The Distinguished Lawmaker representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, on Sunday, 27th April, 2025, gave scholarship and bursary awards to 3,881 students of tertiary institutions across the state.
The Senator, otherwise known as Yayi, also distributed laptop computers to 700 secondary school students, who have been trained in ICT programme facilitated by him.
Speaking during presentation of cheques to the beneficiaries of the scholarships and bursaries, held in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of the state, Aremo Dr Adeola disclosed that a sum of N200,000 to each of the beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme, while N100,000 will be disbursed to each beneficiary in the bursary category.
He disclosed that the students selected from tertiary institutions across Nigeria were carefully nominated after a thorough screening by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola’s Scholarship Board.
He explained further that students from Ogun East and Central senatorial districts were included in the scheme after they clamoured for inclusion in the programme which kick started in 2024.
The Senator, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, said that he decided to initiate the scholarship and bursary awards to make quality education accessible to indigent but brilliant students.
While stressing that every child must have the right to education, Adeola added that the education support scheme was also to support the Nigerian Education Loan Fund scheme started by President Tinubu’s administration.
He further declared that the scholarship and bursary scheme is not a fluke, charging every student in Ogun West and beyond to take advantage of the scheme, submitting that “by next year, there won’t be bursary awards again as all beneficiaries will benefit from the scholarship scheme”.
“I was once an indigent student with no opportunity of getting any scholarship or bursary. Hence, I decided to start this to help the dream of our children of getting education.
“I am also doing this to support the student loan scheme started by President Tinubu’s administration.
“This scholarship and bursary scheme I facilitate is not a fluke, therefore, every student in Ogun West must take advantage of this scheme”, he stated.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola’s Scholarship Board, Professor Tope Popoola, said 8,000 applications were received from over 100 tertiary institutions across the country.
He added that the scholarship scheme was expanded from 1,700 beneficiaries in the first edition last year to 3,881 beneficiaries to accommodate more students, not only in Ogun West but beyond.
Meanwhile, Senator Adeola has expressed his readiness to construct a special ICT Centre in Ogun West to train students and pupils in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
He gave this hint during a symbolic presentation of laptop computers to 700 secondary pupils trained under the Special ICT Programme for Secondary Schools in Professional Certification facilitated by him, held at Asade Agunloye Pavilion, Ilaro.
The senator stated that the beneficiaries were drawn from secondary schools across the five local government areas in the Ogun West, Ogun Central and Ogun East senatorial districts.
Adeola, who explained that he facilitated the ICT training with the laptops to encourage computer education in the pupils and stimulate their interest in tech and innovations, said 2,000 final year students in tertiary institutions will also be trained in ICT and given laptop computers.
He however, said his senatorial office will commence distribution of 32,000 textbooks (Maths and English) next week to pupils from SSS 1 to SSS 3 in all the secondary schools in Ogun West.