Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola on Saturday, January 27 stepped up his continuous efforts at enhancing the human capacity development of Ogun West youths through increased access to education with a donation of N200million to kick – start his scholarship and bursary scheme.
The N200m donation is meant to empower 1,600 students from across the five local governments in Ogun West Senatorial District where Senator Adeola popularly called YAYI is the district’s representative in the National Assembly.
At the maiden education support scheme christened, ‘1st Yayi Scholarship/Bursary Award Programme, which was unveiled in Ilaro, the Headquarters of Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, selected indigent students from no fewer than 53 tertiary institutions across the country were named as beneficiaries.
Adeola who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, said the scheme was a demonstration of commitment to the welfare of the Ogun West people and youths in line with his electioneering promises to them.
The Daily Crucible reports that the scheme seeks to lift brilliant students facing financial challenges in the course of their studies, who risk dropping out of school or achieving below their academic potentials and endowments due to indigency.
The scheme was facilitated in conjunction with the Teacher’s Registration Council of Nigeria and the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria.
Earlier, YAYI facilitated many educational related infrastructure for the senatorial district since becoming a senator representing Ogun West and these include 13 newly built blocks of 12 class rooms with staff rooms, library and solarized boreholes across the district’s 5 LGAs, additional 156 classrooms and 13 staff rooms to decongest the learning environment of pupils, students and teachers and facilitating three ICT centres and school furniture for 25 primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools in the district.
The senator said the interventions aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu – led Federal Government and the programme of Governor Dapo Abiodun in Ogun State.
While promising to sustain the educational support fund for “Yayi Scholars” and expand education infrastructures in the Ogun West Senatorial district, he urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the intervention on tuition fees and learning materials, warning against diverting the funds to buying mundane items like phones, bags, and clothes.
He 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.
“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 tin alleviating 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.
“I will also continue to support all legislative initiatives for the good education of our students as well as the provision of requisite education funding for our educational institutions.”
