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Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday, awarded twenty-two students scholarships under the ASUU Indigent Students Scholarship Scheme.
The cheques were presented to the awardees at the Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso by the former National Treasurer of ASUU, Prof Ademola Aremu; Financial Secretary of ASUU, Professor Ade Adejumo and chairpersons from the Zone.
The Ibadan zone is comprised of the University of Ibadan, University of Ilorin, Ladoke Akintola University, and Kwara State University.
Announcing the awards, the Ibadan Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Professor Oyebamiji Oyegoke, stated that the ASUU leadership directed that all chapters of the union should institute the scholarship as a way of ensuring that indigent but brilliant students are not denied quality education.
According to him, the national secretariat of the union is giving out scholarships worth N100, 000 per session to at least 73 students across all public universities, while individual varsities also give awards to their indigent students.
Speaking shortly after presenting the awards, Financial Secretary of ASUU, Professor Ade Adejumo, urged Nigerians including “those who have stolen from Nigeria and Nigerians to support the education of indigent students so that they can realise their full potentials and contribute to the national development.”
Adejumo said that the union believes that being indigent should not be a reason not to go to school.
In his remarks, former national treasurer of the union, Professor Ademola Aremu, lamented that those who benefitted from scholarships and free education during their time are now the ones underfunding education.
“It is a pity that Nigeria is about the only country that that pay her lecturers very poorly. Nigerian professors after spending 10years in a professorial cadre earn about $800 the even the Republic of Benin pays around $2,000. Nigerian leaders only want to keep the poor down by denying them quality education to pave way for their children schooling abroad to come and rule them”
Present at the occasion were Professor Ayo Akinwole (UI), Dr Biodun Olaniran (LAUTECH), Dr Wasiu Raji (UNILORIN) and Shehu Salam (KWASU).
