In its drive to promote access to education and empower Nigerian youths, Opay has completed the first year of its ₦1.2 billion, ten year scholarship initiative, with ₦126 million already disbursed to 420 students across 20 tertiary institutions nationwide.
The milestone was celebrated at the Opay Empowering Futures Conference, held on Friday, October 31 where beneficiaries from various universities, professors, and vice-chancellors gathered to share their experiences and highlight the programme’s impact.
The event, hosted by media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, also featured appearances by celebrities including Funke Akindele, Hauwa, Nancy Isime, Enioluwa, and Tunde Onakoya, who lent their voices in support of youth empowerment and education.
The scholarship, which is part of Opay’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, is designed to support 400 students annually with ₦300,000 each for the next ten years, reinforcing the company’s commitment to expanding access to education, unlocking opportunities, and empowering future leaders.
In 2024, Opay embarked on this journey with the goal of creating lasting social impact beyond technological innovation. “True success is not defined only by innovation in technology and financial services. It lives in the impact we create in society,” the management team stated.
Beneficiaries from various institutions, including Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ilorin, and Lagos State University, have described the initiative as timely and life-changing.
Two medical students from the University of Health Sciences, Azare, Bauchi State, Abdrahman Okasha Omar and Musabulus Joshua, expressed gratitude for the support.
“The scholarship came at a very critical time,” Omar said. “As medical students, we need money for registration, practicals, transportation, and study devices. The ₦300,000 we received made studying more comfortable.”
Joshua, a dental student, said the support saved his family from financial hardship. “School fees in my school are about ₦265,000, and I needed to buy imported instruments for my training. The Opay scholarship came at the right time and even allowed me to help my family,” he said.
Similarly, a 400 level pharmacy student from University of Ibadan who benefited from the scheme said it revived his academic focus. “Before I received the Opay scholarship, I had to do extra work to survive, and my CGPA dropped. After receiving it, I was able to concentrate, and now I’m on first class,” he said, adding that he plans to buy a new laptop to continue his machine learning studies.
The Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Simeon Adebayo, commended Opay’s intervention, describing it as a model for other organisations to emulate.
“Opay has changed the environment within academic institutions by supporting students and the university. They also donated ₦10 million to our Award of Excellence programme and have promised to establish a Cyber Security Lab,” he said.
According to him, Opay’s swift and impactful support has inspired hope and motivation among students. “They are building up the nation by supporting the educational sector where the bulk of the youth, the future of this country are found,” he added.
He further encouraged the company to expand its support to areas such as incubation centres, e-libraries, and laboratories to promote innovation and digital learning.
As Opay looks forward to the next nine years of its ₦1.2 billion commitment, the company says it remains steadfast in its mission to empower Nigerian youths and build a stronger, knowledge driven future.
