Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, is set to disburse the sum of N646.8 million as bursary allowance to Kogi State students in tertiary institutions.
The Governor disclosed this in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Ismaila Isah, saying the initiative is in line with administration’s education development agenda and continued efforts to enhance the welfare and educational needs of Kogi students.
Governor Ododo said the first tranche of the bursary disbursement would see 13,157 students in tertiary institutions within Kogi State receive a total of N403.035 million.
The number represents about fifty six percent of over twenty-three thousand students that were verified for the second season of the Ododo Students Support Scheme.
According to the Governor, each eligible undergraduate student under the first tranche will receive N30,000 as bursary allowance, while medical students will receive N75,000.
He said beneficiaries are drawn from tertiary institutions across the state, including Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara; Kogi State University, Kabba, in Federal University, Lokoja and Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja.
Others include Federal Polytechnic, Idah; Kogi State College of Nursing, Obangede; Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi State College of Education (Technical), Mopa, Kogi State College of Health Sciences, Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa and other institutions within Kogi State.
Governor Ododo noted that the bursary programme is being implemented through the Kogi State Scholarship Board under by the ministry of education as part of efforts to support students and reduce the financial burden associated with education on families in the state.
The Governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the welfare of Kogi students and ensuring that eligible beneficiaries receive the approved financial support to advance their educational opportunities and learning outcomes.
This year’s bursary allowance is significantly higher than in 2025, when the state government disbursed over N300,000,000 million in bursaries and scholarships to over 8,000 students including undergraduates and those in law school campuses across the country.
The Governor reaffirms that investment in education through infrastructural development and the welfare of pupils and students at all levels of education in the state remains a top priority of his administration.
He further noted that over 2 Billion Naira has been invested in scaling up infrastructure in tertiary institutions in the last two years while the administration is implementing the renovation of 728 public schools under the World Bank-supported Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme as part of a long term commitment to sustain reduction in the number of out-of-school children and to make learners stay in school.
He said the AGILE intervention in Kogi has a financing envelope estimated at US$50 million, covering school renovation, construction and other education interventions across the state.
The current intervention builds on the administration’s free education policy which has seen more than N1.3 billion committed to internal and external examination fees for pupils and students in public schools in the 2024/2025 academic session, covering more than 74,000 learners across the Basic Six, BECE and SS3/JAMB cohorts, while a further N1.4 billion-plus has been approved for the current examination cycle.
The statement added that the administration of Governor Ododo has sustained its bursary programme, having paid N316 million to over 8,750 students in tertiary institutions in the previous cycle, while the latest scheme provides for N646.8 million in bursary support, with 13,157 students to receive the first tranche of N403.035 million this week.
