'HE IS THE TYPE MY BOSS, GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO WOULD DEFINITELY LOVE TO ASSIST, - Edward Onoja says as he gives stagnated First Class Petroleum Engineering graduate scholarship »

Succour has finally come the way of a stagnated First Class graduate of the Igbinedion University, Okada, who is of Kogi origin as he has been awarded a scholarship of up to Masters Level by the Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Chief Edward Onoja.

Mr Babatunde Samuel Aina, a first class graduate of the Igbinedion University, Okada almost dropped out of the University following the unfortunate demise of his father in 2015 when he was in the second year of his academic pursuit.

His institution, upon learning of the inability of the obviously brilliant first class student to pay his tuition because of the loss of his father, and because of his brilliant performance in his studies, allowed the Okun born Aina to continue with his study after signing an undertaking to pay up before he would be given his certificate upon graduation.

Aina was able to maintain his first class status till graduation, but that was when the main challenge began as the institution, based on agreement refused to allow him continue with life as they have held on to his result.

As a determined individual ready to make something out of his life, the young Aina was not deterred as he put himself under the services of the Public Relations Office of Kogi APC and then the Protocol Department of the Office of the Deputy Governor of the State, Chief Edward Onoja.

Despite his dedication to duty, Aina had approached several individuals to help defray his tuition so that he could make headway without success until the matter got the attention of the Deputy Governor, Chief Edward Onoja.

On hearing of Aina’s plight, the Deputy Governor, who was empathic to the plight of the young bright graduate, said; “This is the type of persons that my Boss, Governor Yahaya Bello would definitely love to assist, i know Governor Yahaya Bello very well, and without even consulting him on this, I believe he will be very happy to know that we intervened on the issue and even supported further”.

Onoja immediately issued a cheque of N2.5 million to defray the accumulated school fees, and also offered scholarship to the graduate even up to his post graduate (Masters Degree) level.

Reacting to the development, Mr Aina, who couldn’t hide his joy, expressed gratitude to the Governor and his Deputy for the show of magnanimity.

Aina, who spoke amid tears of joy, said it was like him being let out of shackles because the issue of his stagnation had been hunting him for long and have been giving him depressions and suicidal thoughts. He said, he had been praying without seizing for the impasse to be over on time, and thanked Governor Yahaya Bello whom God has used to touch his life through his Deputy, Chief David Edward Onoja.

Recall that the Deputy Governor, last year mobilized his Colleagues, Friends and Family to increase the award for 29 First Class Graduates from Kogi East from N70,000 to N500,000.

Checks have confirmed that the full value of N15m is already in the account to be disbursed to the 29 awardees by this week.

According to Onoja, Governor Yahaya Bello believes that the future of Kogi State lies in the ability to nurture it’s abundance of young talents and encourage them to reach their full potentials, adding that the Governor remained committed to doing that.

He stressed that as directed by the Governor, those of them in Government will continue to reach out because the Governor has empowered them to, affirming that leadership is defined by impact and influence.

Mr Samuel Babatunde Aina adds up to the number of those making the State proud and he hails from Isanlu-Makutu in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State. Born to Late Dr Olusegun Olugbenro Aina & Mrs Eunice Aina.

We wish him well as he sojourns further in his academic pursuit whilst Kogi State awaits the value he will add up to the State in the near future.

See letter of appreciation: