Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule on Thursday, flagged off the disbursement of the bursary allowances to students from the state studying in various higher institutions of learning across the country.
Speaking during the ceremony in Akwanga town, headquarters of Akwanga local government area of the state, the governor said the scholarship covers 2023/2024 session with N592 million earmarked for 16,756 students for the period.
According to him, the administration has been mindful of the fact that education is a panacea for socio-economic development, noting that „it is for this reason that since we assumed office, we have continued to accord priority attention to the education sector, through the allocation of highest percentage in our annual Budget.“
He noted that the regular award of scholarship and disbursement of bursary allowances, is part of the administration‘s commitment to educational development in the state.
He explained that the gesture is a deliberate attempt to ease financial burden on the parents and assist those who are in dire need of support in their various fields of studies.
Governor Sule said the administration has been consistent in meeting its obligations to deserving students since assumption of office, even as he revealed that in the 2022/2023 exercise, over 11, 000 students benefited from the bursary allowance.
„This is realizing that provision of scholarship is geared towards complementing the financial status and to motivate our students towards the attainment of their educational pursuit. This is why Government considers it imperative to approve once again the disbursement of the bursary allowances to our students in order to make the realization of their educational ambition achievable for self-actualization.
„Beyond the conventional bursary disbursement, this Administration since our assumption of Office, has continued to sponsor some indigenes of Nasarawa State to study outside the country based on critical areas of need. Just recently, we awarded scholarship to fifty (50) indigenes of Nasarawa State to study Nursing and Midwifery at Flagship College of Science, Bichi, Kano State. This is to bridge the gap of indigenous Nursing personnel in our health sector. We have also sponsored over Three Hundred (300) students in Law School and about Fifty-one (51) French Students.
„Similarly, I am happy to inform you that we have just approved the sponsorship of ten (10) indigenes of Nasarawa State to study various courses at the Azman University, Kano. We also approved the sponsorship of fifteen (15) indigenes of the State to study at the Mewar International University, Masaka, Karu Local Government Area. This is in our commitment to provide more access to quality education for our children in the State,“ he further disclosed.
He commended the leadership of the scholarship board for ensuring accountability in the management of resources accruing to it for the payment of scholarship and bursary to students.
He particularly lauded the executive secretary, Hajia Sa’Adatu Yahaya, for returning unspent funds to the state government‘s coffers.
„Let me, therefore commend the Executive Secretary of the Board for exhibiting leadership quality, which demonstrates her understanding of the principle of our Administration anchored on transparency, accountability and prudent management of public resources. I charge other Public Office Holders to emulate this culture in our collective commitment to provide purposeful leadership to our people,“ he stressed.
He urged the management to live above board and be ready to listen to the plights of the beneficiaries, when necessary.
He also urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the allowances to support their educational pursuit for the betterment of the society.
In her remarks earlier, the executive secretary, appreciated the governor for the prompt release of scholarship and bursary allowances to deserving students in the state.
Shedding light on the process that culminated in the current disbursement, she revealed that out of the 25,000 students that applied for the bursary, 17,762 were shortlisted after an online screening exercise.
She added that the board also conducted physical verification following approval of the number of beneficiaries by the state government.
She noted that after the physical verification, the board discovered that 2006 applicants were no longer students thereby delisting the number, bringing the number to 16,756.
„We, therefore, refunded the money meant for these ineligible students to the state government,” she said.
