Seven students of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, who faced dropping out over unpaid tuition fees, have received scholarships from the university’s branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Branch chair, Dr Angulu Haruna, said the intervention was prompted by the economic difficulties students face. Two of the awards, worth ₦200,000 each, were provided by ASUU’s national leadership, while the Bauchi branch funded five others at ₦100,000 each. The beneficiaries include students from engineering, statistics, computer science, and industrial design. Prof Usman Aliyu Jalam, who convened the selection process, said candidates were chosen based on academic performance — a minimum CGPA of 3.0 — and financial need.
Dr Haruna urged the government to introduce grants instead of student loans, warning that repayment would remain a burden for many after graduation. “We have never supported the student loan; students deserve a grant, not a loan,” he said. One recipient, Christiana Thomas Haruna, speaking on behalf of the awardees, thanked ASUU for its “timely intervention” and pledged that the beneficiaries would redouble their commitment to their studies.
