The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, has awarded scholarships and bursaries to 5,513 undergraduate students across the state.

Speaking on Sunday at the presentation ceremony held in Abeokuta, Adeola said the intervention, now in its third edition, was designed to support indigent students and ensure that financial constraints do not force them to abandon their education.

He urged beneficiaries to make judicious use of the funds, stressing that the awards were intended to cover educational expenses such as tuition and accommodation rather than frivolous spending.

According to the senator, the initiative forms part of his commitment to expanding access to higher education and complements the efforts of Governor Dapo Abiodun in improving educational infrastructure in Ogun State. He added that the programme also aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which seeks to improve access to tertiary education financing.

Adeola disclosed that 1,700 students benefited from the maiden edition of the scheme in 2024, while 3,892 students received support in the second edition held in 2025. For the current edition, he said 1,735 students received scholarships, while 3,577 others benefited from bursary awards, with recipients drawn from universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the state.

“Let me emphasise that the funds provided should be spent on payment of your school fees, accommodation or similar issues and not free money to buy phones, bags and clothes,” he said.

“The whole idea is to assist students, parents and guardians and to ensure that no brilliant student of Ogun West extraction, and indeed Ogun State, drops out of school.”

In his welcome address, Chairman of the Scholarship Board, Prof. Tope Popoola, said the initiative was aimed at easing the financial burden of education on parents while supporting students to complete their studies.

Popoola assured the public that the selection process was transparent, noting that applicants found to have supplied false information were disqualified.

“Usually, once such falsehoods are detected, such applications are stepped down. The board diligently carried out the selection process as expected,” he said.

He added that the initiative would continue to expand with the goal of evolving into a comprehensive state-wide scholarship and bursary programme.