The Taraba State Government’s postgraduate scholarship programme to India has come under renewed public scrutiny following reports that the son of the state’s Commissioner for Tertiary Education and the daughter of a Director at the Taraba State Scholarship Board are among the 100 beneficiaries selected for the programme.
The two beneficiaries identified in the report are Victor Mike Dio Jen, son of Commissioner for Tertiary Education Dr. Mike Dio Jen, and Zakariah Kwenjerimam Kurutsi, identified as the daughter of the Director of Students at the Taraba State Scholarship Board.
According to Sahara Reporters News, their inclusion has generated questions from some beneficiaries and Taraba residents about the transparency and fairness of the selection process, particularly because their parents hold positions connected to the state’s education and scholarship administration.
The Taraba Government, however, has defended the selection, arguing that children of government officials are also Taraba indigenes and should not automatically be prevented from benefiting from government scholarship programmes.
Taraba Government Says the Scholarship Was Open to Interested Applicants
According to Commissioner Mike Dio Jen, the scholarship programme was initiated by Governor Agbu Kefas and publicly advertised to allow interested Taraba indigenes to apply online. He said applications were submitted through the Taraba State Scholarship Board before applicants were shortlisted for further assessment.
The commissioner explained that the selection process involved applicants from all 16 local government areas of Taraba State. According to his account, 10 applicants from each local government area were initially selected for interviews. Five beneficiaries were then selected from each local government, producing about 80 beneficiaries, while the remaining 20 were selected based on merit.
Two Children of Senior Education Officials Appear on the Final List
The controversy centres on two names appearing on a document containing the 100 students offered provisional admission to master’s programmes in India. The document was reportedly signed by the Secretary to the Taraba State Government, Chief Barrister Gebon Timothy Kataps.
According to SaharaReporters, Zakariah Kwenjerimam Kurutsi was offered admission to study MA English, while Victor Mike Dio Jen was offered admission to study MSc Information Technology.
The concern raised by critics is not simply that the beneficiaries are children of government officials. Rather, questions have been raised because their parents hold positions that are connected to the administration of the state’s education and scholarship programmes.
Commissioner Rejects Calls to Exclude Officials’ Children
The Commissioner for Tertiary Education defended his son’s inclusion in the programme. He argued that being the child of a commissioner or another government official does not remove an applicant’s status as a Taraba indigene or automatically make the person ineligible for a government scholarship.
His position is that the relevant issue should be whether the applicant met the programme’s requirements and successfully passed through the selection process.
The commissioner therefore rejected the suggestion that children of public officials should automatically be excluded from government-funded educational opportunities.
Government Says Selection Was Conducted Through an Online Application Process
The government’s explanation is that the scholarship was not privately allocated to selected individuals. Instead, applicants were expected to submit applications online through the Scholarship Board. The commissioner said the initial screening and selection involved applicants across all 16 local government areas.
He further stated that commissioners and members of the Taraba State House of Assembly were randomly involved in selecting five candidates from the 10 shortlisted applicants from each local government area.
According to the government, the process was therefore designed to spread the opportunities across the state rather than concentrate them in particular local governments or among politically connected families.
Critics Are Questioning Whether the Selection Process Was Fully Transparent
The inclusion of the two officials’ children has nevertheless raised concerns about the credibility of the selection process. The central issue is whether applicants with connections to officials involved in administering or overseeing the programme competed under exactly the same conditions as other applicants.
Sahara-Reporters quoted sources who alleged that the two officials had roles in the process of selecting beneficiaries. These claims are allegations reported by the publication and should not be treated as established evidence of wrongdoing. However, the government has maintained that the selection was based on the application process and merit.
The Commissioner’s Son Is Facing an Additional Eligibility Question
A separate issue was raised concerning Victor Mike Dio Jen. A source cited by SaharaReporters claimed that Victor graduated from the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in May 2026 and had not yet completed the mandatory National Youth Service Corps programme when his name appeared on the scholarship list.
The source questioned whether NYSC completion was one of the requirements for the Taraba scholarship and, if so, how the beneficiary qualified before completing the service year.
However, the report does not establish from an official scholarship guideline that NYSC completion was a mandatory requirement for the India scholarship.
This means the NYSC issue should currently be treated as a question raised by a source, rather than a confirmed breach of the scholarship’s eligibility rules.
