In a decisive move to strengthen student welfare, Governor Umo Eno has approved a 150% increase in the Akwa Ibom State bursary, upgrading the award from ₦20,000 to ₦50,000 per beneficiary. This initiative underscores the administration’s commitment to mitigating economic pressures on undergraduates while expanding access to quality education.
Under the banner of the ARISE Agenda, Governor Eno is transforming youth empowerment with a newly greenlit ₦1.3 billion bursary fund, framing the intervention as a direct investment in the state’s intellectual future.
A press brief from Information Commissioner Dr. Aniekan Umanah confirms this massive financial push is two-pronged. Alongside the bursary release, the Governor also signed off on ₦1.968 billion to ensure exam fees are entirely covered for public basic and high school students.
The state-backed financial umbrella leaves no student behind. Dr. Umanah confirmed the waiver blankets heavy-hitting certificate exams like WASSCE and NABTEB, alongside a comprehensive list of internal milestones. Everything from primary school transition tests to secondary promotion tracks, junior high school finals (BECE), and elite science and girls’ academy entry exams are now fully subsidized by the administration.
The investment breaks down into targeted educational pillars: ₦1.368 billion completely absorbs WASSCE administrative layers—including NIN verification, biometric tracking, practical labs, and evaluation monitoring. Concurrently, ₦50 million funds technical paths via NABTEB, while ₦550 million underwrites standard state examinations.
Ensuring this vision hits the classrooms without delay, Governor Eno has given the Ministry of Education a strict implementation timeline. The overarching goal is zero friction: expedite payments so that a lack of funds never compromises a student’s academic progress.
The math behind the mission is staggering. Dr. Umanah noted that merging the student bursaries and the broad exam subsidies brings the administration’s latest educational investment to a commanding ₦3.26 billion. This fiscal commitment effectively shifts the financial burden of schooling from local families directly onto the state.
