By Ahmed Ajikobi
No fewer than 143 students from various tertiary institutions in Kwara State last weekend were awarded scholarship by Soliu Mustapha Foundation.
Also at the event held at the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) secretariat, in Ilorin, the foundation in collaboration with the Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) Constituency office empowered 57 women.
Among the beneficiaries of the scholarship which cut across the 16 Local Government Area are; Amode Fatimah from University of Ilorin, Ahmed Falilat from Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin and Maryam Seriki Gambari from Nigeria Open University. Others are Assiyuti Abubakar from University of Ilorin and Balogun Abdulbasit Umar from the same institution among others. The beneficiaries were given N25,000 each.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Foundation, Soliu Mustapha, who was represented by Sulaiman Sulaiman said his principal has assisted several indigenous students by obtaining Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) forms for them and also helping others secure admission into tertiary institutions.
“He said in 2016, we bought 1,000 UTME forms for students, same for 2017. We also paid the school fees of some students without making it public. The money we gave the beneficiaries may be little but it can change their lives one-way or the other.
“Last year, the Chairman of the foundation, empowered the people of his local government, Ilorin South with the sum of N15 million,” he said.
In his remarks, Public Affairs Analyst, Mallam Nasir Abdukadir said, “There is nothing anyone can do for you than to invest in your education. If you are educated, you can run for any position and make positive impact in people’s lives.”
He charged the students to shun social vices in order to be successful in life.
Similarly, the NUJ Chairman, Kwara State chapter, Comrade Abiodun Abdulkareem who was represented by the Secretary of Correspondent chapel, Umar Wahab urged the beneficiaries to replicate the gesture by paying attention to their studies even as he promised support for the foundation in all its activities.
He however pleaded with the Foundation to partner the council in the development of the Pen school.
While appreciating the donor, one of the beneficiaries, Amode an undergraduate of BioChemistry, charged other affluent individuals to emulate Mustapha.
