A Non-governmental Organisation, Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI), has awarded a total of forty – three (43) forms of the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) qualified beneficiary pupils from various secondary schools in Ibadan.
The Ibadan Zonal Project Coordinator of Academic Excellence Initiative, Barr. Idrees Openiyi made this known while given his address at the scholarship, and the UTME seminar programme held to sensitize UTME candidates at De Aces Hall, Yemetu, Ibadan on Saturday.
Barr. Openiyi in his address described Academic Excellence Initiative as a Non-Governmental Organization saddled to cater for the academic development of youths in the Nigeria Society.
The coordinator who noted that youths constitute over 50 percent of the Nigerian population added that the great initiative is national, cutting across Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Kano, Abuja, with the headquarters in Lagos state.
He further explained that thorough scrutiny was arranged to select the best-qualified candidates for the scholarship adding that 5 forms of West African Examination Council (WAEC) will be awarded to the student that excels in the WAEC Preparatory Examination that will be organized soon.
In a similar note, the Chairman Organizing Committee of the initiative, Pharm. Sefiu Olaleye advised the beneficiaries to be very careful of their subject combination while filling their forms.
Olaleye further advised the students to try as much as possible to apply to schools that they have a high possibility of gaining admission into.
During the panel discussion, one of the discussants at the sensitization seminar, Mary Osanyinlusi urged the youth to discover their potentials before venturing into any course of study.
Mary shared her personal experience as a young girl that was not allowed to study her course of interest which is Animal Science for three years before she later graduated with a first-class at the University of Ibadan.
She reiterated her displeasure to the fact that youths waste most of their time seeking admission into high profile professional courses in the universities and Polytechnic.
Another discussant, who is a first-class Pharmacy graduate of the University of Ibadan, Pharm. Yemi Adekunle, described the UTME stage as a time of trying, advising youths to break limits by making use of the opportunity and their intellectual ability.
Yemi narrated his story as a son of Ofiki soil, who cater for his university education by riding motorbikes within the school environment.
The third discussant, Monsoor Ismaila, noted that poor parent background is not a hindrance to schooling, but insisted that the force driven by an aiming child will pull out common and uncommon grace.
Monsoor revealed his experience as a victim of forced education who was forced by his parents to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Ilorin and failed for 10 years.
Monsoor further explained that he later seek admission into the Mass Communication department at the University of Lagos where he graduated as the best graduate of the department with first-class honor.
Secondary schools present at the scholarship award programme include Awotan Araromi High School Ibadan, Emmanuel Alayande High School Oyo, Emiola Memorial Institute, Asabak College Ibadan, Emmanuel Grammar School, and Ali-Amin comprehensive school, Oyo town.
