OSOPADEC disburses N373m bursary, scholarship arrears to 5,928 students

The Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) disclosed, over the weekend, that N373 million in bursary and scholarship arrears have been disbursed to no fewer than 5,928 students within the mandate areas of the state.

The Secretary of the Commission, Abike Bayo-Ilawole, said that the move will ease the financial burdens of undergraduate and postgraduate students in Ilaje and Ese-Odo local government areas.

She stated that the undergraduates received N50,000, while PGD, MSc, and PhD students will get N150,000 each.

According to Bayo-Ilawole, the Commission verified and certified the authenticity of the returns received from various institutions to prevent the inclusion of ghost students as beneficiaries.

She commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for his prompt response and commitment to advancing the education of indigenes from the state’s oil-producing communities, noting that this move will further encourage them in their studies.

A postgraduate student from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Mr. Taiwo Samuel, lauded the governor for supporting the educational development of students and commended the secretary for maintaining the initiative, stating that the bursary payments will motivate students to achieve more.

Meanwhile, Bayo-Ilawole hinted that OSOPADEC had initiated inspections of ongoing projects across the state’s mandate areas with the aim of interfacing with contractors on-site, assessing progress, gathering feedback directly from the local population, and identifying any challenges faced by contractors.

The Secretary, who led the Commission’s technical team on an inspection tour of the ongoing projects in Ilaje Local Council Area, visited the ongoing construction of the 32.725 km Alape-Araromi Road, the 28.5 km Aboto-Atijere Road, the School of Maritime Transport and Logistics at Olusegun Agagu University, Ugbonla, and the Aboto water treatment plant.

She said: “The impact of these projects on our people is immense. We have assessed the roads being constructed and have seen significant improvements. With the support of our governor, we can identify and accomplish our targeted projects within a specified period.”

She further noted that with the governor’s prompt approval, funds were recently released for asphalt laying on the Alape-Araromi Road. With the assurance received from the contractor, she expressed confidence that the project would be delivered and commissioned soon.

The team also visited the 28.5-kilometre Aboto-Atijere Road and the water project in Aboto, which now supplies potable water to the communities of Ugbonla, Ugbo, Mahin, and Igbokoda.

He said, “Plans are underway to increase the quantity of water supplied to meet the domestic needs of residents, as the facilities have the capacity to produce and distribute potable water across different areas of Ilaje LGA.”