. Therefore, it should be apparent to all that no society is perfect. She insisted that the idea of investigating the life of African students in Northern Cyprus was borne out of the quest to understand issues that could adversely affect the relationship between the students, the government, the university authorities and the locals on the island.
Narrating her journey to Cyprus, Iginla-Aina said they had meetings with various student groups from eight universities as well as religious groups, and their leaders found out the students’ predicament and even proffered solutions to some of the problems.
She said they visited Akdeniz University, World Peace University (WPU), Bahcesehir Cyprus University (BAU), Northern Cyprus, Kyrani University and Girne American University (GAU).
“African students informed the team about their plight, one which included language barrier between the students and some public servants, who lacked a basic understanding of the English language. This often poses a challenge and widens the communication gap between them and public officials,” she said.
One of the outcomes of the meeting, according to Iginla-Aina, was the students’ demand for a review of an application form, Form A, designed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pay for services and transactions. The students lamented that the money transfer policy process was cumbersome and had disrupted their academic progress.
According to her, the students said the previous system where they used commercial banks was better because they enjoyed hitch-free transfer policies from the commercial banks. They lamented that CBN’s directive had affected their academic progress because all transactions must go through the CBN and it has not been easy for them.
She further noted that the changes had affected the students’ ability to pay school fees and rent as well as pay for their daily expenses at the appropriate time. This often leaves them stranded, with avoidable penalties, and is frustrating their academic progress and overall wellbeing.
“This hampers our ability to fulfill our financial obligations promptly. We are denied access to university portals, and this hinders access to course registration, study materials and even exams. Academic performance and educational opportunities for Nigerian students in Northern Cyprus are severely compromised.
“If we don’t pay rent when it is due, we risk eviction and loss of accommodation. Academic work load is already demanding. So, creating an additional problem is emotionally draining,” the students were alleged to have lamented.
Iginla-Aina also said some of the students raised the issue of some locals attempting to sexually abuse and harass them. She said she brought the issue before the Cyprus authorities and demanded penalty for perpetrators.
“The students on their part had never reported such cases, but we encouraged them to speak up so their perpetrators can face the law, while victims get justice,” she added.
She listed other issues affecting the students to include access to public health facilities. She said the students complained that the public health care insurance needed a lot of improvement for them to access it; so they prefer the private healthcare facility.
She, therefore, advised against irregular migration, saying: “Nigerians and other African countries see this island as an opportunity to leave the shores of Africa for greener pastures. Some get student visas to Northern Cyprus, and as soon as they arrive, they refuse to go to school, rather, they go out to look for jobs, or find a way of moving over to other European countries around. Northern Cyprus is a small island with limited job opportunities. So, get your information right before leaving your country.
“Unfortunately, most people are deceived and misinformed by fake travel agents who raise their hopes of a better life in Cyprus. But they get disappointed with the reality they meet on ground on arrival. Some of them become victims of circumstance; they get into trouble and are imprisoned.”
On his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tahsin Ertugruloglu, said some youths who were deported had issues of fake documents or were involved in violence and crime, stressing that it was not only Nigerians that were involved in crime.
“Those involved in crime are not just Nigerians, they include other nationalities. But basically, we deport students who are not law-abiding. In the island, we have a database and we work with it. As a student, it is important that you register with the appropriate authorities of your institution of learning on arrival to enable us to cater for you. Sadly, some people go through the rudiments of our admission process but do not start school; they use the island as a pathway to other European nations.
“Another challenge is that the agent that processes admissions for the international students often misinforms prospective students and raises their hopes. Their dreams are shattered when they are faced with the reality of not securing a job or getting the kind of luxury they were promised,” he said.
Denying the claim of maltreatment of Nigerians, Ertugruloglu further said: “Without any prejudice as to their country of origin, we are responsible for every single person in our territory. As authorities, we are doing our utmost best to prevent all crimes and maintain order and the safety of the public.
“We are equally protecting the young students, including Nigerian students, from becoming victims by falling into the trap of bad habits. We would continue to support the students to be on the right path in order for them to continue their education and refrain from illegal activities.”
The Nigerian Embassy’s representative, Mr. Henry Chikogu, explained in detail the efforts of the embassy to curb the activities of fake agents who go about misinforming and luring innocent Nigerians to Cyprus with promises of non-existent jobs.
Chikogu commended the Light-Up Foundation, Iginla-Aina, Olaniyan and others who led the crusade to ensure that Nigerian/African students’ welfare in Cyprus was adequately addressed.
He revealed the embassy was planning in partnership with others to design a means to reach out to leaders of other African groups that could help to encourage African students to be law-abiding.
“We are also engaging with the religious leaders on this matter,” he said.