FUTA union scholarship offers N6m financial aid to 280 students

Eight years after its inception, the FUTASU Indigent Scholarship at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) has achieved a landmark milestone, its first edition fully funded by the students’ union without external alumni support.

The scholarship, established in 2017 by Babatunde Oluwabukunmi Victor (popularly known as Veebabs) during his tenure as the Students’ Union Welfare Director, was created to ensure no student drops out due to inability to pay fees.

What began as a modest intervention has grown into one of FUTA’s most enduring and impactful welfare programs.

“When we started in 2017, the goal was to help students in need, but it has become so much more,” Babatunde said.

“Seeing the alumni rally behind it, successive Welfare Directors keep it alive, and now the Student Union takes full ownership, is deeply humbling. This legacy belongs to everyone who has contributed over the years.”

In its first year, the scholarship supported 46 students with ₦690,000, drawing on a beneficiary database provided by the Students’ Affairs Division. The gesture was widely applauded. Then-Vice Chancellor Professor Joseph Fuwape described it as “a commendable gesture of empathy and leadership.” Alumni President Comrade Olaitan Adesomoju and the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Professor Gbenga Onibi, also commended the initiative, citing it as an example of responsible and compassionate student leadership.

Since then, the initiative has evolved into a yearly tradition. To date, over 280 students have received more than ₦6 million in financial aid. Except for the pandemic-disrupted 2019/2020 academic year, successive Student Union administrations have sustained the program. Notable editions include Aderibigbe Halleluyah Oluwafikayo’s ₦750,000 disbursement in 2018/2019, Christopher Oghenewogaga’s support for 50 students in 2020/2021, and Samuel Adeyemo’s ₦1.32 million aid to 40 students in 2022/2023.

The latest edition in the 2024/2025 academic year—spearheaded by Welfare Director Dufale Enoch Oghenekparobor—marks a major shift. With full backing from Union President Adegoriola Abejoye Taiwo and Speaker Daniel Adewale Adegbusi, the Students’ Union took on the full financial responsibility of the initiative, disbursing over ₦1.36 million to cover tuition for students across various levels.

“The FUTASU Indigent Scholarship has become bigger than just an initiative; it’s a tradition,” said a Student Union spokesperson. “The Union stepping up to fund the last edition shows our dedication to building a sustainable future for this program.”

The scholarship’s success has long been supported by FUTA alumni. Coordinated fundraising efforts led by Idede Osesky Oseyande, with consistent backing from Alumni President Olaitan Adesomoju and prominent donors like Adelabu Particular, Speaker Bankole, Biyi Agboola, and Hon. Bode, were pivotal to the program’s early endurance. Their contributions helped institutionalise the scholarship as a recurring feature of FUTA’s student welfare landscape.

As a new set of Student Union leaders prepares to take office, the future of the initiative looks promising. The union’s decision to independently fund the most recent edition signals a deepening commitment to making the scholarship self-sustaining.

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