Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has promised to increase the annual bursary for students in public tertiary institutions from N50,000 to N200,000 if re-elected for a second term in 2027.
The governor announced this during a fireside chat on the second day of the Ibom Ignite 2026 Conference at Ibom Hall, Uyo, on Wednesday.
He said the new rates would take effect if he won the February 2027 governorship election and was sworn in for another term on May 29, 2027.
Eno said the increase was intended to help students from less privileged backgrounds meet their educational expenses.
“We started by paying bursary, we moved it, it’s now 50,000 for every student. But again, to show you that we’re engaging, we’re thinking about young people from 2027, as we come back May 29, 2027, to make sure that our young people who come from the kind of background I came from can at least pay their tuition, bursary will move to 200,000,” he said.
He also pledged to sustain free and compulsory education at the primary and secondary school levels.
The governor urged beneficiaries of the N50m Ibom Ignite business grant to invest the money in their businesses rather than spend it on personal pleasure or unproductive ventures.
Describing the grant as seed capital for business development, he said beneficiaries needed to use the funds judiciously to improve their livelihoods.
“A seed not properly planted and tended was as good as dead,” Eno said.
Speaking on support for vulnerable residents, the governor said his administration had built more than 500 Compassionate Homes for less privileged people across the state’s 31 local government areas.
He added that each beneficiary received a N500,000 business grant to support their livelihood.
Eno promised to build an additional 1,000 Compassionate Homes and provide the accompanying business grants across the state’s wards if re-elected.