The National Headquarters of the National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS) has accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq led Kwara state government of embezzlement in the process of disbursing bursary to students under the two previous administration of the Association.
According to a statement jointly signed by the President and Spokesperson of the Union, Comrades Abdullahi AbdulKadir Wokili and Joshua Yemi Bello, NAKSS noted that it has been discovered that the electronic system adopted by AbdulRazaq’s government for bursary payment is used to ‘shield embezzlement’.
The Association, suspected to have observed that Gov. AbdulRazaq hardly respond to public needs until it is protested, threatens to embark on massive protest in demand for payment of outstanding bursary allowance for students by the AbdulRazaq’s administration.
It would be recalled that less than 12hours after video of Kwara Hotel staff who protested nonpayment of their seven months salaries went viral, Gov. AbdulRazaq ordered immediate payment of outstanding salaries, a move that has given impetus to protest as the only means to get the government attentions by various agencies. In the last one week, no fewer than two agencies of the State government demonstrated against unmet demands bothering on workers’ welfare.
The statement reads in part, “We have confirmed that during Jaji’s administration, the government said the bursary released totaled 50 million Naira. However, our independent investigation revealed that the amount released was not even up to 25 million naira. The same thing played out during the Atunlushe’s administration. Some of the members of the committee who pleaded anonymity have confirmed to us also that there was mismanagement among the committee. All of these point to the exploitative nature of the medium adopted for the bursary.”
“During the Maigida’s Administration in Kwara, the Kwara State Government under Mallam Ahmed Fatai paid 100 million Naira as student bursary before the expiration of his tenure. Despite paying 50 million Naira now, the Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq administration is still falling short of adequacies”
“Last month, the body had written several letters to appeal to the state government as an organization that recognizes the protocols and stages in governance but the government has failed to listen to the concerns raised by the students”, the statement reads.
“Having reached out to the Kwara State Government severally and each time proven abortive, the body quoting itself saying “there is no denying that annual bursaries and scholarships are students’ entitlements that have a prominent place in the budgets of all states, including Kwara state. We are aware of the budgeted amount for the scheme. However, the State Government contends that the inclusion of the bursary in the budget does not guarantee its payment because a budget is merely a blueprint that does not hold much weight. We are not ready to believe this.”
“As a result, having exhausted all dialogue mechanisms, “we demand that the State Government should pay the bursary in space of 48hrs and also jettison the electronic payment which has always been used to siphon money and used in paying non Kwara State Indigenous Students. If these demands are not met, we will be forced to go on the street to protest and this will hinder any kind of political actions in the state”, the statement added.
