612 pupils, students in Kwara get scholarships from BBBF

A non-governmental organization, Bayo and Bunmi Babalola Foundation (BBBF), on Thursday awarded scholarships to no fewer than 612 pupils and students in Kwara State for the 9th edition of the scheme.

The co-founder and co-sponsor of the charity organization, Engineer Pastor Sunday Adebayo Babalola, stated that 407 pupils from secondary schools and 204 students from tertiary institutions benefited from the scholarship awards.

He gave details of the beneficiaries as: 204 tertiary students, 88 Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) pupils, 66 Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3) pupils, along with 254 pupils from Junior Secondary School 1 and 2 (JSS1 and JSS2) and Senior Secondary School 1 and 2 (SS1 and SS2).

Speaking during the BBBF scholarship award ceremony in Omu-Aran, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, he also called on the federal and Kwara State Governments to invest more in education.

He stated that no investment in education is ever lost, adding that education is the bedrock of societal growth, innovations and technological breakthroughs

He said he and his wife, Pastor Bunmi Babalola, who is a co-founder and co-sponsor of the NGO, have continued to invest in human capital development and infrastructure provision regardless of the harsh national economic situation as their own contribution to societal growth as a way of giving back to the community.

He also commended his wife for her great contributions and investments in the scheme. He further thanked the organizing committee members for their efforts to the success of the scheme.

Babalola in his address thanked God for giving them the enablement to continue to sponsor the scholarship awards.

He charged the recipients of the scholarship to maximize the opportunity by being God-fearing, studious and hard working as well as being good ambassadors of the scheme, their families, their state and Nigeria at large.

Babalola said: “May I use this opportunity to reiterate my call on the federal and Kwara State Governments to invest more in education. No investment in education is ever lost. Education is the bedrock of societal growth, innovations and technological breakthroughs. There can be no meaningful societal development without quality, efficient, accessible and affordable education. Education can be one of the strategies to address insecurity, kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery and other violent crimes. An educated mind is refined and totally different from an illiterate. With education, the world will become a better place to live in.

“Education without good infrastructure will be ineffective. It saddens my heart to recall how many pupils are taught under trees and dilapidated classrooms. Some of the pupils and their teachers are wet during learning when it rains and are drained through leaking roofs. What kind of citizens, produced under such an inhuman and inhumane environment, would they be? Allowing our children and their teachers to be in such horrible environment is not only exposing them to medical danger but also to mental torture. We should invest more to upgrade the classrooms and the entire educational environment.

“It is also imperative to ensure good and timely remuneration for the teachers, more so, in this economic crunch. A well motivated staff will produce better results.

“I also call on the government and concerned stakeholders to improve security around educational institutions to avoid the pupils and students from being endangered by kidnappers, armed robbers, rapists and perpetrators of other violent crimes.”