The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Olabisi Onabanjo University chapter, has awarded scholarships worth N6.2m to 31 indigent students of the institution.
The Chairperson of ASUU, OOU chapter, Dr Ganiyu Yinusa, said in a statement on Sunday that the gesture was part of the union’s sustained commitment to equity, expanded access to education and student welfare.
Yinusa stated that each beneficiary received N200,000, bringing the total value of the scholarship intervention to N6.2m.
“The financial support is intended to assist the students in the payment of school fees and other approved charges for the 2025/2026 academic session, thereby easing the financial burden on those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds,” he said.
He explained that the Indigent Students Scholarship Scheme was funded largely through voluntary donations of sitting allowances accrued from several University Council meetings by internal members of the University Council, complemented by direct financial contributions from ASUU–OOU as a branch.
According to him, the “collective sacrifice underscores the union’s deep sense of responsibility, solidarity and commitment to the welfare of students within the university community.”
Yinusa disclosed that the scholarship scheme forms part of ASUU’s broader commitment to promoting inclusive education, preventing student drop-out due to financial hardship and supporting academic excellence.
The union reaffirmed its belief that no qualified student should be denied access to university education on the basis of financial constraints.
ASUU commended the internal members of the University Council for voluntarily donating their sitting allowances earned over several meetings, describing the gesture as a rare and commendable demonstration of personal sacrifice in support of education and human capital development.
The union congratulated the beneficiaries and encouraged them to remain focused, disciplined and committed to their academic pursuits, noting that the scholarship serves both as a support mechanism and a call to excellence.
According to the statement, the intervention further reinforces ASUU’s role not only as a defender of staff welfare and university autonomy but also as a key stakeholder in student development, social justice and sustainable access to quality education within the Nigerian university system.
One of the major factors limiting access to quality education in the country is poverty.
PUNCH Online reports that speaking recently, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the essence of NELFUND is to ensure that no eligible Nigerian student is deprived of higher education due to financial constraints.
Sawyerr said that as of December 2025, NELFUND had disbursed a total of N154.3bn in loans to 788,947 students across the country since the scheme began 19 months ago.
He explained that the beneficiaries were selected from 1,265,509 applications received since disbursements commenced on May 24, 2024.
Of the total amount disbursed, N82.34bn covered institutional fees, while N72.02bn went to students’ upkeep allowances, distributed across 262 institutions nationwide.
