UI SU Disburses Bursary to 71 Beneficiaries

Lawal Maruf

The University of Ibadan Students’ Union has on Tuesday, November 6, 2023 disbursed the amount of 1.5 million naira to 71 beneficiaries at First Bank building, Faculty of Agriculture.

In his address, the Dean of students, Prof I. A. Abiona, commended the efforts of the Students’ Union in cushioning the challenges of indigent students, when other Students’ Unions in other institutions engage in hooliganism.

Also, the deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Aderonke Mojisola, urged the beneficiaries to cultivate the spirit of generosity and give back to the institution whenever they have the opportunity.

“Learn to give back to the institution. The fact that you are a beneficiary today should drive you to try to be a donor in the future and do domething great for the University,” he said.

The chairman of the bursary committee, Adewale Alabi, revealed that they received almost 900 applicants in which over 500 students wrote the examination and 283 were considered for interview, before 71 beneficiaries were finally shortlisted after thorough scrutiny.

“We had over 900 applicants and almost 500 students wrote the exam. During the first stage of the interview, we discovered that the number of people that scored 25 was wide. So we considered people that had 26 and above for the interview,”

“We ensured that thorough ethics were considered, such as punctuality, composure, a thorough check on background stories and factors behind their inability to pay their fees.”

“We were not just being emotional about their stories, we ensured that students who are the beneficiaries of the bursary are students that actually need it,” he added.

Stressing the commitment of the Students’ Union body, UI’SU President, Samuel Samson Tobiloba, noted that the Union is being motivated by the need to cater for the welfare of the students.

“The Union is concerned with the welfare of the students. There is a fundamental number of students struggling with paying their fees. As a responsible Union, we saw the need for us to reach out to people to get some level of support for the students.”

“No one is immune to the challenges in the country. That is what is affecting a lot of parents with the payment of fees. With considered efforts and support we are getting, we will ensure that no student will have to drop out because they are unable to pay their fees.” he added.