By: John Bassey, Zamfara.

The Governor of Zamfara State, Dr. Dauda Lawal, has presented certificates to 50 graduates of Crescent University, Abeokuta, who were sponsored under the state government’s scholarship scheme.

The statement, signed by Comrade Suleiman Bala Idris, the spokesperson for Governor Dauda Lawal, revealed that the students had been attending Crescent University for the past nine years under the sponsorship of the previous administrations of Abdulaziz Yari and Bello Matawalle.

Since the university never received the agreed transfer of scholarship fees for the students, their results were withheld till the intervention of the Rescue Commander, Dr. Dauda Lawal, who vowed to complete both inherited and initiated progressive and productive projects of the state government within his tenure.

The statement read, “Governor Dauda Lawal has presented certificates to 50 graduates of the Crescent University, Abeokuta, who were sponsored by the previous state government.

“The Crescent University refused to release the students’ results due to nonpayment of tuition fees.

“The state government under Governor Dauda Lawal, after carefully studying the case, reached out to the university and settled the outstanding tuition fees.

“Among the 50 students, there are First Class graduates in Chemistry and several Second Class Upper degree holders.

This gesture portrays the state government’s commitment to the educational sector and a clear indication that the state of emergency declared is yielding positive results.”

While presenting the certificates to the students, Governor Lawal pledged to give special consideration to the graduates during the 2026 recruitment process and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to prioritizing education as well as human capital development.

The state Commissioner for Education, Malam Wadatau Madewaki, affirmed that the 50 graduates were indeed sponsored by the previous administrations based on his records and were not able to pay up the required fees, leading to confiscation of the certificates by the institution.

Madawaki commended Governor Dauda Lawal for his intervention, which has led to the release of the certificates to the students after nine years of graduation.

Earlier in her words, the Zamfara state Executive Secretary for the scholarship Board, Professor Rashida Liman stated that some of the 50 student graduated 10 years ago base on her records under the sponsorship of the two previous administrations but unfortunately the fees owed to Crescent University Abeokuta was not released to them.

In retaliation, the institution withheld the certificates of the sponsored graduates virtually holding them to ransom from fulfilling their future, preventing their academic advancement and job opportunities.

Professor Liman described Governor Lawal as a visionary leader, urging the graduates to support his administration because to whom much is given, much is equally expected