Nasarawa Lawmaker Awards N100m Scholarships to 1,000 Indigent Students

By David Odama

The member representing Awe, Doma, and Keana Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba, has awarded scholarships to 1,000 underprivileged students across the 13 local government areas of Nasarawa State.

The scholarship award, estimated at N100 million, was presented to the beneficiaries on Saturday in Lafia through the Nalaraba Foundation, established by the lawmaker to support youth educational advancement and empowerment.

Each beneficiary of the scholarship scheme received N100,000 to cover tuition fees for at least one academic session.

According to the lawmaker, the initiative is aimed at easing the financial stress of parents and students while promoting access to higher education.

“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. “We also consulted community stakeholders to help select deserving students from each town and village.”

Chairman of the Nalaraba 2025 Scholarship Grants, Prof. Amirikpa Oyigbenu, commended the lawmaker for the initiative, confirming that all beneficiaries had received their payments. He urged the students to use the funds wisely to justify the lawmaker’s efforts and ensure the continuity of similar empowerment programmes in the future.

“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,” Oyigbenu stated. Traditional leader, Aren Eggon Ahmed Ubangari, also applauded the lawmaker, advising beneficiaries to apply the scholarships judiciously.

Responding on behalf of other recipients, Abimiku David and Safiyanu Bushrat expressed gratitude to the lawmaker and his foundation for selecting them as beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme.

According to them, the scholarships would not only help them achieve their dream of acquiring education but also ease their parents’ burden while supporting their educational pursuits.