The Sunday Steve Karimi Education Foundation (SSKEF) has commenced the disbursement of a N300 million bursary to students across Kogi State, working in partnership with the Tinubu Support Group (TSG), as the scheme expands beyond Kogi West to cover all three senatorial districts in the state.
The bursary programme is funded by Senator Sunday Steve Karimi, who represents Kogi West Senatorial District, and marks the second edition of the education support initiative. The foundation said the expansion reflects a broader commitment to supporting students across Kogi Central and Kogi East, in addition to Kogi West.
The maiden edition of the bursary scheme was held in 2024 and was largely limited to Kogi West Senatorial District. During that phase, N100 million was disbursed to 1,390 students drawn from the district’s seven local government areas. According to the foundation, the positive response and impact of the first edition informed the decision to scale up the programme.
In June 2025, SSKEF announced that the bursary scheme would be extended to include students from Kogi Central and Kogi East. Applications were subsequently opened to eligible students from the two districts, targeting 610 beneficiaries in Kogi Central and 1,000 beneficiaries in Kogi East. This brought the total number of intended beneficiaries across the state to 3,000 students.
Karimi’s media team, in a statement, said the 2026 disbursement officially began on Tuesday, 20 January, with each successful applicant receiving N100,000. The statement described the current phase as an improvement on the earlier edition, both in scope and coverage.
“This year’s edition of the bursary awards is an improvement on the maiden edition in 2024 when 1,000 students benefitted, limited to students from Kogi West alone. Originally, the Kogi West yearly scheme was designed to last the four-year tenure of the lawmaker in the 10th Senate,” the statement said.
According to the foundation, the bursary application portal opened on 1 August 2025 and closed on 31 August 2025. Eligibility was limited to undergraduates studying in public tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education.
It added that beneficiaries of the 2024 bursary scheme were excluded from the current edition, along with students of private institutions and those in their final year of study. The foundation stressed that strict adherence to the application guidelines was required.
“Any student who failed to upload or complete all required information in the application forms was not considered. Any student who applied before 1st August was automatically disqualified. Only those who applied online through the link provided were considered,” the statement said.
SSKEF also explained that all applicants were subjected to the same screening process, regardless of background or institution. However, it noted that recommendations from local government subcommittees were taken into account.
“However, those recommended by the local government subcommittee will all receive their payment. We have beneficiaries from the College of Education Technical, Mopa, who do not have JAMB numbers or registration,” the foundation said.
The statement further quoted Senator Karimi as saying that the bursary scheme reflects his commitment to education, fairness and transparency in public service.
“Senator Sunday Steve Karimi remains committed to empowering students through financial assistance, promoting academic excellence, and contributing to the overall development of Kogi State. The seamless disbursement of this year’s bursary fulfils Senator Karimi’s earlier promise of a transparent, fair, efficient, and equitable process for all applicants,” it said.
During a parley with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Lokoja in June 2025, Senator Karimi had earlier disclosed plans to disburse N300 million as bursary support to students across the state.
“Last year (2024), I gave a bursary of N100m to Kogi West students, but today, with the 96 wards in Kogi East, I have concluded arrangements to give out N100m as bursary to them. In Kogi Central, where we have 57 wards, I will give N61m as bursary, while I will also give N139m to Kogi West students in the names of the Tinubu Support Group and Senator Sunday Steve Karimi Education Foundation. This amounts to a total of N300m. That is what we are going to do, and it has already started,” he said.
The foundation disclosed that more than 10,000 students applied for the bursary scheme, with only 3,000 meeting the eligibility criteria after screening. Distribution by senatorial district includes 610 beneficiaries in Kogi Central, 1,000 in Kogi East and 1,390 in Kogi West.
Several beneficiaries and parents have acknowledged receipt of the bursary, expressing appreciation for the support. Adebowale Ayobami Emmanuel, a student of Kogi State University, Lokoja, from Yagba West Local Government Area, said he received the alert and described the assistance as timely, referring to Senator Karimi as “Godsent”.
Another beneficiary, Hezekiiah Obajemu, said, “I just received an alert of N100,000 this evening after my lecture. God bless Senator Karimi abundantly. I am short of words. Thank you for this great opportunity and help shown to me.”
Atakolo Onalo, a lecturer at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, thanked the foundation for the bursary awarded to his daughter, who is a student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
“This is the first major support from a political cycle in Kogi State, and my family and I do not take this for granted. Thank you, Distinguished Senator Sunday Karimi. We are grateful,” he said.
Kareem Enoch, whose son also benefited from the scheme, said, “May God continue to strengthen Honourable Karimi. May he continue to enjoy that office. Enemy within and enemy without will not prevail over him.”
Muhammad Munir, a student of Kogi State Polytechnic, Kotonkarfe, said the bursary eased immediate financial pressure. “To be honest, my landlord has been on my neck over rent, and I was already losing sleep, not knowing where the next solution would come from. This bursary lifted a heavy burden off my shoulders and gave me hope when things were overwhelming,” he said.
Another beneficiary, James Jibrin Nelson, a student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, from Olamaboro Local Government Area, said the bursary would support his academic work. “My heart is full of gratitude to SSKEF for the generous financial support of N100,000 awarded to me. Thank you for having students at heart,” he said, adding that the funds would help him acquire a laptop for his research.
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