Seven exceptional students from universities across Nigeria have emerged awardees of the 23rd Stephen Oluwole Awokoya Foundation for Science Education Postgraduate Scholarship.
The awardees were selected from 151 nominees, comprising 91 graduates with First Class or Distinction, 54 with Second Class Division (Upper Division), as well as six students and graduates of disciplines, including medicine, whose grade was not classified.
They are Miss Ayomide Moyib, Miss Patience Abafor, Miss Abisola Oyelere, Mr. Chima-Oge Chukudi, Miss Inioluwa Adedapo, Miss Mmesoma Mgboko and Miss Abigail Makolo.
At the award ceremony at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, Fola, son of the late Prof. Stephen Oluwole Awokoya, said the scholarships were premised on excellence in educational performance.
He urged the students to always put in their best to distinguish themselves among their contemporaries, noting that the award was meant for only exceptional
students.
Awokoya said, “In order to qualify for this award, you have to be very good academically, both in your university and in comparison to other students in other universities.
“The Awokoya Foundation scholarship is a reward for excellence and it is aimed at encouraging excellence in educational performance. It is an award for the best among the best.”
He said the foundation was established in 1995 to promote science and science education in higher institutions in the country, adding that it had produced 105 postgraduate scholarship awardees since its inception.
Awokoya said, “This year, we had 151 nominations from 44 universities. Seven postgraduate scholarship awardees were chosen from the nominations received.
“This year marks a significant milestone for the Awokoya Foundation in that it is the first time in its existence that we have a former awardee rise within the academia, to a position of nominating candidates for the Awokoya Foundation postgraduate scholarship award.”
The Chairman of the foundation, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, described the late Awokoya as “an ebullient and brilliant teacher of teachers,” who inspired and positively impacted the lives of many successful Nigerians.
Durojaiye said despite the financial challenges facing the foundation, the science laboratory of the Molusi College, Ijebu-Igbo, a school nurtured by the late Awokoya, had been refurbished.
The senator sought donations for the foundation to award more scholarships and equip more laboratories and libraries in higher institutions of learning across the
country.
In his lecture entitled, “Consequences of Climate Change in Nigeria: Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation,” Prof. Kehinde Olayinka of the Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos, said there was the need to use cleaner forms of energy and switch to low carbon energy sources such as renewable energies and nuclear energy to tackle climate change.
The occasion was chaired by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, while the Chief whip of the Senate, Prof. Olusola Adeyeye, was the guest
of honour.
