Law students of Oyo State origin have decried the non-payment of the balance of their ₦500,000 bursary by the state government.

Governor Seyi Makinde had, in March, announced the approval of N555 million as 2024/2025 bursary allowances for final-year students of state origin.

Chairman of the State Scholarship Board, Atilola Olawale, who made the announcement on behalf of the governor, stated that out of the amount, a sum of N214.1 million was approved for law students in public tertiary institutions across the country.

Mr Olawale said that the screening exercise for law students had been scheduled for March 17 to March 20. Only ₦250,000 was disbursed to each of the students in May, leaving the balance of ₦250,000 unpaid.

Social media campaigns with hashtags such as #BursaryDelay, #PayTheBalance, #StudentsAreWaiting, and #FutureOfLaw have also been launched to pressure the state government to fulfil its promise.

One of the affected students, who requested anonymity, stated that despite the promise given to them that the N250,000 balance would be paid in June, they had not received any communication from the state government.

“Only N250,000 was paid, with the assurance that the remaining N250,000 would follow shortly. Months have passed, and we’ve heard nothing since. This bursary was not a gift. It was a commitment to support the future of legal education in Oyo State. Please, let your word count,” the student said.

The beneficiaries, who said that some of them were still awaiting even the first tranche, called on the governor and the scholarship board to act swiftly on the payment.

Another student, who also did not want his name in print, said that they had been to the scholarship board, ministry of education, ministry of finance and the office of the accountant-general of the state several times without getting anything concrete on the matter.

The student said that the balance might eventually not be paid by the government, given the brick walls they had met in the course of pursuing the money.

Critics within the students’ body argued that bureaucratic bottlenecks and shifting of timelines might suggest that the government was not giving the matter the urgency it deserved.

The finance ministry declined to comment on the matter.

The commissioner for education, science and technology, Segun Olayiwola, however, appealed for patience from the law students awaiting the balance of their bursary.

“They should appreciate the government for the little that it has done and exercise patience. They have been paid ₦250,000 each, and they are not the only ones that we are paying. Final-year students in all public tertiary institutions in Nigeria are also being paid,” he said.

Mr Olayiwola stated that others who were successfully captured during the process had also been receiving their payments.

(NAN)