The Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has officially flagged off the disbursement of N646.8 million bursary allowance to 13,157 Kogi students in tertiary institutions and law school, marking the second season of the administration’s student support initiative.
Speaking at the official flag-off of the disbursement, Governor, Ododo represented by the Commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, said the intervention reflects the administration’s commitment to making education more accessible and easing the financial burden on students and their families.
Jones said the government had continued to prioritise education through increased investment and interventions to improve students’ welfare, stressing that the state was also taking advantage of available federal education support programmes to complement its own efforts.
He highlighted the administration’s sector-wide investment in education and urged students in the state to take advantage of government programmes designed to support their education and improve their welfare.
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of the Kogi State Scholarship Board, Afolabi Joseph-Raji, outlined the board’s broad interventions under Governor Ododo in the last two years.
Joseph-Raji said allowance was increased from N12,000 to N30,000 per student in the 2024/2025 session, while medical students under the current intervention would receive N75,000.
He disclosed that the board disbursed the sum of N256.4 million as bursary allowance to 8,549 students in the 2024/2025 session, while N60.3 million was provided as scholarship support to students in the Nigerian Law School.
The chairman said the board had also eliminated application fees and introduced a free, paperless and online application process to make the scheme more accessible and transparent.
He noted that the board had strengthened its verification and campus engagement processes, including the acquisition of a utility vehicle to facilitate visits to tertiary institutions.
He further highlighted the Campus Quiz Challenge, including its radio version, as part of the board’s efforts to engage students beyond scholarship and bursary programmes and provide opportunities for students to participate in educational activities and win cash prizes.
Joseph-Raji disclosed that a total of 20,347 students had been screened and duly verified to benefit from the 2025/2026 intervention.
He said the 13,157 beneficiaries being captured in the first batch were expected to begin receiving their payments within the next two days, while a subsequent batch would cover eligible students studying in institutions outside Kogi State.
Speaking on behalf of heads of tertiary institutions in the state, the Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic, Prof. Sanusi Avidime, represented by the Deputy Rector, Dr. Godwin Onamah, commended the federal government and the Kogi state government for interventions aimed at supporting students and higher institutions in the state.
Dr. Onamah acknowledged federal support through TETFund and described the state bursary initiative as an investment in the aspirations and future of Kogi students.
He also commended the state government’s introduction of on-campus games across tertiary institutions, stressing that the initiative would promote talent discovery, healthy competition, unity, discipline and positive engagement among students.
Speaking on behalf of the students, immediate past National President of the National Association of Kogi State Students (NAKOSS), Comr. Sunday Adeola Simon, expressed appreciation to the Governor for approving and commencing the disbursement of the bursary intervention for Kogi students.
He described the intervention as a demonstration of the government’s concern for the welfare and educational needs of students.
The bursary intervention is part of the state government’s student support programme aimed at cushioning the financial burden associated with tertiary education and supporting Kogi students in their academic pursuits.
