Senator representing Ogun West, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, on Saturday, awarded scholarship and bursary to 1,600 indigent students across the five local governments in the senatorial district.
The scheme tagged 1st Yayi Scholarship/Bursary Award Programme, held in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, saw selected indigent students from 53 tertiary institutions benefiting from the financial support.
Speaking at the event, Adeola, aka Yayi, explained that the scheme was in fulfillment of his electoral promises to the people and youths of Ogun West.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, said while growing up he never had opportunity to scholarship or bursary, insisting that the scheme is meant to bring succour to the less privileged.
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The senator added the scheme was equally in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, the scholarship and bursary awards apart from being designed to assist parents, it is also to complement the laudable educational initiatives of the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, particularly in the area of provision of educational infrastructure across the three senatorial districts of the state.
Adeola said, “For the effective implementation of this programme, I constituted a team of top educationists, academicians, and selected stakeholders led by Professor Tope Popoola to organize the modalities for the success of the programme. I am glad they have not disappointed in their professional handling of the educational support fund for our youths that I now refer to as “Yayi Scholars”.
“Today a total number of 532 students spread across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in different parts of the nation are to be awarded scholarships to the tune of N200,000 for university scholars; N180,000 for polytechnics and N150, 000 for Colleges of Education upon successful verification of their academic records in line with the set out criteria and guidelines.
“I have also included a Bursary Award of N100,000 for 1,000 students of the senatorial district distributed to all the 5 local governments at 200 per local government.”
He, however, urged the beneficiaries not to spend the funds provided on frivolities, but for the payment of their school fees and not free money to buy phones, bags, and clothes.
“The whole idea was to assist your parents and to ensure that no brilliant student of Ogun West extraction drops out of school as a result of non-payment of school fees. I believe strongly that with this token, there will be some succour to alleviate the problems that could arise as a result of a recent increase in school fees across the nation.
“My motivation for this financial empowerment for the education sector is based on a vision that acknowledges the liberating role of good education in any kind of development”, he said.
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