Sanwo-Olu Approves increase in Lagos Students’ Bursary by 100%

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

The Executive Secretary, of Lagos State Scholarship Board, Mr Abdur Rahaman Lekki said in a statement on Sunday that the increment would take effect from the 2022/ 2023 academic session.

Lekki disclosed that he had already informed representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Lagos State Chapter, and the National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS) at a meeting at Alausa, Ikeja.

He said that the meeting was held at the instance of the Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo- Olu on Education, Mr Tokunbo Wahab.

Lekki said that the meeting had in attendance, the presidents and some executive members of both the two students’ union bodies, NANS and NULAS and representatives of the state government.

Executive Secretary, Lagos State Scholarship Board, said that the 100 per cent bursary increment and other benefits were aimed at supporting the educational needs of students of Lagos state origin, to let them cope with the present economic reality.

According to him, the government at the just concluded State Economic Summit known as “Ehingbeti Summit” had approved the resolutions on the establishment of Lagos Diaspora Scholarship Fund.

Lekki explained that the scholarship fund is aimed at providing scholarship and bursary benefits generally to all Lagos state resident students in tertiary institutions, in any part of the country, to support their education.

He appealed to the students over a little delay in the payment of the remaining 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 bursary/ scholarship benefits, adding that the delay was necessitated by the ongoing data-cleansing/verification exercise across all institutions by the state government,

“The ongoing data-cleansing/verification exercise is to ensure that only qualified students of Lagos state origin benefited from the scheme,” he added.

Lekki revealed that the Lagos state scholarship board through the ongoing verification and data cleansing exercise discovered a fraudulent act, which was at the expense of the original students of the state that the scheme was meant for.

He stated further that it was discovered that some people who either were no more students or not even students of any higher institution were benefiting from the scheme.

The board secretary, however assured that prompt payment of both bursary and scholarship benefits for the outstanding years would begin immediately after the ongoing exercise was completed.

He declared that for the avoidance of doubt, effective from Monday, Oct. 17, students of the Lagos State College of Heath Technology (LASCOHET) will get their outstanding payments for the 2020/2021 academic year, adding that the management of LASCOHET had completed the students’ verification exercise and forwarded the list of its authentic students to the board.

Lekki also annonuced that the Board had scheduled assessment tests for fresh beneficiaries for the year 2022/2023 scholarship benefit for Oct. 29, as necessary details had been sent to qualified applicants.

He hinted that the state government was not planning to stop the scheme, adding that the 2023 budget of the state government has captured the new increment and other benefits to make life more bearable for students in their studies.

The state government, he said has just appointed a new board secretary to the Lagos state scholarship board for the administration of both bursary and scholarship benefits and so both the bursary and scholarship schemes will continue unstopped for the benefits of our students.

“Rather than stopping it, the governor will continue to improve on it as part of the measures to realise his vision for sustainable educational growth for the state, in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S development agenda,” Lekki said.

Responding, the leadership of the two students’ bodies, NANS and NULASS represented by their presidents, Olusesi Tolulope (NANS) and Shasanya Akinola (NULASS) along with other exco members dismissed the rumours that their members planned blocking the Third Mainland Bridge on Oct. 17 in protest of the delay in the disbursement of outstanding benefits for 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic sessions.

The student leaders described the rumour of protest by students of Lagos state origin as blatant lies, stressing that their members had absolute confidence in  Sanwo-Olu as a responsible governor and father who they could trust for his promises.

The students’ union leaders presented a letter of assurances from their members to the state government.

They disclosed that the administration of Sanwo-Olu had not only demonstrated commitment to the growth of education, through various reforms, but had also ensured prompt and seamless payment of both scholarship and bursary benefits in the past as well as payments of all the backlogs inherited by his administration.

They revealed that the planned protest, if there was any, was the handiwork of faceless and disgruntled individuals, whose stock in trade was falsehood and disturbance of public peace.