…………..Medicine Program at Confluence University of Science and Technology CUSTECH Osara receives Accreditation.
FIC Report (Kogi State) – Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo flagged off disbursement of bursary allowance to Eight thousand, seven hundred and fifty 8,750 undergraduate students beneficiaries the sum of three hundred and sixteen million, seven hundred and seventy thousand naira (NGN 316,770,000) today 24th January 2025 in Lokoja.
The Governor said National Association of Kogi State Law School Students Association received a cheque of sixty million, three hundred thousand naira N60,300,000 payment of scholarship support of NGN 300,000 each to the first batch 0f 201 verified Law School Students.
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National Association of Kogi State Students received a cheque of two hundred and fifty six million, four hundred and seventy thousand naira only (NGN 256,470,000) for the payment of bursary allowance of thirty thousand naira (NGN 30,000) to the first batch of 8,549 verified students.
The governor who was presented by his deputy Mr. Joel Salifu Oyibo said this is part of fulfilling his campaign promises of education to make it easily accessible to Kogi students so that they can compete on a global scale.
He stated “while free education at the secondary level is commendable, we understand that the financial burden on families does not end there. To address this, we have strengthened our bursary administration to support students in tertiary institutions. In Kogi State, our investment in education is a continuum: from primary school to tertiary education, we are committed to easing the financial burden on our students. Education may be costly, but the cost of ignorance is far greater”.
“I am delighted to inform you that the Medicine program at the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, has received accreditation. This is a significant milestone, and we will not rest until similar achievements are recorded across all our other Universities. Kogi State is committed to contributing its quota to Nigeria’s need for skilled medical personnel.”
He said Education remains a critical tool in combating crime and driving development in a society. This is why, as a government, they have made education a highest priority. The Appropriation Bill he recently signed into law allocates over 30% of the total budget to the education sector. This substantial investment underscores his administration’s unwavering belief in the transformative power of education.
Kogi has the lowest out of school children in the Northern Nigeria and one of the lowest out of school children in the country.
He extended his gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his unwavering commitment to education. The Student Loan Initiative established by the President is already transforming lives and represents a significant step toward national educational excellence.
As part of his commitment to promoting excellence, Ododo’s administration will implement a policy of granting automatic employment to the best graduating students from all tertiary institutions in the state. This initiative will reward hard work and inspire others to strive for excellence.
The Governor while noting the disbursement will be an annual event. He also emphasised cultism and other vices does not have a space in the tertiary institutions
Mr. Afolabi Joseph Raji Executive Chairman Kogi State Scholarship Board in his opening remarks said within the space of one year Governor Ododo achieved many laudable achievements, ten months back the journey started with recapping new vision, to support Kogi state students in order to succeed.
The Scholarship board boss said three hundred and seventy thousand students (370,000 ) students applied but they failed to provide proper documentation, while eleven thousand (11,000) students applied and uploaded their documents and 8750 got approved.
Mr Raji averred governor reviewed the bursary allocation of 30,000 for each student which was 12,000 naira before. Additional one hundred and forty-eight million naira (NGN 148, 000,000) was approved to support Kogi state students at the Nigerian Tulip International College NTIC Kano.
The Governor approved another five million ( NGN 5,000,000) for a student studying in Poland.
Mr. Raji made public that the scholarship board deployed new website where the students will apply directly. He said the bursary will be disbursed electronically to the successful applicants.
He said over 60 persons from The disability community will benefit from the bursary allowance. He made public that more focus will be given to foreign scholarship award. Saying currently there is agreement with Turkish universities in the Northern Cyprus and 2 universities in the Europe.
Prof. Usman Salisu Ogbo, Rector Kogi State Polytechnic in his goodwill message said in Kogi state there is a consistent academic calendar which traced back to the administration of former governor Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello. While commending the governor for installation of CCTV cameras and perimeter fencing in some tertiary institutions in the state, he also appealed to the governor to extend more focus on abroad post graduate scholarship for Kogi State students.
Signed
Maryam Abubakar Gulma
ACIPRO FIC LOKOJA
