Taraba Govt Scholarship: Commissioner’s Son, Board Director’s Daughter Among 100 Selected For India Programme

Two children of senior officials in the Taraba State Government have been listed among the 100 beneficiaries selected for the state government’s postgraduate scholarship programme to India, raising questions among beneficiaries and concerned citizens about the transparency and fairness of the selection process.

SAHARA REPORTERS report that the two beneficiaries are Victor Mike Dio Jen, the son of the Taraba State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr. Mike Dio Jen, and Zakariah Kwenjerimam Kurutsi, the daughter of the Director of Students at the Taraba State Scholarship Board.

Two children of senior officials in the Taraba State Government have been listed among the 100 beneficiaries selected for the state government’s postgraduate scholarship programme to India, raising questions among beneficiaries and concerned citizens about the transparency and fairness of the selection process.

The two beneficiaries are Victor Mike Dio Jen, the son of the Taraba State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr. Mike Dio Jen, and Zakariah Kwenjerimam Kurutsi, the daughter of the Director of Students at the Taraba State Scholarship Board.

The development comes amid complaints by some of the selected students over inadequate welfare arrangements during their prolonged stay in Abuja for visa processing, including overcrowded accommodation, inadequate feeding allowances, the absence of laptops promised to beneficiaries and reported plans to deduct $20 monthly from the $100 stipend expected to be paid to each student in India.

Some beneficiaries have also stated that students who raise concerns about the scholarship programme are being threatened with visa rejection.

The Taraba State Government had announced plans to sponsor 100 indigenes of the state for Master’s degree programmes in India as part of Governor Agbu Kefas’ human capital development initiative.

Public reports on the programme state that the scholarship is fully funded and is expected to cover tuition, transportation, accommodation, feeding, study materials and other logistics throughout the students’ stay in India.

The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mike Dio Jen, had also publicly said the beneficiaries were selected strictly on merit and drawn from the 16 local government areas of Taraba State.

However, documents seen by SaharaReporters show that the names of the children of the two officials involved in the administration of the education sector and scholarship process are among the final 100 beneficiaries.

The list, titled “One Hundred (100) Number of Students Who Have Been Offered Provisional Admission for Master’s Degree Programmes in Three (3) Different Universities in India,” was signed by the Secretary to the Taraba State Government, Chief Barrister Gebon Timothy Kataps.

According to the document, Zakariah Kwenjerimam Kurutsi, identified by sources as the daughter of the Director of Students at the Taraba State Scholarship Board, was offered admission to study MA English, with registration number B05101038.

Also on the list is Victor Mike Dio Jen, identified as the son of the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, who was offered admission to study MSc Information Technology, with registration number B05173547.

Sources familiar with the selection process told SaharaReporters that the inclusion of the two beneficiaries had raised concerns among some Taraba residents because of the positions held by their parents in the government institutions involved in the programme.

One source said the two officials were among those who had roles in selecting the students who would benefit from the government-sponsored programme.

Also on the list is Victor Mike Dio Jen, identified as the son of the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, who was offered admission to study MSc Information Technology, with registration number B05173547.

Sources familiar with the selection process told SaharaReporters that the inclusion of the two beneficiaries had raised concerns among some Taraba residents because of the positions held by their parents in the government institutions involved in the programme.

One source said the two officials were among those who had roles in selecting the students who would benefit from the government-sponsored programme.

“These are the only two officials in this administration who selected the students that will be sponsored,” the source said.

The source further claimed that Governor Agbu Kefas, the Secretary to the State Government, Chief G.T. Kataps, and the Chief of Staff to the Governor did not include their own children or relatives among the beneficiaries.

According to the source, those officials were believed to be financially capable of sponsoring their children without relying on the state scholarship scheme.

Commissioner’s Son Allegedly Listed Before NYSC Completion

Another source specifically raised concerns about the eligibility of Victor Mike Dio Jen, the son of the Commissioner for Tertiary Education.

According to the source, Victor graduated from the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in May 2026 and had not completed the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme at the time his name appeared among the beneficiaries.

“Victor just graduated from AUN in May 2026 and has not yet completed NYSC,” the source said.

THIS REPORTS WAS FIRST PUBLISHED BY SAHARA REPORTERS