Relief and jubilation swept through the student community in Kogi State on Thursday as the Kogi State Government officially flagged off the disbursement of N646.8 million in bursary allowances to 20,347 indigenes pursuing tertiary education across the country, marking a dramatic expansion in state-funded educational support.
The ceremonial payout, which signals the second season of the Kogi State Students’ Bursary Scheme, took place at the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Lokoja.
Speaking through the Commissioner for Education, Hon. Wemi Jones, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo re-affirmed his administration’s unwavering commitment to easing financial pressure on students and elevating education as a core pillar of the state’s development strategy.
Under the upgraded payment structure, regular tertiary students will each receive N30,000, while medical students will receive an enhanced allowance of N75,000 to offset the intense financial demands of medical training.
Governor Ododo commended the student body for choosing constructive dialogue over public agitation, reassuring them that his administration maintains an open door and remains resolute in increasing, rather than cutting, educational funding.
The governor said his office remained accessible to the people, particularly young Nigerians, and encouraged students to sustain dialogue rather than resort to confrontation.
Ododo added that education remained a major priority in the state’s development agenda, and that government was determined not to reduce its investment in the sector but to strengthen it through improved funding and institutional development.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the immediate past administration of former Governor Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello to tertiary education in the state. He recalled that universities and other tertiary institutions were established under that administration, a development he said had widened access to higher education in Kogi.
Citing the state’s universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, College of Nursing and other specialised institutions as evidence of this expansion, the governor said the availability of programmes such as medicine, law and nursing within the state had reduced the pressure on students to seek such courses outside Kogi.
The Executive Chairman of the Kogi State Scholarship Board, Mr. Afolabi Joseph Raji, disclosed that the N646.8 million covers 20,347 beneficiaries under the 2025/2026 academic session.
He explained that the first batch, for which a N403 million cheque was presented at the ceremony, covers about 13,000 students in tertiary institutions within Kogi State, while more than 7,000 students studying outside the state will be captured in the second batch.
Joseph-Raji said medical students would begin receiving their alerts immediately, followed by other beneficiaries. He assured that all 20,347 students would be paid before the end of the week, subject to the disbursement process.
He described the development as a significant expansion of the programme, noting that only about 8,000 students benefited in the first season, compared with over 20,000 now.
In his address, the outgoing National President of the National Association of Kogi State Students (NAKOSS), Comrade Sunday Adeola Simon, thanked Governor Ododo for approving the commencement of the disbursement.
Simon recalled that the application process began in September 2025 and acknowledged that it suffered delays before reaching the disbursement stage. He said student representatives chose dialogue, patience and constructive engagement throughout, resisting calls for disruptive action in the hope that government would eventually respond.
He described the bursary as more than financial assistance, saying it showed that the welfare and educational needs of Kogi students remained important to the government.
The outgoing NAKOSS president also appealed to the governor to extend similar consideration to Kogi students studying outside the state and Kogi indigenes at the Nigerian Law School, so that no category of students would feel excluded from government support.
The event was attended by government officials, education stakeholders, student leaders and representatives of the Kogi student community, who witnessed the formal presentation of the cheque for the first batch of beneficiaries.
