Aiyedatiwa flags-off N400m bursary for 13,360 Ondo students
Ondo State Governor, His Excellency, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has flagged off the 2026 bursary, scholarship and financial assistance programme for 13,360 students of Ondo State origin in tertiary institutions across Nigeria, with N400 million approved for the scheme.
Speaking at the ceremony held at the Cocoa Conference Centre, Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure, Governor Aiyedatiwa said the beneficiaries comprised 11,907 bursary recipients, 614 scholarship beneficiaries, 239 Law School students, 500 medical students undergoing clinical training and 100 physically challenged students receiving financial assistance.
The governor described education as the seed from which every great society blossoms and the foundation of sustainable development, saying it remains a strategic investment in the children, communities and future of the state and a central component of the “OUR EASE” development agenda.
He said the 2026 Budget of Economic Consolidation provided substantial resources for education, including the construction and rehabilitation of 500 basic schools, while the administration had commenced its Digital Literacy Programme with the distribution of digital tablets to students in 50 public schools.
Governor Aiyedatiwa said the programme was designed to equip students with digital skills needed to navigate an increasingly technology-driven world and ensure that children of Ondo State were not left behind in innovation and emerging opportunities.
He said the government is also investing in teachers and had recently recognised outstanding students, teachers and NYSC award recipients.
At the tertiary level, Governor Aiyedatiwa said significant steps had commenced towards transforming Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, into the proposed University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Owo (UNASTO), aimed at strengthening education and research in Agriculture, Science and Technology and contributing to the state’s economic transformation.
He added that the government had approved the establishment of a College of Nursing at Igbokoda and a College of Education at Aboto to bridge gaps in the state’s educational system, with efforts ongoing to ensure their take-off.
The governor said the N400 million intervention is beyond financial assistance, describing it as a commitment to ensuring that financial hardship does not prevent deserving young people from pursuing their educational aspirations.
He urged the beneficiaries to see the support as both a privilege and a responsibility, charging them to remain focused, pursue excellence and make the most of every opportunity.
Governor Aiyedatiwa reminded them that they are ambassadors of Ondo State wherever they find themselves and urged them to uphold discipline, integrity, diligence, respect and responsibility while remaining innovative and teachable.
The governor also approved a scholarship for the son of a former student leader, Comrade Mary Ogunga, who died in July this year from an illness before her final Bar examination.
The governor further directed that the child be enrolled in the state’s bursary scheme, notwithstanding that he is not yet a student of a tertiary institution.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, described the programme as a demonstration of Aiyedatiwa’s commitment to the educational development, welfare and empowerment of students of Ondo State origin.
He thanked the governor for approving ₦400 million for the 2026 bursary, scholarship and financial assistance, saying the timely release of the fund made the programme possible.
The commissioner disclosed that Governor Aiyedatiwa had also released N633.918 million for the payment of 2026 WASSCE registration fees for students in public secondary schools across the state.
Ajibefun added that the governor had approved the immediate implementation of the Federal Government agreement with unions on the new salary structure in the state’s tertiary institutions, alongside a substantial increase in subvention to enable the institutions implement the structure.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Scholarship, Samad Orijeminiyi, said the state is considering a dedicated mobile application to create a digital registry of indigenes studying in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
Orijeminiyi said he was already discussing the proposed application with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), adding that it would identify, verify, centralise and manage students’ profiles.
He said the platform would function as a digital registry and scholarship management system, making student support more reliable, inclusive, data-driven and resistant to fraud.
According to him, the initiative would expand the reach of educational interventions, reduce administrative costs, increase student participation and provide data for policies addressing students’ needs.
The governor’s aide added that the platform could help attract greater Corporate Social Responsibility investment from private corporations by providing reliable data on students and their actual needs.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Scholarship Board, Mrs Funsho Tunji-Omoniyi, said the programme marks another milestone in the Aiyedatiwa administration’s education and human capital development efforts under the “OUR EASE” agenda.
Tunji-Omoniyi said 13,360 students of Ondo State origin in recognised tertiary institutions across Nigeria were expected to benefit.
She said the scheme was divided into five categories, with scholarship awards going to students with a CGPA of 4.0 and above on a five-point scale and 3.0 on a four-point scale, at ₦100,000 per student.
Bursary beneficiaries, she said, would receive ₦20,000 each, while students in Nigerian Law Schools and medical students undertaking clinical studies would receive N100,000 each.
Physically challenged students would receive N75,000 each.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Global President of the National Association of Ondo State Students, Comrade Temitope Alade, commended Governor Aiyedatiwa for his commitment to the welfare and educational development of students in the state.
Alade described the governor as a “father of action and impact”, citing his many interventions in the education sector.
In attendance were the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami; Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji, represented by the member representing Okitipupa Constituency I, Hon Chris Ayebusiwa; Secretary to the State Government, Dr Taiwo Fasoranti; Chief of Staff, Prince Segun Omojuwa; Head of Service, Chief Segun Odusanya; members of the State Executive Council; political appointees; Director-General, OSRC Media Group, Mr Kenneth Stevenson-Odusola; Permanent Secretaries, among others.