By Sunday Oguntuyi, Osogbo
No fewer than 31 students from across the 30 local government areas of Osun State on Wednesday benefited from the Imole SSCE Scholarship Award, an initiative organised by the state government in collaboration with the Electronic Collections Group (ECG) to reward outstanding performance in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination conducted by West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
Under the programme, each of the best-performing students from the 30 local government areas received N100,000, while the overall best student in the state was presented with a scholarship award of N1 million.
Teachers who prepared the students in the nine WAEC subjects were also rewarded with N50,000 each, while the schools that produced the awardees received educational materials and other support packages.
The presentation was made during the maiden edition of the Imole SSCE Scholarship Award Ceremony held at the Olagunsoye Oyinlola Hall.
Speaking at the event, Governor Ademola Adeleke said the initiative was aimed at raising a generation of academically excellent youths and encouraging students to aspire to greater heights.
“To our awardees, you are that light. But your light must shine beyond this stage into your future,” the governor said.
Adeleke congratulated the students for their outstanding performance and commended the Ministry of Education, teachers and school administrators for their contributions to educational development in the state.
The governor also used the occasion to urge residents of the state to reject vote-buying ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Addressing party leaders, school administrators, teachers, students and relatives of the awardees, Adeleke alleged that individuals who “hijacked and diverted over N300 billion belonging to Osun local governments” were desperate to regain control.
“I charge Osun people to reject Greek gifts, shun proceeds of crime and use their votes to sustain continuity,” he said.
“Osun voters and residents have a sacred duty to reject illegality, political corruption and unconstitutional pressure to subvert democracy. Our votes must further elongate the delivery of democratic dividends witnessed since 2022.”
Earlier, ECG Coordinator, Akinmade Akintoye, said the scholarship initiative would become an annual programme designed to motivate students, teachers and schools toward greater academic excellence.
“Each of the best students from the 30 local government areas received N100,000 in this maiden edition, while the overall best student got a scholarship award of N1 million. This is to encourage future leaders to remain focused despite the distractions in society,” he said.
Akintoye added that the list of beneficiaries was obtained directly from WAEC headquarters and noted that the initiative aligned with Governor Adeleke’s education agenda.
According to him, Osun State’s academic performance has improved significantly under the current administration.
“We all know that before this administration came into office, Osun was not doing well educationally. But within the first year, the state emerged as the seventh-best in Nigeria. The governor’s education policies are yielding results despite the challenges,” he stated.
He urged schools and students not to relent, describing the award as a stepping stone to greater achievements.