The Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Lagos State, Oba Kabir Shotobi, has awarded N15 million in scholarships to primary school pupils in his domain.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that six pupils from different primary schools were awarded a scholarship which covers tuition fees and accommodation in their choice secondary school.
Also, the overall winner of the Ayangburen Annual Spelling Bee Competition, Marvelous Chaeri, won N12 million.
The scholarship beneficiaries received free school bags containing exercise books and learning materials, including N10,000 cash, while N50,000 cheques were also given to each parent for other expenses.
Shotobi said the essence of the scholarship was to ignite the hope of the underprivileged in society and also to appreciate God for standing by him since becoming the paramount ruler of the Ikorodu kingdom.
“We use the scholarship to appreciate God since I ascended on the throne of my forefathers with my wife.
“In the past, Olori used to celebrate Yuletide party with more than 300 school pupils in a very big way.
“Due to paucity of funds, we changed it to a scholarship and since then, she has been consistent on it for four years. Some passionate individuals and organisations have supported us to encourage the underprivileged in society”, the traditional ruler said.
Earlier, Olori Kudirat Shotobi, popularly called Treasure of Ikorodu Kingdom, commended all the pupils for their performance during exams and encouraged parents to impart the word of God in their wards.
She appreciated donors, who contributed to the success of the event and promised to consistently put a smile on people’s faces.
Also, Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, Chief Learning Officer of KIT and KIN Primary School who supported the programme, lauded the effort of the monarch and his wife.