By The Metro 
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has flagged off the 2026 bursary, scholarship and financial assistance programme for 13,360 students of Ondo State origin in tertiary institutions across Nigeria, with N400m approved for the scheme.
The governor said the beneficiaries comprised 11,907 bursary recipients, 614 scholarship beneficiaries, 239 Law School students, 500 medical students undergoing clinical training and 100 physically challenged students receiving financial assistance.
The programme was held on Tuesday at the Cocoa Conference Centre of the Governor’s Office, Akure, the state capital.
The governor, who described education as the seed from which every great society blossoms and the foundation of sustainable development, said his administration had made strategic investments in the children, communities and future of the state as a central component of the “OUR EASE” development agenda.
According to him, the 2026 Budget of Economic Consolidation provided substantial resources for education, including the construction and rehabilitation of 500 basic schools, while the administration had commenced its Digital Literacy Programme with the distribution of digital tablets to students in 50 public schools.
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“The programme was designed to equip students with digital skills needed to navigate an increasingly technology-driven world and ensure that children of Ondo State were not left behind in innovation and emerging opportunities,” Aiyedatiwa noted.
He said the government was also investing in teachers and had recently recognised outstanding students, teachers and NYSC award recipients.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, described the programme as a demonstration of Aiyedatiwa’s commitment to the educational development, welfare and empowerment of students of Ondo State origin.
He lauded the governor for approving N400m for the 2026 bursary, scholarship and financial assistance programme, saying the timely release of the funds made the programme possible.
The commissioner disclosed that Aiyedatiwa had also released N633.918m for the payment of 2026 WASSCE registration fees for students in public secondary schools across the state.
Ajibefun added that the governor had approved the immediate implementation of the Federal Government’s agreement with unions on the new salary structure in the state’s tertiary institutions, alongside a substantial increase in subvention to enable the institutions to implement the structure.