ABUJA– An Ibadan-born legal practitioner, Fatai Abiodun Esq, has threatened to institute legal proceedings against Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over the failure of the state government to pay bursaries to eligible Nigerian Law School students for the 2025/2026 academic session despite assurances that the payments have been approved.
Abiodun, who spoke on behalf of himself and other affected law students, expressed disappointment over what he described as the government’s failure to fulfil its commitment after students had been called to the Bar and had completed the official verification exercise conducted by the Oyo State Scholarship Board in conjunction with the Federation of Oyo State Students’ Union.
According to him, all eligible beneficiaries complied with the verification process as required by the Scholarship Board, creating a legitimate expectation that the bursary would be paid within a reasonable time.
He maintained that the prolonged delay has caused frustration among beneficiaries, many of whom depend on the financial support to meet academic and professional obligations associated with legal education.
Abiodun argued that the payment of bursaries should not be treated as a discretionary privilege once the government has established a bursary scheme, called for the list of eligible students from the Nigerian Law School, verified their credentials, and assured them that payment would be made.
“Any attempt to categorise bursary payment as a mere privilege rather than an obligation arising from the government’s commitment to education will not fly,” he said.
The legal practitioner disclosed that he would, within the next few days, issue a pre-action notice to Governor Makinde as a precursor to legal proceedings if the government fails to address the matter within the next 48 hours.
He said the proposed suit would seek judicial intervention to compel the state government to honour its commitment to qualified beneficiaries, stressing that public authorities are expected to act fairly and consistently with representations made to citizens.
Abiodun urged the Oyo State Government to urgently fulfil its promise and release the bursary funds, noting that doing so would reinforce public confidence in government commitments and support students pursuing legal education.
As of the time of filing this report, the Oyo State Government and the Oyo State Bursary Commission had not publicly responded to the threatened legal action or the allegations regarding the delayed bursary payments.
