Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has approved the disbursement of N646.8 million bursary allowance to 20,347 students of the state studying in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The intervention, under the second season of the Governor Ododo Students Support Programme, represents a significant increase in the number of beneficiaries from the 8,549 students supported during the 2024/2025 academic session.
The flag-off of the bursary payment was held on Thursday at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Lokoja.
Speaking at the event, Executive Chairman of the Kogi State Scholarship Board (KSSB), Afolabi Joseph-Raji, said the administration had not only revived the bursary scheme but also reviewed the payment structure to provide greater support to students.
He said the state government increased the annual bursary for undergraduates from N12,000 to N30,000, while medical students would receive N75,000, compared with the previous N18,000.
Joseph-Raji said the scheme, which was last paid in 2019, was revived in 2024, adding that the application process had also been redesigned to eliminate charges and improve transparency.
According to him, students no longer pay the former N650 scratch-card fee to access the bursary portal, as applications are now free, paperless and conducted online.
He disclosed that 20,347 students had been screened and verified for the 2025/2026 academic session, with the approved N646.8 million to be released in phases.
He said the first tranche of N403 million would be paid to 13,157 students enrolled in tertiary institutions within Kogi State, while beneficiaries studying outside the state would be captured in the second tranche.
More than 300 institutions outside the state are expected to benefit, including the University of Abuja, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Jos and Bayero University, Kano.
Joseph-Raji said the Board had also strengthened its operations by providing a seven-seater utility vehicle for campus verification and other field activities.
He added that the Board had introduced the Governor Ododo Campus Quiz Challenge and Radio Quiz Challenge to further engage students, with the radio programme aired weekly on Confluence 94.1 FM and offering cash prizes of up to N5,000.
Representing the governor, Commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, said the administration had placed education at the centre of its development agenda, noting that the sector received the highest allocation in the state’s budget at 30 per cent.
Jones also highlighted other education interventions, including payment of Common Entrance, Basic Six, BECE and WAEC fees for students in public schools, as well as NABTEB fees for students in technical colleges.
He urged Kogi students to take advantage of the Federal Government’s Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme to complement state government interventions.
The commissioner also credited the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello with the establishment of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, and the Kogi State University, Kabba, saying the institutions had expanded access to tertiary education in the state.
He noted that Kogi now had three state universities alongside the state polytechnic, colleges of education, nursing and health institutions and the Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute.
Jones described the increase in verified bursary beneficiaries from 8,000 in the first season to more than 20,000 in the second as a major expansion of the programme.
Responding on behalf of the students, outgoing President of the National Association of Kogi State Students (NAKOSS), Sunday Adeola Simon, commended the governor for the intervention.
Simon said the bursary programme had gone beyond financial assistance, describing it as an indication that students’ welfare remained part of the administration’s priorities.
He acknowledged the delays experienced during the application process but said the student leadership opted for dialogue and responsible engagement rather than confrontation.
He, however, appealed to the state government to ensure that Kogi students studying outside the state, including those at the Nigeria Law School, were fully captured in subsequent disbursements.
