Four “exceptional” students of UNILORIN urged to justify their selection for awards
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Four “exceptional” students of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) have been awarded scholarships worth N700,000 by the local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to press its agitation to Abuja that students need grants, not loans.
Two of the beneficiaries, Tijani Rukayat and Timothy Moses Tiya were awarded scholarships of N200,000 each. Another two, Ofiku Mathew of the optometrics department, and Salawudeen Babatunde of computer science, got N150,000 each.
ASUU UNILORIN Branch Chairman Alex Akanmu urged the federal government to make grants rather than loans available to students to enable indigent students have access to education.
Akanmu recounted the case of one of the beneficiaries who struggled to pay his transport cost back to the school when he was contacted with the news of the awards.
“We had a case of one of the [scholarship] beneficiaries who was contacted to come forward to receive the award and was struggling to get transport fare to the institution,” he said at the presentation of the scholarships to the beneficiaries.
“To this end, we urge the federal government to make grants rather than loans available to students so that indigent students can have access to affordable education.
“If it were loans we gave them today, how are they going to pay back?”
Akanmu said the scholarship scheme began in 2018 and will continue as part of the contribution of ASUU to promote scholarships by ensuring poor students who are exceptional in academics are supported to realise their dreams.
ASUU national leadership instituted the scholarship with N100,000 and later raised it to N200,000 with a directive to branches to do same depending on their financial strength, he added.
Akanmu pledged ASUU will continue to monitor the academic progress of the beneficiaries and urged them to justify their selection.
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Dogara seeks inclusion of private university students in federal loan scheme
In a related development, former House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara has urged President Bola Tinubu to include students of private universities among the beneficiaries of the Students’ Loan Scheme, per Daily Trust.
Dogara made the plea at the weekend at the 13th convocation and 16th anniversary ceremonies of Achievers University, Owo in Ondo.
“I join my voice in the call for the inclusion of private university students in the student loan scheme of this administration as part of the palliative measures since they are also Nigerians,” he said.
“Let me appeal to the federal government to consider the plight being faced by the students of tertiary institutions. The scheme should also be properly managed for the benefit of the teeming youths of this country.”