Kaduna State has disbursed over N1 billion in scholarships and student loans in the last three years. The funds were allocated under Governor Uba Sani’s administration to expand access to higher education.
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, confirmed the figures at a press briefing in Kaduna. He said N493.27 million was spent on overseas scholarships for 42 students studying medicine, computer science, cybersecurity and engineering. Another N425.52 million went to local scholarships for indigent students across Nigeria.
The state also committed N105 million to its student loan scheme. An additional N27.25 million was released to cover registration fees for law graduates at the Nigerian Law School. Maiyaki said the combined interventions reflect the governor’s commitment to removing financial barriers to education.
Over 21,000 students have benefited from the programme. The Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Scholarship and Loans Board, Yahaya Ibrahim, said the beneficiaries are spread across 40 higher institutions. Kaduna is the first state in Nigeria to operate both scholarship and student loan schemes on a broad scale.
A beneficiary, Al’Ameen Waheed, a geography student at Kaduna State University, said the scholarship lifted a huge burden from his family. He urged other states to adopt similar models to support students.
