No fewer than 1000 students cutting across Ogun state’s primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions have benefited from the Gbemiga Abiodun Memorial Education N91,050,000 Scholarship award programme.
The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, and his family, established the programme in memory of their son, Gbemiga, who passed away on October 7, 2017.
During the second edition of the programme, held at Christ Apostolic Grammar School in Iperu-Remo, on Monday, a total of ₦39,750,000 was awarded to 159 beneficiaries from nine tertiary institutions in the state.
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Additionally, the foundation provided ₦14,700,000 to 294 primary school pupils and ₦36,600,000 to 366 secondary school students across the local government areas of Ikenne, Remo-North, and Sagamu.
Speaking at the ceremony, Abiodun described his late son as a serial entrepreneur who was full of life and extremely generous to those around him.
He revealed that in honour of the creative industry, to which his son belonged, the foundation has introduced a new category called “The Creative Students Category.”
Abiodun promised that his family would continue increasing student beneficiaries while expanding the programme to other local government areas within the state.
He stated that the programme, which began in 2023 with around 600 beneficiaries, has now added 400 more students across the same categories.
“We have also added another category, ‘The Creative Students Category,’ because Gbemiga was extremely creative. Applications for this category will remain open for the next few months to identify potential beneficiaries.
“We will continue to increase the number of student beneficiaries and expand this program from the three Remo Local Government Areas where Gbemiga was from, to the other 17 local government areas of the state,” he said.
Governor Abiodun further noted that while his family lost a son, they have gained thousands of children through the initiative.
“Gbemiga was a serial entrepreneur from a young age, just like many of you seated here today. He was full of life, generous to a fault, and deeply compassionate, especially toward the less privileged.
“If Gbemiga had ₦100 and you asked for his support, he would give you the entire ₦100 before remembering to keep five Naira for himself,” the governor said.
He added, “It brings us joy to continue this program in memory of his character of giving, something he was very passionate about. We started this initiative last year in 2023 to turn a day of sadness into one of remembrance and to impact the lives of others.”
“We began with approximately 600 beneficiaries, slightly more, across different educational categories: primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions. I have also placed an undisclosed sum in an endowment account.
“To date, I have not made any contributions from others, despite pressure from friends. I wanted to establish the programme to this point before opening it for outside support,” Abiodun added.
In his remarks, the foundation’s coordinator, Rev’d Bola Oyeledun, emphasised that the foundation is not just about providing financial aid but also about supporting and monitoring the beneficiaries throughout their educational journey He appealed to heads of institutions to continue keeping their doors open to the foundation.
Oyeledun further noted that the foundation will continue to grow, ensuring a sustained impact on the lives of students in the state.
The Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, and a consultant to the foundation, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu expressed gratitude to Governor Abiodun for establishing the scholarship in memory of his late son and encouraged the beneficiaries to excel in their studies.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Yahaya Soliat, Adebanjo Goodluck, and Evelyn Falaye, from the primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, respectively, thanked Governor Abiodun and his family for their educational support. They noted that the initiative would greatly assist in meeting their educational needs.