FG Releases Over N9B For Payment Of Scholarship Allowance Backlog

The Nigerian government has released more than nine billion naira to clear the backlog of scholarship allowances owed students.

This government belongs to the long forgotten people not our greedy elites that's why they are writing letters up and down.#NextLevel.

— Osaro Ikhinmwin (@OsaroIkhinmwin) January 20, 2019

Naija News learnt that the minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, made this known during his weekend ministerial press briefing in Abuja.

The minister says the amount covers local and international students. This brings to ten billion nairas, government’s expenditure on scholarships in the 2018 budget.

He also used the occasion to appeal to the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to call off their prolonged industrial actions in the interest of Nigeria, parents and students.

Adamu said: “In the edition our weekend press briefing, I informed you that the government of President Mohammadu has already expended over N800 million in 2018 in payment of scholarship stipends to our students at home and abroad.

“With the current release, this administration will be spending a total of about N10 billion in payment of scholarship to our students in the 2018 budget. We are determined to do more,” he said.

The Minister, however, urged the Scholarship board to ensure proper verification of all the scholars under the defunct Presidential Scholarship introduced by the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration in order to ascertain that they are still in school before the money is paid to them.

He said: “Let me, however put a caveat on the scholarship liabilities the Board inherited from the Scholarship Scheme hitherto operated by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

“All the liabilities from that scheme that were transferred to the Board must be thoroughly verified before payment. The Board must ascertain that the admissions of such scholars are still valid and that the scholars are currently pursuing their programmes,” Adamu said.

I'm wondering if @RotimiAmaechi was under duress while jabbing like this. But then again, I realize that a man under duress wouldnt be convulsing sad realities like this. I ask myself: does dis man deserve a MEDAL or does he, alongside his cohorts, deserve METALS hauled at them😒

— WAR 🍷🌹 (@iamkoruzz) January 15, 2019

I'm wondering if @RotimiAmaechi was under duress while jabbing like this. But then again, I realize that a man under duress wouldnt be convulsing sad realities like this. I ask myself: does dis man deserve a MEDAL or does he, alongside his cohorts, deserve METALS hauled at them😒

— WAR 🍷🌹 (@iamkoruzz) January 15, 2019

He also disclosed that over 30,000 applicants sat for the scholarship qualifying examination recently conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The scholarship examination he said was successful was for the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship, Federal Scholarship, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Commonwealth Scholarship.