Monday, December 22, 2025 - The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Olabisi Onabanjo University chapter, has awarded scholarships worth N6.2m to 31 indigent students of the institution.
The Chairperson of ASUU-OOU, Dr Ganiyu Yinusa, disclosed
this in a statement issued on Sunday, describing the initiative as part of the
union’s sustained commitment to equity, expanded access to education, and
student welfare.
According to him, each beneficiary received N200,000,
bringing the total value of the scholarship intervention to N6.2m.
“The financial support is intended to assist the students
with the payment of school fees and other approved charges for the 2025/2026
academic session, thereby easing the financial burden on students from
economically disadvantaged backgrounds,” Yinusa said.
He explained that the Indigent Students Scholarship Scheme
was funded largely through voluntary donations of sitting allowances accrued
from several University Council meetings by internal members of the council,
complemented by direct financial contributions from the ASUU-OOU branch.
Yinusa noted that the collective sacrifice underscored the
union’s deep sense of responsibility, solidarity, and commitment to the welfare
of students within the university community.
He added that the scholarship scheme forms part of ASUU’s
broader effort to promote inclusive education, prevent student drop-out caused
by financial hardship, and support academic excellence.
The union reaffirmed its belief that no qualified student
should be denied access to university education on the basis of financial
constraints.
ASUU also commended the internal members of the University
Council for voluntarily donating their sitting allowances, describing the
gesture as rare and commendable evidence of personal sacrifice in support of
education and human capital development.
The beneficiaries were congratulated and encouraged to
remain focused, disciplined, and committed to their academic pursuits, with the
union stressing that the scholarship serves both as a support mechanism and a
call to excellence.
The statement further said the intervention reinforces
ASUU’s role not only as a defender of staff welfare and university autonomy,
but also as a key stakeholder in student development, social justice, and
sustainable access to quality education within Nigeria’s university system.
Poverty remains one of the major factors limiting access to
quality education in the country.
Speaking recently, the Managing Director of the Nigerian
Education Loan Fund, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, said the scheme was established to
ensure that no eligible Nigerian student is denied higher education due to
financial constraints.
Sawyerr disclosed that as of December 2025, NELFUND had
disbursed a total of N154.3bn in loans to 788,947 students nationwide since the
programme began 19 months ago.
He explained that the beneficiaries were selected from
1,265,509 applications received since disbursements commenced on May 24, 2024.
Of the total amount disbursed, N82.34bn covered
institutional fees, while N72.02bn was paid as students’ upkeep allowances
across 262 institutions nationwide.
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