Students from oil-producing communities in Ondo State have urged the government to pay their outstanding bursary and scholarship. The students, under the aegis of Federation of Ese-Odo Local Government Students (FELGOS) and National Association of Ilaje Students (NAIS), said the timely payment of the bursary would relieve them of pain they are going through.
The students met in Akure, the state capital, at the weekend to discuss their challenges in drawing attention of the government to their plight.
In a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting, signed by Oluwasegun Olowoparija and Anthony Oguntibeju, FELGOS and NAIS presidents, the students urged Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to approve the payment of 2014/2015 Ondo State Oil-Producing Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC) bursary and scholarship which was long overdue.
The communiqué reads: “The outstanding 2014/2015 OSOPADEC bursary and scholarship scheme was approved before the expiration of the last administration. Since the bursary scheme is part of the effort by OSOPADEC to assist undergraduate and postgraduate students from the oil-producing areas across higher institutions in the country, there must be a strong commitment towards its fulfilment.
“Most of the beneficiaries are yet to pay the tuition fees in their respective institutions. We appealfor urgent payment of the bursary in order to ease the pains our members are passing through in the face of the economic hardship in the country.”
In an interview with CAMPUSLIFE, Ibiyemi Kalejaye, a 100-Level student of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma in Edo State, said she could no longer cope with financial burden.
She said: “Right from time, we have always relied on the OSOPADEC bursary to pay up some of our fees and take care of our needs. But now, it is not being paid on time. We are still being owed the 2014/2015 bursary in 2017.”
Beatrice Ogunbayo, a final year student of Ondo State School of Nursing and Midwifery in Akure, said: “Our parents are owed months of salaries. As a result of this, they don’t have enough to cater for our needs. We appeal to the state governor to urgently direct OSOPADEC to start the payment of our bursary for us to fulfil our financial obligation in school.”
