Amidst Economic Hardship, Over 600 Kwara Students Awarded Academic Scholarships

 

In a commendable effort to alleviate the economic burden faced by families, over 612 students in Kwara State have been awarded academic scholarships. 

The scholarship, awarded by a non-governmental organization Bayo and Bunmi Babalola Foundation (BBBF) in Omu Aran, was aimed at reducing the high rate of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

This scholarship initiative comes in light of alarming statistics from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), which reports that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, totaling approximately 18.4 million.

BBBF was founded and sponsored by a former Kwara State governorship aspirant, Pastor Engineer Sunday Adebayo Babalola and his wife, Pastor Bunmi Babalola. The scholarship awards were presented during the ninth edition of the ceremony organized by BBBF in Omu-Aran, Kwara State.

The recipients include a diverse group of students across various educational levels: 204 tertiary students, 88 Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) students, 66 Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3) students, along with 254 students from Junior Secondary School 1 and 2 (JSS1 and JSS2) and Senior Secondary School 1 and 2 (SS1 and SS2).

 

In his address, Engineer Sunday Adebayo Babalola, Chairman of the foundation, urged both the federal and Kwara state governments to increase their investment in education.

 

“May I use this opportunity to reiterate my call on the federal and Kwara State Governments to invest more in education. No investment in education is ever lost. Education is the bedrock of societal growth, innovations and technological breakthroughs,” Babalola stated.

 

He highlighted the critical role of education in combating insecurity, stating, “Education can be one of the strategies to address insecurity, kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery, and other violent crimes.”

 

Babalola also emphasized the importance of timely remuneration for teachers, suggesting that a well-motivated teaching staff would yield better educational outcomes.

 

"It is also imperative to ensure good and timely remuneration for the teachers, more so, in this economic crunch. A well-motivated staff will produce better results."

 

Moreover, he called on the government and relevant stakeholders to enhance security measures around educational institutions to protect students from threats such as kidnapping and violent crimes.

 

"I also call on the government and concerned stakeholders to improve security around educational institutions to avoid the pupils and students from being endangered by kidnappers, armed robbers, rapists, and perpetrators of other violent crimes."

 

Babalola and his wife expressed their commitment to sustaining the scholarship scheme despite the prevailing economic challenges.

 

"My wife and I are encouraged to continue to stretch ourselves to sustain this scheme by the numerous testimonies and gratitude we receive from the beneficiaries and their families.

 

Regardless of the global and national economic challenges, we will, as the Lord continues to enable us, sustain this scholarship scheme and other of our philanthropic outreaches," he vowed.

 

He urged the scholarship recipients to be exemplary ambassadors of the foundation, their families, and Kwara State, emphasizing the importance of diligence in their studies and the need to avoid engaging in social vices such as fraud and cultism.

 

"To show gratitude to God who is the anchor of this project, we urge all the beneficiaries, the current and the past, to remain God fearing, and diligent in their noble preoccupations."

 

"For those who are working, display excellence in your jobs. For those who have become employers of labour, ensure that you treat your employees fairly and in reverence to the Lord." 

"We admonish all the beneficiaries to continue being good ambassadors of this foundation, their families, communities, local governments, Kwara State, and Nigeria."

 

"You must remain diligent, and studious. You must not get involved in fraud, Yahoo-Yahoo, cultism, prostitution, and other societal vices, which will ultimately destroy the perpetrators," he advised.

 

Parents and beneficiaries alike shared their appreciation for the scholarships. Bodunde Temilade Florence, a parent of a beneficiary, remarked, “What the pastor is doing is not common. If most prominent Nigerians were to follow suit, poverty would be eradicated in Nigeria.”

 

Another parent, Popoola Sunkanmi, expressed gratitude, noting that their child had benefited from the scholarship for three years and was on the verge of graduation, highlighting the positive impact of the initiative.

 

"My child has benefitted for the past three years and he is now about to graduate and he has been doing a lot. The gesture cannot be overemphasized."

 

Beneficiary Adeniran Favour Oluwaseun, a student at the College of Medicine at Ekiti State University, remarked, "This is my first time receiving this scholarship. I thank the sponsors because it will enable me to read more and strive to do even better."

 

Peter, a Microbiology student at Kwara State University, also expressed his gratitude, saying, "I am pleased and honoured with this opportunity. I am a student hustling to sponsor my education, and this scholarship will make it easier for me to pay my rent immediately."

 

Banji, studying Medicine and Surgery at the University of Ilorin, added, "With the increase in our school fees, the scholarship will help me a lot. It will also ease my parents' burden, and I want to thank the sponsors for their generous gesture."

 

As the scholarship program continues to support students amidst challenging economic conditions, it reinforces the importance of education and community support in shaping a brighter future for Nigeria's youth.