Stakeholders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) education sector have commended the Minister of the FCT, Barr. Nyesom Wike, for his commitment to education and infrastructural development, while appealing for an upward review of scholarship funding to enable more indigent students to benefit from the scheme.
The appeal was made on Thursday during a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the FCT Scholarship Board to review preparations for the 2025/2026 scholarship exercise for indigent residents and indigenes of the FCT.
Participants at the meeting acknowledged the minister’s efforts in advancing development across the territory but argued that prevailing economic realities have made it imperative to increase scholarship awards to support more financially disadvantaged students.
Speaking at the meeting, the Director of the FCT Scholarship Board, Mrs. Hannah Peter David, reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to ensuring that deserving students have access to educational opportunities through a transparent and efficient scholarship process.
She described the meeting as an opportunity to evaluate previous exercises, address identified challenges and develop strategies for a more seamless implementation of the 2025/2026 scholarship programme.
“The FCT Scholarship Board remains committed to its mandate of identifying and supporting indigent, brilliant and deserving students within the Federal Capital Territory, providing them with the financial support they need to pursue their educational goals without undue hardship,” she said.
According to her, the meeting focused on reviewing application timelines, expanding awareness campaigns to rural communities across the six Area Councils and strengthening collaboration among stakeholders to ensure that only qualified applicants benefit from the programme.
Mrs. David disclosed that scholarship application forms would only be issued to fresh applicants, stressing the need for collective efforts in nurturing the educational aspirations of young people in the territory.
During the interactive session, representatives of traditional institutions, including the Etsu of Bwari and the Aguma of Gwagwalada, sought clarification over delays experienced by some beneficiaries in receiving scholarship payments.
Responding, the Director explained that investigations revealed that most payment failures resulted from incorrect bank details supplied by applicants.
She said 48 beneficiaries initially had their payments returned because they provided invalid account information, submitted parents’ bank accounts or used fintech platforms such as OPay and Moniepoint, which are not compatible with the government’s payment system.
According to her, the Board contacted each affected beneficiary to update their banking information before the payments were successfully reprocessed.
To avoid similar challenges in the next exercise, she advised applicants to use only commercial bank accounts, avoid third-party accounts, possess the required academic qualifications, including five credits with English Language and Mathematics, and submit their applications within the stipulated period.
Mrs. David explained that the scholarship scheme is funded solely through the FCT Administration’s budget, noting that available resources have limited the number of beneficiaries.
She said the current policy allocates 80 per cent of scholarship awards to indigent indigenes and 20 per cent to indigent residents across basic, post-basic, tertiary and foreign education programmes.
“Our appeal to the Honourable Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, is for an increase in the scholarship budget so that more deserving students can benefit from the scheme,” she said.
Stakeholders supported the appeal, expressing optimism that increased funding would expand access to education for thousands of vulnerable students across the FCT.
The meeting also highlighted the need to strengthen technical and vocational education. Representatives of traditional institutions advocated the establishment of skills acquisition centres in the six Area Councils to equip young people with employable skills.
The President of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), FCT Chapter, Dr. Jiya Mohammed Umar, commended traditional rulers for supporting education and cited the Etsu of Kwali’s sponsorship of about 15 indigent secondary school students as a notable example of community partnership.
In her vote of thanks, the Board’s Head of Scholarship Award Division, Mrs. Alice Isah, appreciated the traditional rulers, community leaders and education stakeholders for attending the meeting despite the heavy rainfall, urging sustained collaboration to ensure the success of the scholarship programme.
