Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has declared a raise in the bursary amount for state indigenes attending higher education institutions.
Nairametrics reports that that the bursary was increased from N50,000 to N60,000, while the scholarship amount increased from N200,000 to N250,000.
This announcement was made during a one-day meeting with leaders of student unions and key stakeholders.
The event, titled “Students as Strategic Partners in the Governance Process: Challenges and Prospect for Youth Development,” was held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium in Alausa, Ikeja.
Sanwo-Olu urged the students to represent their institutions well and aim to become exemplary citizens.
Recommended reading: Governor Sanwo-olu establishes fully-fledged diaspora office in Lagos
What he said
Sanwo-Olu expressed his commitment to making the students happy by announcing an increase in the Lagos State indigenes bursary, while emphasizing the importance of dialogue between the student union and stakeholders for exchanging ideas and working towards a better Nigeria.
- “As your daddy, I must ensure that you go home happy today; going forward, our Lagos State indigenes bursary has been increased to N60,000.
- “This interface between the student union and stakeholders is necessary; there’s need to share ideas and focus on building a better Nigeria.
- “You all are the future, the future is yours to take, we’re only doing what we can to build the institution that can help shape you.
- “We’ll do all we can to provide conducive environment for learning by building new additional student accommodation, we will build student arcade in other new institutions and tech hubs like we have in Lagos State University (LASU),” Sanwo-Olu said.
Scholarship to include the physically-challenged
He said that the state would provide scholarship for physically challenged students of state-owned institutions.
- “Both indigenes and non indigenes will benefit from from this scholarship; also, we have reviewed our scholarship to N250,000.
- “We want to relieve parents in the face of the hard economic situation; with our collaborative effort, we will come out stronger,” the governor said.
In his opening remarks, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr Tolani Sule, mentioned that despite the current socio-economic challenges, it was good that the Lagos State government has maintained a standard of excellence in higher education.
He also mentioned that engaging stakeholders is therefore crucial due to the significant role youths play in the development agenda.
He further praised the Governor for approving the program in a timely manner, acknowledging youths as essential for a brighter future for the country.
Boosting tertiary education
Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, the former Vice-Chancellor of LASU, also emphasized the importance of communication and constructive engagement for effective development, noting that university management should engage in honest communication, involve staff in policy-making, and develop curriculums that reflect current realities.
He said that the government should invest in infrastructure, start to rethink scholarship schemes, support transportation, healthcare, provide internet on campuses and economic empowerment for the students.
- “Focusing on the students today will turn them to the active leaders that the nation desires,” he said.
Recommended reading: Sanwo-Olu to commence payment of N750 million to Lagos traders on Feb. 14
