Nasarawa lawmaker, Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba, has announced the distribution of N100 million in scholarships to 1,000 underprivileged students across the 13 local government areas of the state. The cash awards were presented on Saturday in Lafia, the state capital, through the Nalaraba Foundation, which he established to promote education and youth empowerment.
Each beneficiary received N100,000 to cover tuition fees for at least one academic session. Nalaraba explained that the initiative was created to ease financial challenges and improve access to higher education in Nasarawa State.
“We took statistics and conducted research. We found that tuition in the state university and other institutions was not above N100,000. We decided to cover this for the underprivileged to make a positive impact,” he said.
He added that community stakeholders were consulted to ensure fairness in the selection process. “We consulted community stakeholders to help select deserving students from each town and village,” he noted.
Chairman of the Nalaraba 2025 Scholarship Grants, Prof. Amirikpa Oyigbenu, commended the lawmaker for the programme, stressing that all beneficiaries had received their payments. “In every ward, at least one, two, or three students have benefited. We took care to identify indigent children whose parents cannot afford tuition fees,” he said.
Oyigbenu further urged students to use the scholarship funds wisely in order to justify the lawmaker’s commitment and to guarantee the continuation of future empowerment programmes.
Traditional leader Aren Eggon Ahmed Ubangari also praised Nalaraba for the gesture, advising beneficiaries to make responsible use of the funds.
Some of the students, including Abimiku David and Safiyanu Bushrat, expressed gratitude, stating that the scholarships would greatly assist their educational journey.