By Samson Obande, Lafia

The A to A – An Alago Agenda has dismissed reports alleging that the Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Scholarship Board, Dr. Hajiya Sa’adatu O. Yahya, donated N2 million from bursary funds to a support group linked to Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada.

The group was reacting to a publication attributed to Idris Yakub and published by Nasarawa Mirror.

In a rejoinder signed by its Director, Media and Communications, the group said the N2 million in question was a personal pledge by Dr. Yahya and not money belonging to the Scholarship Board, nor was it deducted from funds meant for students’ bursary.

“More importantly, the N2 million was only pledged and has not yet been remitted. It is therefore inaccurate to present the matter as though N2 million in public funds had already been released or transferred to the support group,” the statement clarified.

The group noted that Dr. Yahya has had a long career in public service, having served as Adviser, Commissioner, member of Transition Management Committee (TMC), member of Interim Management Committee (IMC), and as senior staff of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) before retirement, and as such, a personal pledge of N2 million without evidence connecting it to public funds should not be presented as financial impropriety.

“The relevant question is straightforward: Was the N2 million taken from the Scholarship Board’s bursary funds? The answer is no,” it stressed.

On the 2023/2024 bursary programme, the group explained that disbursement is awaiting the approval of Governor Abdullahi A. Sule, expressing confidence that once approval is granted, the Board will commence payment swiftly.

It acknowledged the concerns of students awaiting bursary, but cautioned that the delay should not be linked to a personal pledge that was neither remitted nor sourced from public funds.

The group urged journalists and members of the public to verify information from credible sources before publishing claims that border on public funds and personal integrity.

“A to A – An Alago Agenda remains committed to responsible advocacy, fairness and constructive engagement in the interest of students and the people of Nasarawa State,” the statement added.