Ododo Releases ₦646.8m Bursary to Support 20,347 Kogi Students

The scholarship board restarted a scheme that had been dormant since 2019. Key policy changes and rate increases introduced after the revival last year include:

Recent disbursements and rollout plan

Payments will be made in stages rather than as a single lump sum. The first tranche totals ₦403 million and covers 13,157 students who attend campuses within Kogi State. The remaining funds will be distributed to beneficiaries studying at more than 300 institutions outside Kogi, including universities in Abuja, Zaria, and Kano.

The board provided figures for the 2024/2025 cycle to give context to the scale-up:

• ₦256.4 million paid to nearly 8,550 undergraduates.
• ₦60.3 million paid to Law School students.
• Additional scholarships in that cycle totaled ₦261 million.

Student engagement and operational support

The scholarship board added engagement initiatives to keep students involved and informed. These include a campus quiz challenge and a weekly radio quiz on a local station where participants can win up to ₦5,000. The board also accepted a utility vehicle to facilitate campus visits and oversight.

Student response and outstanding requests

Student leaders expressed gratitude for the funding and said the support shows students remain a priority for the administration. They requested that future rounds explicitly include students studying outside Kogi and those attending Law School nationwide.

• Staged disbursements to out-of-state institutions and timelines for those payments.
• Any public release of beneficiary lists or further transparency measures tied to the online application process.
• Whether the board expands engagement programs or alters payment rates for future cycles.