Tinubu’s aide awards scholarships to top UTME candidates

Mallam Kamorudeen Yusuf, Personal Assistant on Special Duties to President Bola Tinubu, has emphasized the crucial role of education in achieving national peace and development, calling for greater investment in the academic future of Nigerian youth.

Yusuf made this known during a scholarship presentation ceremony in Lagos, where he awarded educational grants to some high-performing candidates in the recently released Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.

Among the beneficiaries was Miss Adetutu Blessing Osoba from Ado-Odo Local Government Area of Ogun State, who scored an impressive aggregate of 309. She expressed heartfelt gratitude to Yusuf, describing the scholarship as a timely boost toward achieving her academic dreams.

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“The young scholar, who is the first of three children in a family of five, came to the limelight in her neighbourhood, a boundary between Badagry and Ogun state, following her outstanding academic performance amongst her other contemporaries.

“Therefore, Mr Yusuf, who heard of her feat and was personally inspired by her devotion to studies and sacrifices, all in a bid to achieve her goal has pledged to see her through the university.

“Besides offering her a scholarship, Mr Yusuf, had also paid for hostel and school fees in a popular fashion academy in Lagos as it’s her dream to polish her tailoring skills before admission.”

The young Osoba, according to the release, who turns 17 years in two months, had sat for the UTME last year scoring 265, after clearing all her subjects at the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), but narrowly missed her admission to the University of Lagos (UNILAG), to study for a B.Sc in Business Administration.

Overwhelmed with joy, she said she never expected the recognition and rewards she has received for her sterling academic performance.

“It was very, very unexpected because being in this part of the world, where no one remembers people without the right connections and influence, to be in the limelight is so very wonderful,” she mused excitedly.

“We’re really grateful for the kind gestures shown by my benefactor, Mr Yusuf, who has promised to sponsor my education and I want to assure him that he’s not going to regret it because I’m going to make him proud and proud and proud forever and ever,” she said.

The mother, Tolulope Osoba, a petty trader, also expressed a sense of pride for their daughter bringing them to the limelight, and for the kind gestures of the public-spirited Nigerian who has pledged to fund her studies in the university, as well as the God Almighty, who facilitated the intervention.

Yusuf’s philanthropic gesture was also extended to Sodiq Shoyode, a 16-year-old, who scored 360 marks, and also hails from Ado Odo LGA, Ogun State, whose feat went viral on social media, drawing widespread commendations.

“The president’s aide had received the news of Sodiq’s high performance and awarded him scholarship and equally funded his admission into one of the top digital academies to learn Full Stack Development before his admission with his school fees and accommodation taken care of as well.

“Yusuf had recently awarded N10m scholarships to some students in Lagos state, as part of his lifelong commitment to support the less privileged to help them achieve their potential in spite of their poor stations in life,” the statement noted.