Mustapha Expands Kwara Central Scholarship Scheme

Senator Saliu Mustapha, initiator of Kwara Central Scholarship Scheme

Senator Saliu Mustapha has increased his merit-based university scholarship fund to ₦300 million, extending support to 300 high-performing but indigent students across Kwara Central. The upgraded scheme, unveiled in Ilorin, expands last year’s ₦200 million intervention for 200 students.

Mustapha said the initiative is designed to dismantle financial barriers that limit young people’s access to higher education and to frame human capital investment as a core priority of his legislative agenda. He noted that improved education reduces vulnerability to insecurity and other social risks.

Scholarship Committee Chair, Prof. Binta Sulyman, stated that the selection process remains strictly merit-driven, with beneficiaries scoring 250 and above in the UTME and drawn from the four LGAs of Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South and Asa.

Tuition will be fully covered from the first year to graduation for students enrolled in approved tertiary institutions within Kwara State.

Committee Secretary, Comrade Yakub Ishowo, said beneficiaries are currently studying at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State University (Malete), the new Kwara State University of Education, and the University of Offa. He confirmed that a monitoring system has been deployed to track academic progress.

Parents and students described the intervention as timely and transformative, pledging to uphold the standards that earned them the award.