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By Lekan Adeniran
IMMORTALISING a dead son through
scholarship awards is surely not a common
occurrence in this part of the world. The death
of a child is such a painful experience that
parents wish never happens to them. And if
it indeed happens, as it sometimes does given
that humans have little control over death, it’s
an experience that is better consigned to the
dustbin of history.
And when such a calamity occurs, it takes
a dispassionate mind to dig deep and fashion
out how to reduce the impact on the body and
soul. And one of the best ways to do that is to
make others happy since happiness is infec-
tious.
This realisation must have prompted the
family of the Governor of Ogun State, Prince
Dapo Abiodun, to decide on immortalising
the memory of their departed son, Gbemiga
Abiodun, who answered the final call six
years ago at a very young age. Saturday, 7
October could be described as a day of sad- ness and joy. On that day, the Gbemiga Abio- dun Education Programme was launched at
Iperu, Ikenne Local Government Area of the
State.
The sadness was the remembrance of the
departed son by the parents, their family and
friends. But the joy was reflected in the radiant
faces of the beneficiaries of the scholarship
scheme (pupils, students and their parents)
launched in memory of the man popularly
called DJ Olu, a popular Disc Jockey.
The scholarship, with 550 beneficiaries,
including pupils in primary schools and stu- dents in secondary schools and tertiary and
vocational institutions, is spread across the
Remo Federal Constituency. It is strictly for
indigent students in the coverage area as well
as Special Needs Learners.
The scholarship scheme is life-saving for
most students and their parents. As the saying
goes, education is the bedrock of any society
and providing educational opportunities to underprivileged students can have a signifi-
cant impact on their lives and the community
at large. This is more so when Nigerians are
going through a lot of financial difficulties as
a result of the downturn in the fortunes of the
country as well as the impact of the removal
of subsidy on fuel.
Speaking at the event, Governor Abiodun
dwelt on the unwavering passion the late
Gbemiga had for sound education, which
he pursued passionately till God called him
to be with him on that fateful day of 7th Oc-
tober 2017. According to the governor, the
deceased was on the verge of going to the
UK for his Master’s programme before his
demise.
The programme, he said, was conceived
to celebrate the impactful and eventful life of
Gbemiga and all that he stood for while alive,
noting that the deceased lived a life of self-
lessness, consistency and scholarship.
Prince Abiodun said that the award would
be in two phases. The first phase, a Scholar- ship Award, is designed for indigent and bril- liant students while the second phase will be a
Bursary Award for in-need but not necessarily
brilliant indigent students whose chances of
upward socio-economic mobility are prob- able with bursary support.
Consequently, 200 learners from public
primary schools would receive N50,000,
200 students from public secondary schools
would get N100,000, while 100 students in
tertiary institutions would be paid N250,000
each from the N55 million earmarked for
the scheme to take care of their educational
needs.
The award is designed for a period of three
years and for people within the age bracket
of six to 25. The number of beneficiaries will
increase to 1000 in the next 12 months, which
will be the minimum at any given time.
The Governor said the scheme would en-
sure that brilliant students and those whose
parents could not afford school fees had ac-
cess to quality education. Abiodun said: “Today, we gave out support to indigent students
in the first instance, and we will grow to 1000
students in 12 months, a number that must be
kept as a minimum, meaning that as some
graduates, others are admitted. The scheme
will give out N50,000 yearly to primary
school children; N100,000 yearly for second- ary and N250,000 yearly for tertiary school
students, so long as they remain in school un- til the completion of their education.”
In his usual characteristic manner of
spreading goodies across the state, Governor
Abiodun promised that the Federal constitu-
encies in the state would soon benefit from
the scheme.
The wife of the governor, Mrs. Bamidele
Abiodun, noted the difficulties being faced
by many parents. She said the scheme would
impact the lives of the beneficiaries and their
parents, especially at these trying times,
even as she expressed the hope that it would
achieve its purpose of bringing succour to the
benefiting families.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Educa- tion, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi
Arigbabu, said dedicated accounts would
be opened for beneficiaries in primary and
secondary schools, and would be disbursed
by their head teachers and principals, while
those in tertiary institutions would receive
theirs personally.
The beneficiaries were full of praises for the
governor and his family. Paramole Kehinde
of the Olabisi Onabanjo University spoke on
behalf of beneficiaries from tertiary institu- tions. She said: “We appreciate the Governor
on the launch of the Gbemiga Abiodun Edu- cation Programme. May God bless you sir
and bless your family.”
Miss Tolulope Johnson of Christ Apostolic
College, Iperu-Remo, who spoke on behalf
of beneficiaries of the secondary school cat-
egory, said: “I am a proud and grateful student
who is here to appreciate the Governor for
this wonderful programme that he established
and for the beneficiaries and all the students present here. Sir, I will like to say thank you
very much for this wonderful programme and
we pray that God will continue to bless you
and be with you in Jesus name.”
Master Oyetola Abiodun spoke on behalf
of the primary school beneficiaries. He said:
“We appreciate His Excellency, Prince Dapo
Abiodun, for his support and love for indigent
students in the state. We say thank you, sir,
may God bless you more sir.”
Education is indeed a crucial foundation
for personal growth and societal develop-
ment. Providing educational opportunities
to students who may not have the financial
means can make a significant impact on their
lives and the community as a whole. It’s even
more commendable that the Abiodun fam-
ily took it upon themselves to allocate funds
specifically to cater to the needs of different
educational levels – primary, secondary, and
tertiary. This shows a commitment to ensur- ing that students at various stages of their edu- cational journey have the resources they need
to succeed.
The scholarship will not only help allevi- ate the financial burden on students and their
families but will also serve as an incentive for
students to work hard and excel academically,
thus empowering individuals to reach their
full potential and escape from the pangs of
poverty. It is also encouraging to see this kind
of support being extended to special needs
learners as well, as they may require addi- tional resources and assistance to thrive aca- demically. Overall, the scholarship scheme
is a significant step towards promoting equal
access to education and creating a more inclu- sive and educated society.
Supporting underprivileged students and
investing in their future, as done by the Dapo
Abiodun family to keep the memory of their
son alive, is indeed very commendable.
•Adeniran is Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun
