Open letter to President Buhari

I thought it was a joke when a friend of mine studying in Cyprus informed me few days ago that his Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card is no longer working and he learnt that it was announced in the national dailies that ATM cards abroad are being blocked, he asked whether I am facing the […]

I thought it was a joke when a friend of mine studying in Cyprus informed me few days ago that his Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card is no longer working and he learnt that it was announced in the national dailies that ATM cards abroad are being blocked, he asked whether I am facing the similar challenge over here in Pakistan. I replied him promptly that actually even last week I withdrew cash with my ATM card, jokingly he said, “Wow, you are lucky then”, and we cut the conversation.
Interestingly this morning, I woke up with some basic needs that I need to access cash using my ATM card, I was so confident to the extent that I have only 20 Pakistani Rufees on me at that moment, after inserting my card and making all the necessary inputs, surprisingly my card was denied twice, I wanted to try for the third time but I then thought of losing the card and I left.
Subsequently, I called my friends studying here in Pakistan on Islamabad campus and narrated my ordeal to them, they told me that they had similar experience, in fact one of them had to borrowed money to settle his problem, but when to return that money he collected, only God knows. I also made money transfer to my university before my departure from Nigeria about three months ago, up till now the transaction has not been remitted to the university’s account. I contacted the bank, they told me that due to Dollar scarcity, the foreign account remittance is now base on first come, first to serve basis, and that they cannot guarantee me when the money is going to be remitted. For God’s sake, what kind of life are we living in my beloved country Nigeria?
The point I am trying to make Mr President here is that, we are from very humble families and trying to access our legitimate money to maintain our stay in a foreign countries and we were denied, we have no other options at our disposal. Mr President, how does the Nigerian government expect us to survive? By begging our colleagues or asking our institutions to give us education and pocket money?
I am sure thousands of Nigerian students are facing similar challenge across the globe. Please sir, this is a serious threat to our future and to the Nigerian future as well. With all due respect, some of your children studied abroad and I am very sure without sufficient access to foreign exchange, they wouldn’t have made it to the end. Sir, please consider this message I am sending to you as if it is coming from your biological son. I am appealing to you, we are your children and we do belong to our dear Nigeria, please do something to reverse this harsh situation, so as to ease our engagements over here.
May God bless our President and our dear country Nigeria.
Khalid Garba Mohammed, PhD student from Pakistan, [email protected]