Foundation to award scholarships to one million students

The Oma Life Rescue Foundation has unveiled plans to provide scholarships to one million Nigerian students over the next 10 years, with priority to be given to courses such as Medicine, Nursing, Law, Engineering, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence and other fields considered critical to national development.

The initiative, tagged “A Million Dream Educational Scholarship Project,” is scheduled for launch on July 27, in Abuja, with the wife of the President, Oluremi Tinubu; Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa; Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, Dr Muhammad Idris among those expected in attendance.

According to the foundation, in a statement by its Chief Executive Officer, Omanibe Ameh-Sanusi, the programme aims to award scholarships to 100,000 students annually between 2026 and 2036, with beneficiaries drawn from the country’s six geopolitical zones.

The foundation said although the scholarship would be open to students across different disciplines, some institutional and corporate partners had opted to support courses that directly contribute to economic growth and national development.

It listed the priority disciplines as Medicine, Nursing, Law, Engineering, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Accounting, Healthcare, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, Oil and Gas, among other strategic professions.

“The programme is a long-term national educational intervention designed to expand access to quality education for brilliant but financially disadvantaged children and young people across Nigeria,” the statement read.

“Priority would be given to academically outstanding students from low-income families, orphans and vulnerable children, students facing financial hardship, and young people who demonstrate discipline, character and exceptional academic potential.”

The foundation explained that 30 per cent of the scholarships would be reserved for pupils in basic education, 50 per cent for senior secondary school students and 20 per cent for students in tertiary institutions.

It added that priority would be given to “academically outstanding students from low-income families, orphans and vulnerable children, students facing financial hardship, and those who demonstrate discipline, good character and exceptional academic potential.”

The statement read, “Our vision is to produce one million graduates over the next 10 years. By supporting 100,000 students every year, we are creating a sustainable pathway to educational advancement, human capital development and national progress.”

“Academic excellence remains one of the programme’s principal selection criteria; the initiative seeks to identify exceptionally talented students whose educational aspirations are threatened by financial hardship.”

It stressed that academic excellence would remain a major criterion for selecting beneficiaries, adding that the scheme was designed to identify talented students whose educational aspirations were threatened by poverty.

According to the foundation, beneficiaries will continue to receive support throughout the 10-year intervention, subject to satisfactory academic performance and compliance with the scholarship guidelines.

It explained that the larger allocation to senior secondary school students reflected the critical transition to tertiary education, where many gifted students were forced to discontinue their education due to financial constraints.

It added that the programme would be reviewed at the end of the first decade, after which partners would decide whether to extend it based on its impact.

The foundation said the success of the initiative would depend on partnerships with governments, educational institutions, corporate organisations, philanthropists and individuals committed to expanding access to education.

Addressing concerns over the proposed N100,000 annual scholarship, it explained that the financial award represented only one component of a broader support framework.

It said it was already collaborating with universities and other educational institutions across the six geopolitical zones, many of which had agreed to offer tuition concessions and other forms of institutional support to scholarship recipients.

The foundation noted that these arrangements would reduce students’ financial burden and allow the scholarship funds to cover other educational expenses.

It acknowledged that implementing the programme would require investments running into billions of naira over the next decade but expressed confidence that more partners would support the initiative as it progressed.

“We have chosen to begin with the support already available rather than wait for every resource to be in place. We believe that as Nigerians witness the impact of this initiative, more partners will come on board,” it said.

The foundation added that the scholarship project also aimed to restore confidence in education among young Nigerians.

“Our nation needs educated, innovative and responsible young people. At a time when some youths are beginning to lose faith in education, we believe it is our collective responsibility to restore hope and demonstrate that education remains one of the most powerful tools for personal transformation and national development,” it added.