Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has announced an increase in bursary payments to state indigenes in tertiary institutions.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said this at his one-day parley with student union leaders and stakeholders.

The parley, themed “Students as Strategic Partners in the Governance Process: Challenges and Prospects for Youth Development,” took place at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja.

Mr Sanwo-Olu charged the students to be good ambassadors of their schools and focus on being great citizens.

“As your daddy, I must ensure that you go home happy today; going forward, our Lagos State indigenes bursary has been increased to N60,000,” said Mr Sanwo-Olu.

The governor stated that the parley with the student union and stakeholders was vital and pledged that his administration would ensure a conducive learning environment.

”We’ll do all we can to provide a conducive environment for learning by building new additional student accommodation; we will build student arcades in other new institutions and tech hubs like we have in Lagos State University (LASU),” Mr Sanwo-Olu said.

He said the state would provide scholarships for physically challenged students at state-owned institutions.

“Both indigenes and non-indigenes will benefit from this scholarship; also, we have reviewed our scholarship to N250,000.

“We want to relieve parents in the face of the hard economic situation; with our collaborative effort, we will come out stronger,” the governor said.

The bursary was increased from N50,000 to N60,000, while the scholarship increased from N200,000 to N250,000.

The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule, gave the opening remarks, commending Mr Governor for approving the programme.

“In spite of the present socio-economic challenges in the country, it is gratifying to note that the Lagos State government has continued to sustain the tempo of excellence in our tertiary institutions,” he said.

Lanre Fagbohun, the immediate past vice chancellor of LASU, said communication and constructive engagement are crucial to effective development.

He said the government should invest in infrastructure, begin to rethink scholarship schemes, support transportation and healthcare, provide internet on campuses, and empower students economically.

(NAN)