Govt increases Lagos students’ bursary by 100%

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has approved an increment of 100 per cent on bursary payable to the students of Lagos State origin in tertiary institutions across the country from 2022/2023 academic session.

The Executive Secretary, Lagos State Scholarship Board, Mr Abdur Rahaman Lekki, stated this during a meeting with representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Lagos State chapter, and National Union of Lagos State Students on Friday in Alausa, Ikeja.

During the meeting called by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Tokunbo Wahab, the Board Secretary said the increment was aimed at supporting the educational needs of students of Lagos State origin to let them cope with the present economic reality.

Lekki also said the government, at the just concluded Lagos State  Economic Summit (Ehingbeti), approved the establishment of  Lagos Diaspora  Scholarship Funds to provide scholarship and bursary benefits  generally  to all  Lagos State students  in tertiary institution in any part of the country.

“While appealing to the students over a little delay in the payment of the remaining 2020/ 2021 and 2021/2022 bursary/ scholarship benefits, the   Board Secretary explained that the delay was necessitated by the ongoing data cleansing/ verification across all institutions by the government to ensure that only qualified students of the Lagos State origin benefited from the scheme,” the statement added.

While allaying the students’ fear that the state government was planning to stop the scheme, Lekki noted that there was no basis to stop the scheme since there was provision for it in the state budget, adding that 2023 budget had captured the new increments and other benefits.

He added, “I want you to remember that the government just appointed a new Board Secretary to the Lagos State Scholarship Board for the administration of both bursary and scholarship benefits; that is even enough for you to know there was no plan at any time to stop the scheme. Both   bursary and scholarship schemes will continue.”

In their responses, the leadership NANS and NULASS represented by their presidents,   Olusesi  Tolulope (NANS) and Shasanya Akinola (NULASS) dispelled the rumours making the rounds that their members planned to block the Third Mainland Bridge to protest against the delay  in the  disbursement  of  the  outstanding  benefits for the  2020/2021 and 2021/22  academic sessions.