How to apply for Tunde Onakoya’s ₦250m scholarship, free laptop

Chess in Slums Africa founder, Tunde Onakoya, has partnered with Jobs59 founder, Sam Otigba, and ALT school Founder, HackSultan to launch a ₦250 million scholarship fund aimed at helping corps members and recent graduates acquire in-demand technology skills.

The initiative will provide ₦160,000 scholarships to successful applicants to study any diploma programme at AltSchool Africa, alongside career support, internship opportunities and, for selected beneficiaries, free laptops.

Announcing the initiative on X on Thursday, Otigba wrote, “We’re solving the Olodo uprising pandemic, one NYSC at a time. That’s our contribution to society.

“That’s why Tunde Onakoya, HackSultan and I are launching a ₦250 million scholarship fund to help recent graduates gain real, in-demand tech skills that lead to jobs.”

According to the organisers, each successful applicant will receive ₦10,000 towards the application fee and ₦150,000 towards tuition, bringing the total scholarship value to ₦160,000.

Who can apply?

The scholarship is open to, current NYSC corps members, prospective corps members, and recent NYSC alumni

How to apply

1. Visit the NYSC to Tech Job scholarship portal – https://altschoolafrica.com/nysc#scholarship-support
2. Complete the scholarship application form with your NYSC details.
3. Select your preferred AltSchool Africa diploma programme.
4. Submit your application for eligibility review.
5. Successful applicants will receive admission guidance and scholarship support.

Applicants who do not own a laptop can also apply for the Laptop Scholarship Add-on, which will provide selected beneficiaries with free laptops to support their studies.

According to the organisers, laptop support requires an additional application process after applying for the scholarship.

Available diploma programmes

Beneficiaries can enrol in any of the following courses:

* AI-Powered Fullstack Engineering
* Cybersecurity
* Cloud Engineering
* Data Analysis
* Technical Product Management
* Digital Marketing Automation and Sales

The programmes are expected to run for nine to 12 months, with learners beginning internship applications from the sixth month.

Career support

The organisers said scholarship recipients would also receive, internship opportunities, job placement support through Jobs59, career mentorship, and portfolio development guidance

Otigba said the initiative was designed to help young graduates transform their service year into a career-building opportunity.

“Beyond technical training, participants will also receive career support and internship/job opportunities through Jobs59.

“We also know that learning without a laptop is a major barrier, so we’ll be providing laptops to a select number of scholarship recipients through an additional application process,” he added.

Tunde Onakoya, who is supporting the programme as a youth development partner, said the initiative would focus on helping young Nigerians build discipline, resilience and practical career skills while preparing them for opportunities after the NYSC programme.