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…says financial constraints should not stop education
More than 250 students in Ondo and Osun states have received scholarships from the High Chief Olabode Samson and Mrs Elizabeth Oluwatoyin Osedimilehin Foundation.
The beneficiaries were drawn from public primary and secondary schools, technical colleges and medical institutions in Owo, Ose, Akure North and Akure South Local Government Areas of Ondo State, as well as Ile-Ife in Osun State.
The scholarship programme, now in its third edition, is aimed at reducing the financial burden of education on families and supporting students to pursue their academic goals.
The 2026 edition, themed “Supporting Dreams, Raising Tomorrow’s Leaders: The Power of Education in Challenging Times,” commenced at Imade College, Owo, and continued at Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School, Akure.
The programme ended in Ile-Ife as part of activities marking the Olojo Festival.
Speaking virtually from Australia, the foundation’s founder, High Chief Bode Osedimilehin, said the scholarship was established to help deserving students overcome financial barriers to education.
Chief Bode, who spoke alongside his wife, Mrs Betty Osedimilehin, urged the beneficiaries to remain focused on their studies and make effective use of the opportunity.
He also encouraged them to support others when they become financially capable.
The couple said creating a culture of giving could help extend the impact of the scholarship and contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty.
According to him, the scholarship was part of its broader commitment to supporting education and developing young people across communities.
Speaking at the event, Engr. Razaq Obe, a former Director-General of the Ondo State Project Performance Implementation and Monitoring Unit, said education remained critical to individual and societal development.
Obe, who was the guest lecturer, said educational support should be regarded as an investment in society rather than merely charity.
According to him, education is the bedrock of every society and it remains the most significant tool to transform lives and advance nations.
He urged the beneficiaries to take their education seriously and use the scholarship to build a future in which they could contribute to their communities.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Ondo State Governor on Scholarship, Samad Orijeminiyi, commended the Osedimilehins for sustaining the programme for three years.
Orijeminiyi said the continued funding demonstrated that the initiative was not a one-off philanthropic gesture.
He urged the beneficiaries to justify the confidence reposed in them through their academic performance.
“The value you draw from this scheme will be the main encouragement for the sponsors to do more,” he said.
He also said he would draw the attention of the Ondo State Government to the Osedimilehins’ sustained contribution to education in the state.
The foundation extended the scholarship programme to Ile-Ife in Osun State in collaboration with the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.
Forty beneficiaries from 20 public schools in the ancient city were selected for the scholarship.
The Ooni commended the Osedimilehins for extending the intervention to Ile-Ife and prayed for continued blessings for the couple.
Other guests at the programme, including traditional rulers, government officials, academics and community leaders, also commended the foundation.
They called for greater involvement by individuals, foundations and corporate organisations in education, noting that government alone could not bear the entire responsibility for human capital development amid rising education costs.
