Commissioning of #20 million naira facility at UNILESA
The Omotayo Adegboye Foundation has disbursed bursary awards worth N15 million to indigent students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in Osun State.
No fewer than 150 students benefited from the bursary programme, with each recipient receiving N100,000 during the award ceremony held on Wednesday at the university campus.
Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof Simeon Bamire, commended the foundation for supporting indigent students who have the academic ability to succeed but lack the financial resources to pursue their education.
Prof Bamire noted that the initiative would have a multiplier effect on the beneficiaries, adding that such support encourages students to give back to society in the future.
He said, “They did it the first time for over 100 students, and now, the second time, for 150 students. This is something that may appear unimaginable, and so we want to thank God for their lives. We also appreciate them for coming back to the university to support these students. These students can never forget this type of support, and they will continue to pray for everyone who has supported this cause and the foundation, including the staff of this university and myself.”
Addressing Journalists, the foundation’s Secretary, Barr. Ariyo Odole, who represented the founder , explained that the bursary scheme was designed to support students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds and prevent them from dropping out of school.
Odole said the foundation began the initiative in 2025 when 106 students received N100,000 each, adding that the number of beneficiaries had increased to 150 in the current edition.
He added that the foundation intends to sustain the programme and expand its intervention to other levels of education, including primary and secondary schools, while also identifying talented students from poor backgrounds who may require additional support.
According to him, “For those who are in Part 1 now and are beneficiaries of this award, we will see them through their stay in the university. For those who will spend four, five, or six years, they will receive a sum of N100,000 for each year they remain in the university”
Meanwhile, the foundation also commissioned a newly constructed toilet facility valued at N20 million at University of Ilesa in Osun.
Speaking on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor of the university of Ilesa (UNILESA), the institution’s Registrar, Mr Funso Ojo said the facility would support infrastructural development in the institution and promote proper hygiene within the university community.
He noted that the university currently runs 97 academic programmes with over 13,000 students and more than 1,000 staff members, stressing the importance of adequate sanitary facilities for staff and students.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the foundation, Prof Saheed Adekilekun, said the decision to construct the toilet facility was based on the need to improve health and sanitation within the university environment.
He explained that the project was selected as the foundation’s first intervention in the institution after consultations with the university management, adding that the foundation hopes to explore further areas of collaboration with the university in the future.
The founder of the foundation, Omotayo Adegboye, is a United Kingdom-based lawyer and an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University.
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