Gov Aiyedatiwa approves N400m bursary, scholarships for 13,360 Ondo students
By Boye Oyeyemi
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has approved N400 million for the 2026 bursary, scholarship and financial assistance programme for 13,360 indigenes of the state studying in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
Aiyedatiwa disclosed this on Tuesday at the flag-off ceremony held at the Cocoa Conference Centre, Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure, saying the beneficiaries comprised 11,907 bursary recipients, 614 scholarship beneficiaries, 239 Law School students, 500 medical students undergoing clinical training and 100 students with disabilities.
The governor said the intervention was designed to ensure that financial difficulties did not frustrate the educational aspirations of deserving students, adding that education remained a major component of his administration’s “OUR EASE” development agenda.
He also disclosed that the state had commenced its Digital Literacy Programme, under which tablets would be distributed to students in 50 public schools, while 500 basic schools would be constructed or rehabilitated under the 2026 Budget of Economic Consolidation.
In addition, Aiyedatiwa said the government was working to establish a College of Nursing in Igbokoda and a College of Education in Aboto, while steps had begun to transform Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, into the proposed University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Owo.
Additionally, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, said the governor had approved N633.918 million for the payment of 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination registration fees for students in public secondary schools. He also revealed that the government was implementing the new salary structure for workers in the state’s tertiary institutions.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Scholarship, Samad Orijeminiyi, said the government was considering a dedicated mobile application to create a digital registry of Ondo students in tertiary institutions across Nigeria. He said the platform would help verify beneficiaries and improve the management of scholarship interventions.
The governor also approved a scholarship for the son of former student leader, Comrade Mary Ogunga, who died in July before her final Bar examination. Aiyedatiwa directed that the child be enrolled in the state’s bursary scheme despite not yet being a tertiary institution student.
