Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Busayo Oluwole Oke, boosted his flagship technical education scholarship scheme with the enrolment of 420 additional students across Osun State’s nine Government Technical Colleges.
The lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency of Osun State explained that the fresh intake marks another major leap for the five-year-old programme, which began modestly at the Ijebu-Jesa Government Technical College before expanding statewide two years ago.
Oke said the new beneficiaries include mostly Year 1 students, with Year 2 entrants spread across eight colleges, while the Ijebu-Jesa centre received students from Year 1 to Year 3.
He added that, with the expansion, the scheme has now supported about 1,500 students by committing roughly ₦15 million per term—or about ₦40 million per academic session—to cover tuition, enrolment charges, lesson fees, and related costs for beneficiaries.
Oke said the programme was designed to close Nigeria‘s widening technical skills gap and give young people practical, employable abilities.
He noted that many alumni of the scheme are now in higher institutions or running successful small businesses built on the competencies they gained.
“Technical and vocational education remains one of the most reliable pathways to empowering young people,” he said. “By equipping them with practical training and creativity-driven skills, we are building a new generation of self-reliant Nigerians.”
The programme’s steady growth coincides with the Federal Government’s rollout of free tuition in all Federal Technical Colleges—a policy Oke has consistently championed as part of national workforce development.
Administrators across Osun’s technical colleges say the lawmaker’s intervention has boosted enrolment, improved retention and raised overall enthusiasm for vocational learning.
As the new batch of beneficiaries settles into their academic journey, Oke urged students to make the most of the opportunity, describing the scheme as an investment in a “better, brighter and more empowered generation.”
Stakeholders say the initiative has become a model for community-driven support in technical education, attracting interest from public and private actors exploring ways to replicate its structure across the country.
In other news, the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State, has inducted its first set of food scientists, urging them to prioritise advocacy for healthy diets and community health.
While speaking during the induction, a professor of food technology, Abiodun Adeola, disclosed that many prevailing health issues could be mitigated through better dietary choices, stressing that numerous beneficial foods are underutilised and are gradually going into extinction.
According to Adeola, there are multifaceted benefits of integrating functional foods into community diets, emphasising that such foods promote a more resilient food system, improve public health, lower the risk of chronic diseases, and enhance gut health and immune function.
The food technology expert stated this during the induction of pioneer food scientists of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) at the Main Auditorium, Odosida Campus of the institution.
Adeola, who was represented by Associate Prof. Dare Adekoyemi, spoke on the topic ‘Impacting Communities through Functional Foods: A Pathway to Sustainable Development’ and urged the six new inductees to educate the public about the health benefits of such foods, maintaining that a healthy diet is tantamount to good health.
