Governor Umo Eno Pledges ₦200,000 Annual Bursary for Akwa Ibom Students if Re-elected
UYO — Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has announced a major educational policy shift, promising to scale up the annual state bursary for students in public tertiary institutions to ₦200,000 if re-elected for a second term.
The governor made the pledge while engaging with youths and stakeholders, emphasizing that the proposed upward review is designed to heavily subsidize tuition costs and ease the financial burden on students from low-income backgrounds.
Boosting Human Capital Development Under the ARISE Agenda
Addressing constituents regarding his administration’s forward-looking human capital blueprint ahead of the 2027 mandate, Governor Eno reflected on his own humble background, noting that prioritizing education remains a cardinal objective of the A.R.I.S.E. Agenda.
”To show you that we’re engaging and thinking about young people for our next tenure, as we return, we will make sure that our young people who come from the kind of background I came from can comfortably pay their tuition. The bursary will move to ₦200,000,” the governor stated.
The planned increment builds upon previous financial interventions by the state government, which had earlier scaled up student bursary allocations to ₦50,000 per beneficiary to clear backlogs and ensure direct digital disbursements into student accounts. In addition to the standard undergraduate provisions, the administration has maintained specialized grants—including ₦250,000 allocations for physically challenged students in tertiary institutions and emergency stabilization funds for medical students.
Sustaining Free and Compulsory Education
Governor Eno reassured citizens that his administration will permanently sustain free and compulsory education across primary and secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State, alongside continuous infrastructural upgrades in learning institutions. Stakeholders and student bodies have lauded the proactive policy proposal, viewing it as a timely intervention amid current economic realities.
