A former Commissioner for Finance in Oyo State, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi has condemned in totality, the negative trend involving Nigerian youths who engage in yahoo yahoo, ritual killings and other nefarious activities to make quick money.
Hon. Adekanmbi made this condemnation in his remark while distributing bursary to the 120 beneficiaries of the 2021 Bimbo Adekanmbi Bursary/Scholarship awards organized by him for students of various higher institutions of learning.
The ex-Commissioner for Finance under the immediate past administration of late Abiola Ajimobi, Adekanmbi said that youths who are mostly under the age of 20 involving in money rituals have become a daily phenomenon in recent times, stressing that this trend is disturbing.
He disclosed that part of his programmes for the youth is the disbursement of bursary/scholarship awards for indigent but brilliant students who are indigenes of Oyo State in all tertiary institution in Nigeria.
He added that the programme which has started since 2019 has benefited over 1000 youth through the procurement of JAMB forms, payment of bursary or scholarship awards.
Speaking on the criteria for selecting the beneficiaries, Hon. Adekanmbi who is aspiring to contest for the senatorial election to represent the Oyo South Senatorial district in the 2023 general elections explained that to qualify as beneficiary for this scheme, an applicant must score a minimum of 3.5 gpa in the mock/aptitude test conducted for the applicants who must have applied online so as to determine such applicant’s brilliance and intellectual capability.
According to him, “what we normally do is to conduct a mock test for all the applicants and to qualify you must score a minimum of 3.5 gpa. We are doing this because of my believe in excellent and recognition of excellent performance. I believe that whatever we are doing to assist the youths must be based purely on merit. I am a politician but we are not making what we are doing a political affair and that is why you are seeing only the students and parents at this gathering today.
Our programmes are always devoid of family, religious or political affairs. We are looking for excellent in selecting beneficiaries for our programmes. Those you are seeing here those that scored 3.5 and above out of over 1000 applicants that applied for the bursary award. These are the students that have proved to us that they can excelled in whatever they do and that is my pride.
We are doing this to this set of the youth to showcase them to the world and to let them know that they can do better. These are the youths that are ready to make us proud in Oyo State by not engaging in any ill gotten wealth that can endanger their lives.
I enjoin them not to go down in their excellent performance as they go back to their schools. I don’t know anyone among them before and I will continue to celebrate anyone among them as long as they maintain that excellent performance.” Adekanmbi enthused.
The President of a social cultural group in Ibadan, Omo Ajorosun Club, Alhaji Abiola Alli who was the Chairman at the occasion said the initiative by Adekanmbi will not only bring development to the youths but will also bridge the gap of disconnection between the government and the governed.
He said that as a socio cultural group that is not involved in partisan politics, his group will identify and commend anybody that is doing things that will benefit others just as Adekanmbi is doing.
The National President, Federationof Ibadan Students’ Union (FIBSU), Are Fakolade Anuoluwapo and two of the beneficiaries that spoke at the occasion, Ayoade Adedolapo – a 300 level student from the University of Ibadan and Omotoso Olusola – a 200 level student from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife described Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi’s initiative as an eye opener for them to be more focused, determined and encouraged to excel in their academic pursuit and future endeavour.
They prayed God almighty to continue to bless him so as to continue to do more for the society.
Others that also got bursary awards included Jamiu Opeyemi, Ogunsola Sodiq, Adeyemo Grace, Abdulhamid Aishat Bolanle, Lawal Saheed, Adisa Muhammed, Oyinlola Emmanuel and others.
Packaged by Timilehin Olalere
