The Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District and APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi), has declared that his scholarship and bursary programme is an investment in the future of Ogun students and not an attempt to influence their political choices.
Speaking at the third edition of his scholarship and bursary award programme held in Abeokuta on Sunday, Adeola said the initiative was designed to ensure that no brilliant student abandons education because of financial hardship.
Addressing thousands of beneficiaries, the senator dismissed suggestions that the programme was politically motivated.
Adeola said the initiative complements the educational programmes of Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, and aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he said has disbursed over ₦206 billion to more than one million students in 270 tertiary institutions across the country.
The senator recalled that the maiden edition of the programme, held on January 27, 2024, benefited more than 1,700 students who received scholarships worth ₦200,000 and bursaries of ₦100,000 respectively.
He added that the second edition, held on April 27, 2025, recorded 3,892 beneficiaries across Ogun State.
According to him, beneficiaries of the scheme are now known as “Yayi Scholars,” while the Scholarship and Bursary Board established in 2023 has continued to ensure transparency and professionalism in the administration of the educational support fund.
He explained that the programme, implemented in collaboration with the National Productivity Centre, is intended to support brilliant but financially challenged students while complementing the Federal Government’s education financing initiatives under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
This year’s edition, Adeola said, will benefit 5,513 students drawn from universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country after successfully meeting the board’s eligibility criteria.
He disclosed that 1,735 students will receive scholarships valued at ₦200,000 each for university students and ₦150,000 each for students of polytechnics and colleges of education, while the remaining 3,577 students will receive ₦100,000 bursary awards.
He assured the beneficiaries that all cheques were ready for collection and payment.
Adeola noted that the latest edition represents a significant expansion of the initiative, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to over 10,000, which he said fulfilled his campaign promise to consistently invest in the education of Ogun West students.
He urged the beneficiaries to use the funds judiciously.
“I am giving you a future. I’m not taking your future. Some people are already preparing to buy your future with a sum of ₦20,000 so that you can vote for them. But I am giving you a future without condition. I don’t ask for anything. I don’t seek for anything.
“The money should be spent on payment of school fees, accommodation and other educational needs, not on buying phones, bags or clothes. The whole idea is to assist students, parents and guardians and ensure that no brilliant student from Ogun West and indeed Ogun State drops out of school because of financial challenges,” he said.
The senator said he hoped the intervention would cushion the effects of rising school fees and the increasing cost of living on students and their families.
Adeola said his own educational background laid the foundation for his emergence as a senator, stressing that quality education remains a major driver of personal and national development.
He highlighted several educational projects he has facilitated in the last three and a half years beyond scholarships and bursaries.
According to him, these include the construction of 87 blocks of 12-classroom and nine-classroom buildings complete with staff rooms, libraries and solar-powered boreholes across Ogun West and other parts of Ogun State, providing more than 300 additional classrooms and 56 staff rooms.
He also listed the establishment of 18 fully equipped Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centres, provision of furniture to 35 primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, distribution of more than 200,000 textbooks and school bags to 128 schools, donation of minibuses to tertiary institutions and sponsorship of 7,000 JAMB registration forms for indigent students across Ogun State.
Adeola further pledged to sustain and expand the scholarship programme if elected governor of Ogun State in 2027.
“I don’t promise and fail. Once I promise, I will do. By the special grace of God, when I become your governor on May 29, 2027, we will hold the fourth edition of this programme in a stadium that can accommodate nearly 10,000 students,” he said.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to improving educational infrastructure and supporting legislation that would strengthen the education sector, citing his sponsorship of the bill that upgraded the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, into the Federal University of Technology, Ilaro, as part of his broader vision to expand access to quality education in Ogun State.
