No fewer than 250 students across Ondo and Osun states have benefited from the 2026 scholarship programme of the High Chiefs Bode and Betty Osedimilehin Foundation.
The beneficiaries were drawn from public primary and secondary schools, technical colleges and medical programmes across Owo, Ose, Akure North and Akure South Local Government Areas of Ondo State, as well as Ile-Ife in Osun State.
The scholarship scheme, which commenced in 2024, entered its third edition this year, with the foundation expanding its education intervention to reach more students and support human capital development.
The 2026 programme began in Owo with a presentation at Imade College before moving to Akure, where beneficiaries received their awards at Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Coordinator of the foundation, Osedimilehin Dele Johnson, said the initiative was aimed at investing in the future of the beneficiaries rather than merely providing financial assistance.
Johnson urged the students to take advantage of the opportunity and remain committed to their education.
‘Today, we are not simply presenting financial assistance. We are investing in dreams. We are saying to every beneficiary: Your education matters. Your potential matters. Your future matters,’ he said.
The founders, High Chiefs Bode and Betty Osedimilehin, who joined the ceremony virtually from Australia, congratulated the beneficiaries and urged them to make good use of the opportunity.
The duo also encouraged the students to support others in the future, saying such a gesture would help break the cycle of poverty.
The former Director-General of the Ondo State Project Performance Implementation and Monitoring Unit, Engr. Razaq Obe, who delivered the guest lecture, described education as a key instrument for transforming individuals and society.
Obe said investment in education should be regarded as an investment in the future of communities and society.
‘Education is the bedrock of every society and it remains the most significant tool to transform lives and advance nations,’ he said.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Scholarship, Samad Orijeminiyi, lauded the foundation for sustaining the scholarship programme for three consecutive years.
Orijeminiyi said the continuity of the scheme demonstrated that the foundation’s intervention was not a one-off philanthropic gesture.
He called on the beneficiaries to justify the confidence placed in them by the sponsors.
‘The value you draw from this scheme will be the main encouragement for the sponsors to do more,’ Orijeminiyi said.
The governor’s aide also pledged to draw the attention of the state government, led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to the contributions of Chief Dr Bode Osedimilehin and his wife, Chief Mrs Betty Osedimilehin, to education in the state.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Volunteer Services, Comrade Adeolu Iwakun, commended the foundation for supporting students.
He called on individuals and corporate organisations to complement government efforts in education and human capital development, particularly amid the rising cost of education.
The foundation had earlier held a scholarship presentation in Owo, where students from Owo and Ose Local Government Areas benefited from the scheme.
The final phase of the 2026 scholarship awards was held in Ile-Ife, Osun State, as part of activities marking the Olojo Festival, in collaboration with the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Babatunde Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.
According to the foundation, 40 beneficiaries were selected from 20 public schools in Ile-Ife.
The foundation said the scholarship programme was designed to support students’ education and contribute to broader human capital development in the communities where it operates.