9th August, 2013
About N861 million has so far been spent by the western Nigerian state of Ekiti to assist indigent but brilliant students to pursue their education in the last three years.
The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Kehinde Ojo, said this on Friday in Ado-Ekiti at a forum where Gov. Kayode Fayemi presented scholarship awards to six brilliant Ekiti students.
He said Fayemi gave approval for the release of the sum at various stages of need so as to enable the students realise their ambition.
The beneficiaries recently gained admission to Oxford and Harvard Universities as well as some Chinese universities for post -graduate programmes.
While giving a breakdown, he said government committed N381 million on funding bursary awards to its students in various higher institutions in the country.
Another N95 million, he said, was also paid as bursary to indigent students spread across all the 16 local government areas of the state.
Besides, Ojo said N123 million was spent on 155 indigents of the state studying law in various Nigerian universities.
The commissioner said another N262 million was spent on scholarship awards to brilliant students from the state studying abroad.
He called on students from the state to take a cue from beneficiaries by displaying exceptional academic prowess to benefit from government’s gestures.