In alignment with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s directive to prioritize the well-being of students in Ondo State, the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) has cleared outstanding bursary and scholarship arrears for both undergraduate and postgraduate students across various tertiary institutions in the country.
At a presentation ceremony for postgraduate students of the 2022/2023 academic session held at the Commission’s Headquarters in Oba-Ile, on Thursday 22nd August,2024, the Secretary, Princess Abike Bayo-Ilawole, announced that OSOPADEC had disbursed a total of ₦320 million in August for undergraduate bursaries and scholarships for students from Ilaje and Ese-Odo LGAs. Additionally, ₦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.
Princess Ilawole emphasized that the Commission carefully verified and certified the authenticity of the 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 stated.
She commended Governor Aiyedatiwa for his prompt response and commitment to advancing the education of indigene from the state’s oil-producing communities, noting that his actions are highly commendable.
A postgraduate student from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Mr. Taiwo Olajide Samuel, expressed his 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, and gathering feedback directly from the local population, as well as identifying any challenge faced by contractors.
The project sites visited included the ongoing construction of the 32.725km Alape–Araromi Road, the 28.5km Aboto–Atijere Road, the School of Maritime Transport and Logistics at Olusegun Agagu University, Ugbonla, and the Aboto water treatment plant.
At these sites, Princess Bayo-Ilawole praised 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 a specified period,” she said.
She further noted that, with the Governor’s prompt approval, funds were recently released for asphalt laying on the Alape-Araromi Road. With the assurance received from the contractor, she expressed confidence that the project would be delivered and commissioned soon.
The team also visited the 28.5km Aboto-Atijere Road and the water project in Aboto, which now supplies potable water to the communities of Ugbonla, Ugbo, Mahin, and Igbokoda. Plans are underway to increase the quantity of water supplied to meet the domestic needs of residents, as the facilities have the capacity to produce and distribute potable water across different areas of Ilaje LGA.
Princess Bayo-Ilawole encouraged continued support for the current administration’s commitment to realizing the vision of the state’s forebears.
