BBBF awards scholarships to 611 pupils, students in Kwara

NO fewer than 611 pupils and students in Kwara State have received scholarships from a non-governmental organisation, Bayo and Bunmi Babalola Foundation (BBBF) during the ninth edition of the scholarship scheme.

The co-founder of the charity organisation, Pastor Sunday Adebayo Babalola, speaking during the scholarship ceremony, yesterday in Omu-Aran, Ifelodun Local Council of Kwara State, explained that the beneficiaries included 407 pupils in secondary schools and 204 students from tertiary institutions.

BBBF had, in the past eight editions, given scholarships to thousands of Kwara citizens.

Babalola, in his address, thanked God for giving them the enablement to continue to sponsor the scholarship awards.

He also commended his wife, Pastor Bunmi Babalola, who is also a co-founder and co-sponsor of BBBF, for her great contributions and investments in the scheme and commended the organising committee members for their efforts towards the success of the scheme.

He charged the recipients of the scholarship to maximise the opportunity by being God-fearing, studious, hard working and being good ambassadors of the scheme, their families, their state and Nigeria at large.

Babalola described recent information by UNICEF that Nigeria had the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, with about 18.4 million, as very sad. He stated that such unenviable retrogression was very disturbing.

He said: “It is more worrisome when viewed against the backdrop of billions of naira said to have been spent by the Federal and state governments on education and more specifically on school feeding programmes of the FG.

“The Federal Government under the former President, Muhammadu Buhari, reportedly spent multi-billions of naira on the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).

“The then National Coordinator, National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which was run by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (MHADMSD), Dr Umar Bindir, had in April 2022, during a two-day stakeholders’ consultative workshop on the development of a national policy for NHGSFP in Abuja, said the Federal Government was spending about N12 billion monthly on the NHGSFP.

“President Bola Tinubu, while assenting to the 2024 budget, said that there was N100 billion allocation for the school feeding programmes.”

He also recalled that according to the President, the provision would serve as a stimulant to encourage attendance in schools and reduce the problem of out-of-school children.

One of the priority areas of the bill, he quoted President Tinubu as saying, was for the feeding of schoolchildren.

“I believe that is a stimulant that will encourage school enrolment and address malnutrition among school children.

“I will be meeting with local governments at sub-national levels so that we can collaborate and jointly implement an all-inclusive programme,” he quoted the President as saying.

He also recalled that the Organising Committee Chairman of the scheme, Elder Dele Ajiboye, decried the hardship and high cost of living in the country.

He, however, lamented: “According to the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation (June 4, 2024), while reflecting on 365 days of President Tinubu, the President’s economic policies have left the majority of Nigerians in deeper economic austerity; national inflation rate rose to over 30% (34.19 per cent to be precise) in that month with the possibility of it soaring higher; naira value plummeted (from about N460.00/dollar in May 2023 to N1,600.00/dollar in June 2024); exodus of multinationals leading to worsening unemployment.

“The result is that prices of food and essential household items have skyrocketed. Health care is out of reach, security situation has become treacherous while transportation and education have suddenly become luxuries.

“Government policies seem to have mortgaged our present without giving room for any hope for tomorrow.”