Taraba Government Has Not Said Officials’ Children Receive Special Treatment
The government’s response does not indicate that officials’ children were given special consideration. Instead, Commissioner Dio Jen said government officials and their children are Taraba indigenes and have the same right to apply for government scholarships if they meet the requirements.
He also argued that the online application process did not identify applicants according to whether they came from wealthy or poor families.
The government therefore maintains that the mere presence of an official’s child on the beneficiary list is not proof that the person received preferential treatment.
The Scholarship Programme Was Designed for 100 Taraba Indigenes
The India programme was established to sponsor 100 Taraba indigenes for master’s degree programmes in India. It forms part of Governor Agbu Kefas’ broader human-capital development agenda.
The government has described the programme as a major international postgraduate scholarship initiative intended to increase access to advanced education for Taraba residents.
The 100 beneficiaries were offered provisional admission to master’s programmes at three universities in India.
Students Are Currently in Abuja for Visa Processing
The selection controversy comes at a time when the beneficiaries are already dealing with pre-departure arrangements in Abuja. The students have been staying in Abuja while completing visa processing and other documentation before travelling to India.
The government previously defended its accommodation arrangements after concerns were raised about students sharing rooms while waiting for their departure.
The Ministry of Tertiary Education according to “The Guardian Nigeria” described the Abuja stay as temporary and linked to visa processing and other preparations for the journey.
Government Defends Shared Accommodation as a Cost-Saving Measure
Commissioner Dio Jen also addressed criticism over the accommodation provided for the beneficiaries.
He said the government was paying approximately ₦30,000 per room and questioned whether it would be financially reasonable to provide individual hotel rooms for all 100 students.
The commissioner said the state had an obligation to ensure that beneficiaries, including students from less privileged families, had somewhere to stay while completing their travel arrangements.
The government therefore considers the temporary shared accommodation a practical use of public resources rather than evidence that the scholarship programme has been abandoned.
Earlier Welfare Complaints Have Added to the Controversy
The latest questions about the selection process follow earlier complaints from some beneficiaries about their treatment in Abuja.
SaharaReporters previously reported claims concerning:
- Crowded accommodation.
- Feeding support.
- Delays in departure.
- Laptops reportedly promised to beneficiaries.
- Scholarship allowances expected after arrival in India.
- Concerns about deductions from the expected stipend.
Some beneficiaries also reportedly claimed that students who complained about the programme faced threats relating to their visa applications.
These are allegations made by sources cited in the SaharaReporters report and have not been independently established.
The Government Says Welfare Complaints Can Be Reported
The Taraba Ministry of Tertiary Education has encouraged beneficiaries with specific concerns to report them through the appropriate channels.
The ministry specifically mentioned issues involving accommodation, feeding, allowances, documentation and equipment as matters that can be investigated.
It has also defended the broader scholarship initiative as a significant investment in postgraduate education.
The ministry previously described the programme as the first international postgraduate scholarship programme of its scale undertaken by Taraba State since its creation in 1991.
The Scholarship Is Intended to Cover Major Study and Travel Costs
Public reports about the programme describe it as a fully funded international scholarship. The reported package is expected to cover areas including:
- Tuition fees.
- Transportation.
- Accommodation.
- Feeding.
- Study materials.
- Other logistics associated with the beneficiaries’ studies in India.
The exact terms of individual awards should, however, be verified against the official scholarship award documents issued to beneficiaries.
The Main Transparency Question Goes Beyond Family Connections
The presence of a commissioner’s child or a scholarship official’s child on a government scholarship list does not, by itself, establish that the selection process was manipulated.
At the same time, because the parents occupy positions connected with the education sector and scholarship administration, their children’s inclusion naturally creates a need for greater transparency.
A credible public scholarship process should be capable of showing:
- The published eligibility requirements.
- The total number of applications received.
- The screening process.
- The criteria used to score applicants.
- How interview candidates were selected.
- How final beneficiaries were chosen.
- Whether individuals involved in administering the programme declared potential conflicts of interest.
- Whether all beneficiaries satisfied the same requirements.
Providing this information would help the public assess the process on evidence rather than assumptions.
Publication of Selection Criteria Could Address Some Concerns
The Taraba Government has maintained that the scholarship was publicly advertised and that applicants were selected through an established process.
Publishing more details about that process could help strengthen confidence in the programme.
For example, publicly releasing the eligibility requirements and explaining how the 100 beneficiaries were scored would make it easier to understand why particular applicants were selected.
This would be particularly useful when beneficiaries include relatives of officials involved in education administration.
The Government’s Position Is That Merit, Not Family Status, Should Determine Eligibility
The government’s argument is straightforward: a person’s parent holding public office should not automatically disqualify the person from receiving a scholarship.
This position is consistent with the idea that government scholarships should be available to qualified citizens regardless of their parents’ occupations.
The more important issue is whether the applicant was assessed fairly and whether officials involved in the process avoided using their positions to influence the outcome. The government says that happened in this case.
Similarly, Kaduna Scholarship Board Spends ₦1.3 Billion in 18 Months as Some Scholars Remain Without Certificates.
The Controversy Does Not Cancel the Academic Opportunity for the 100 Students
Despite the questions surrounding the selection process, the 100 beneficiaries still face an important academic transition. They are expected to travel to India to begin master’s degree programmes after completing visa and other pre-departure requirements.
For many of the students, the scholarship represents an opportunity to obtain a postgraduate qualification abroad that might otherwise have been financially difficult to pursue.
The controversy therefore has implications not only for the government but also for the students whose education depends on the successful implementation of the programme.
Why the India Scholarship Matters to Taraba
Taraba State has used education and human-capital development as important components of its current development agenda.
A report from Channels Television says that the state has also funded other education interventions. For example, the government approved more than ₦1.39 billion for 2026 WAEC fees for 39,536 public secondary-school students, while more than ₦1.8 billion was approved for NECO, BECE and NABTEB examination-related costs in 2026.
The India scholarship programme therefore sits within a wider pattern of government spending on education. Its success will ultimately depend on whether beneficiaries can complete their programmes and whether the state can translate their advanced training into benefits for Taraba.
What Is Confirmed and What Remains Alleged
| Issue | Current position |
|---|---|
| Number of India scholarship beneficiaries | 100 |
| Study level | Master’s |
| Destination | India |
| Victor Mike Dio Jen listed as beneficiary | Reported in the beneficiary document |
| Victor identified as commissioner’s son | Reported |
| Zakariah Kwenjerimam Kurutsi listed as beneficiary | Reported |
| Zakariah identified as Scholarship Board official’s daughter | Reported |
| Government says programme was publicly advertised | Confirmed government position |
| Government says selection was merit-based | Confirmed government position |
| Officials’ children were given preferential treatment | Allegation, not established |
| Commissioner’s son had not completed NYSC | Claim by a source; not independently established in the report |
| Students faced inadequate welfare in Abuja | Complaints reported; government says accommodation was a cost-conscious temporary arrangement |
| Government says officials’ children should automatically be excluded | No; commissioner explicitly rejected this argument |
What the Controversy Means for Future Government Scholarships
The Taraba case highlights why public scholarship programmes need transparent selection procedures. When government officials or people directly connected with scholarship administration have relatives applying, the programme can attract questions even when those applicants may have legitimately qualified.
Clear rules on eligibility, conflict-of-interest procedures, scoring and selection can reduce such concerns. For students, transparency is also important because scholarship programmes are often highly competitive and applicants need confidence that opportunities are being allocated according to published criteria.
Conclusion
The Taraba State Government’s postgraduate scholarship programme to India is facing renewed scrutiny after the names of Victor Mike Dio Jen, the son of the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, and Zakariah Kwenjerimam Kurutsi, identified as the daughter of the Director of Students at the Taraba State Scholarship Board, appeared among the 100 beneficiaries.
The government has defended their inclusion, arguing that being the child of a public official does not remove an applicant’s right to compete for a scholarship as a Taraba indigene. It says the programme was publicly advertised, applications were submitted online and beneficiaries were selected through a process involving applicants from all 16 local government areas.
Questions about possible preferential treatment remain allegations rather than established findings in the available reports. Similarly, the separate claim concerning the commissioner’s son’s NYSC status requires verification against the programme’s actual eligibility rules.
The immediate focus will now be on the transparency of the selection process, the welfare of the 100 beneficiaries in Abuja and the successful completion of their visa arrangements before they travel to India for their postgraduate studies.
A Travel Consultant dedicated to helping students, job seekers, and professionals discover life-changing opportunities around the world. He holds a Diploma in Human Resource Management, Project Management & Ticketing, Degree in Microbiology, and Master’s in Public Health.