Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has flagged off the 2026 bursary, scholarship and financial assistance programme for 13,360 students of Ondo State origin, with N400 million approved for the scheme.
The beneficiaries comprise 11,907 bursary recipients, 614 scholarship beneficiaries, 239 Law School students, 500 medical students undergoing clinical training and 100 physically challenged students.
Speaking at the ceremony held at the Cocoa Conference Centre, Governor’s Office, Akure, Aiyedatiwa said the intervention was designed to ensure that financial difficulties did not frustrate the educational aspirations of deserving students.
He described education as the seed from which every great society blossoms, stressing that his administration considered investment in education a strategic investment in the future of Ondo State.
The governor said education remained a key component of his administration’s “OUR EASE” development agenda, adding that the 2026 Budget of Economic Consolidation made substantial provisions for the sector.
According to him, the state government has commenced the construction and rehabilitation of 500 basic schools, while its Digital Literacy Programme has led to the distribution of digital tablets to students in 50 public schools.
He said the digital initiative was aimed at equipping students with the skills needed to compete in an increasingly technology-driven economy.
Aiyedatiwa also said his administration was investing in teachers and had recently recognised outstanding students, teachers and NYSC award recipients for their contributions.
On tertiary education, the governor disclosed that steps had commenced towards transforming Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, into the proposed University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Owo (UNASTO).
He said the proposed institution would strengthen education and research in agriculture, science and technology while supporting the state’s economic transformation.
The governor added that his administration had approved the establishment of a College of Nursing in Igbokoda and a College of Education in Aboto, with efforts ongoing to ensure their take-off.
Describing the N400 million intervention as more than financial assistance, Aiyedatiwa said his administration was committed to ensuring that no deserving Ondo student was forced to abandon education because of financial hardship.
He urged the beneficiaries to reciprocate the gesture through academic excellence, discipline and responsible conduct.
“You are ambassadors of Ondo State wherever you find yourselves. Uphold discipline, integrity, diligence, respect and responsibility. Remain innovative and teachable,” he charged them.
As part of a special intervention, Aiyedatiwa approved a scholarship for the son of Comrade Mary Ogunga, a former student leader who died in July from an illness before her final Bar examination.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, described the programme as a demonstration of the governor’s commitment to education, student welfare and human capital development.
Ajibefun disclosed that Aiyedatiwa had also released N633.918 million for the payment of 2026 WASSCE registration fees for students in public secondary schools across the state.
He added that the governor had approved the immediate implementation of the Federal Government agreement on the new salary structure for workers in the state’s tertiary institutions, alongside an increase in subvention to enable the institutions to implement the structure.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Scholarship, Samad Orijeminiyi, disclosed that the state was considering a dedicated mobile application to create a digital registry of indigenes studying in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
He said discussions were already ongoing with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) on the proposed platform.
According to him, the application would identify, verify and centralise students’ profiles while serving as a scholarship management system aimed at making student support more reliable and reducing fraud.
Orijeminiyi said the platform would also provide data for policy planning, reduce administrative costs and improve access to educational interventions.
He added that reliable student data could help attract greater Corporate Social Responsibility investments from private companies seeking to support education in the state.
The Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Scholarship Board, Mrs Funsho Tunji-Omoniyi, said the programme marked another milestone in the Aiyedatiwa administration’s human capital development agenda.
She disclosed that scholarship beneficiaries with a CGPA of 4.0 and above on a five-point scale, or 3.0 on a four-point scale, would receive N100,000 each.
According to her, bursary beneficiaries would receive N20,000 each, while Law School students and medical students undergoing clinical training would receive N100,000 each.
“Physically challenged students would receive N75,000 each,” she added.
The Global President of the National Association of Ondo State Students, Comrade Temitope Alade, commended the governor for what he described as his commitment to students’ welfare and educational development.
Alade described Aiyedatiwa as a “father of action and impact”, citing the administration’s interventions in the education sector.
