As part of efforts to ease the financial burden on Ondo students in various higher institutions, the state government has commenced the payment of outstanding bursary and scholarship arrears for both undergraduate and postgraduate students from the state.
Princess Abike Bayo-Ilawole, Secretary of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), disclosed that a total of ₦320 million has been disbursed as bursaries and scholarships to undergraduate students from the Ilaje and Ese-Odo local government areas.
Bayo-Ilawole stated that the payment aligns with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s directive to prioritize the well-being of students in the state, noting that the Commission has cleared all outstanding bursary and scholarship arrears for students across various tertiary institutions in the country.
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During the presentation of cheques to students at the Commission’s headquarters in Oba-Ile, Bayo-Ilawole revealed that, in addition to the ₦320 million, ₦53 million was recently disbursed to 343 students pursuing PGD, MSc, and PhD degrees. Each undergraduate received ₦50,000, while postgraduate students received ₦150,000 each.
She explained that the Commission carefully verified and certified the authenticity of returns received from various institutions to prevent the inclusion of ghost students as beneficiaries. “To date, the Commission has spent a total of ₦373 million on 5,928 students,” she said.
Bayo-Ilawole commended Governor Aiyedatiwa for his prompt response and commitment to advancing the education of indigent students from the state’s oil-producing communities, noting that his actions are highly commendable.
Mr. Taiwo Olajide Samuel, a postgraduate student from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, expressed gratitude to the Governor for supporting their educational development. He also thanked the Secretary for maintaining the initiative, stating that the bursary payments will motivate students to achieve more.
Meanwhile, OSOPADEC has initiated inspections of ongoing projects across the state’s mandate areas. The Secretary led the Commission’s technical team on an inspection tour of several ongoing projects in Ilaje Local Government Area last week.
She assured that project inspections would become a routine exercise, aimed at interfacing with contractors on-site, assessing progress, gathering feedback directly from the local population, and identifying any challenges faced by contractors.
The project sites visited included the ongoing construction of the 32.725 km Alape–Araromi Road, the 28.5 km Aboto–Atijere Road, the School of Maritime Transport and Logistics at Olusegun Agagu University, Ugbonla, and the Aboto water treatment plant.
Bayo-Ilawole commended the contractors for their patience and professionalism and urged them to expedite the completion of these projects. She stressed the importance of completing these initiatives, given the significant investment and the positive impact they will have on the local communities.
“The impact of these projects on our people is immense. We have assessed the roads being constructed and have seen significant improvements. With the support of our Governor, we can identify and accomplish our targeted projects within the specified period,” she said.
She noted that the prompt approval of funds by the Governor for asphalt laying on the Alape-Araromi road encourages speedy work on the site, and the contractor assured that the project would be delivered and ready for commissioning soon.
