The Kogi State Government has commenced the disbursement of N646.8 million in bursary allowances to 20,347 verified students of Kogi State origin studying in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The disbursement was flagged off on Thursday at the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Lokoja under the second season of the state’s students’ support programme.
According to the Kogi State Scholarship Board, the intervention covers students enrolled in the 2025/2026 academic session, with payments being made in phases to beneficiaries studying within and outside the state.
The Executive Chairman of the Kogi State Scholarship Board, Afolabi Joseph-Raji, said the administration revived the bursary scheme, which had not been paid since 2019, and increased the allowance by 150 per cent when the programme was recommenced.
Under the revised structure, the regular bursary allowance was increased from N12,000 to N30,000 per student, while medical students who previously received N18,000 will now receive N75,000 each.
Joseph-Raji explained that the 2025/2026 exercise represents a major expansion from the previous season, when 8,549 undergraduates received N30,000 each and other scholarship interventions were also provided.
For the current session, the first tranche of N403 million is expected to cover 13,157 students enrolled in tertiary institutions within Kogi State, while beneficiaries studying in institutions outside the state will be included in the second tranche.
The Scholarship Board said students in more than 300 institutions outside Kogi, including the University of Abuja, Ahmadu Bello University, University of Jos and Bayero University Kano, are among those expected to receive payments in the subsequent phase.
The state government said the bursary application process has also been changed from the previous system, with students no longer required to purchase scratch cards before accessing the application portal.
The new process is free, paperless and conducted online, with the Scholarship Board describing the approach as part of efforts to make registration and verification more transparent.
The government has also introduced additional student-focused initiatives, including the Governor Ododo Campus Quiz Challenge and a Radio Quiz Challenge on Confluence 94.1 FM, where participating students can win cash prizes of up to N5,000.
The Scholarship Board also received a seven-seater utility vehicle to support campus verification and other mobilisation activities after previously operating without a dedicated vehicle for such assignments.
Speaking on behalf of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, Kogi State Commissioner for Education Wemi Jones said the state’s 30 per cent budgetary allocation to education reflected the administration’s stated emphasis on the sector.
Jones noted that the number of verified beneficiaries had risen from about 8,000 in the first season to more than 20,000 in the second season, representing an increase of more than 130 per cent in the number of students covered.
He also listed other education-related interventions by the state government, including payment of examination fees for public-school students sitting for Common Entrance, Basic Six, BECE and WAEC examinations, as well as NABTEB fees for technical college students.
The commissioner further encouraged Kogi students to explore the Federal Government’s student loan scheme, noting that only a small number of students present at the event indicated that they were currently benefiting from it.
The outgoing President of the National Association of Kogi State Students, Sunday Adeola Simon, thanked the state government for commencing the disbursement after the application process began in September 2025 and experienced delays.
Simon said student representatives had chosen dialogue and constructive engagement during the period, while also appealing for students studying outside Kogi State and Kogi indigenes at the Nigerian Law School to be fully captured in the disbursement.
The Kogi State Government said the entire list of 20,347 verified beneficiaries would be covered through the payment phases, with the initiative intended to provide financial support to students pursuing tertiary education across the country.