AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and 100% Bursary Increment For Students-Abdulqaudri Mahmud

When I read that the Governor of Kwara state AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had approved an 100% bursary increment for Kwara students a few days ago, I recalled how the previous handlers of the State were using bursaries meant for Kwara students to compensate their loyalists before AbdulRazaq was enthroned through the poll in 2019.

Fidel Info reports that When other state governments were fairly and electronically disbursing bursaries to their final year students, Kwara state government was disbursing hers from hand to hand, and this gave some officials in charge of the disbursement the opportunity to loot millions of naira meant for students.

Aside the inhumane loot, these people also subjected students to rigorous tasks before giving them their bursaries. Students were made to queue under scorching sun for hours. Still many of them would not be given despite the fact that they duplicated their names on the papers pasted on the boards or walls.

As a final year student of University of Ilorin that year; I was a victim of the corrupt system. When I saw my names printed thrice on a  board adjacent the Students Affairs’ building, I hurried to the hall where the 5,000 bursary was being shared. After queuing under the sun for more than three hours, the officials said they had closed for the day. I should come the next day. I went there the following day and days after, it was myself and other poor students I saw.

Many thanks to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who thought it was necessary to put an end to the corruption and the inhumane treatment of Kwara final year students which had become a norm. He asked that the electronic mode of payment which is fair and curtails corruption be implemented.

The recent approval of 100% bursary increment by Governor AbdulRazaq shows that the governor means well for the students like he means well for Kwara state. The approval also came a few days after the state government transported over 800 students to the northern states where they study on a free ride.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s good gesture to Kwara students are unprecedented. No governor has ever took the welfare of students seriously like him since the return of democracy in 1999. Let’s not forget that as he’s comforting the students, he’s also comforting Kwara entrepreneur youths, artisans, aged, artisans, traders and others.

Abdulqaudri Mahmud writes from Ilorin East LGA, Zango Ward, Ilorin Kwara state