...Vows Sustained Support for Education
By Editor
Wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, on Wednesday awarded scholarships worth N10 million to 100 orphaned and indigent students in tertiary institutions across the state, reaffirming her commitment to supporting access to quality education.
Speaking at the scholarship disbursement ceremony in Ado-Ekiti, Oyebanji said no child should be denied educational opportunities because of poverty or difficult life circumstances.
She described education as a vital tool for empowerment, social mobility and national development, stressing that every young person deserved the opportunity to achieve academic success regardless of financial challenges.
According to her, the scholarship scheme, facilitated through her humanitarian foundation, benefited students drawn from the 10 higher institutions in Ekiti State.
She said each beneficiary received N100,000 to help offset educational expenses and ease the financial burden associated with tertiary education.
The governor’s wife explained that the initiative was part of her annual intervention programme aimed at supporting vulnerable students and promoting access to education.
Oyebanji added that the foundation also provides educational support to pupils and students in primary and secondary schools through its annual Back-to-School Programme, which supplies learning materials and other educational resources.
“Education remains one of the most powerful instruments for personal transformation and societal progress.
“Through this intervention, we are contributing our quota towards ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent our young people from pursuing their dreams,” she said.
Earlier, the Coordinator of the Widows, Aged, Orphans and Hope (WAOH) Project, Dr Kemi Dairo, said the beneficiaries were carefully selected based on their indigent status and demonstrated need for assistance.
Dairo noted that the scholarship funds would assist the students in paying tuition fees, purchasing academic materials, undertaking research projects and meeting other educational needs.
She commended the governor’s wife for sustaining the initiative and urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the opportunity while remaining committed to their studies.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ Engagement, Mr Sunday Asefon, advised the beneficiaries to remain focused, disciplined and dedicated to their academic pursuits.
Asefon said the students should strive to become worthy ambassadors of their institutions and communities.
Other dignitaries at the event, including the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tertiary Education, Prof. Akeem Apenpe; Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof. Femi Akinwumi; Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Peju Babafemi; and Commissioner for Education, Dr Bimpe Aderiye, described the scholarship as a motivation for excellence and responsible leadership.
They commended the initiative for providing hope and opportunities to vulnerable youths across the state and reiterated the importance of education in shaping future leaders.
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