Risikat Education Scholarship (RES) Fund, in collaboration with AndTop Charity Foundation, has awarded young Nigerians in artistic excellence.
Speaking at the award presentation at the University of Ibadan, the representative of RES Fund, Tosin Okedeyi, said the organisation is dedicated to advancing Nigeria’s creative talent by providing scholarships to individuals and university students annually.
She said the foundation, named after the late Risikat Iyabo Okedeyi, is committed to empowering individuals who embody her spirit of artistic brilliance, academic excellence and commitment to culture and community.
She lauded AndTop Charity Foundation for making the scholarship programme a reality.
“Today, we celebrate extraordinarily talented awardees, It is both a solemn and a joyous occasion as we gather here today. Solemn, as we approach the first anniversary of the passing of a visionary, Risikat ‘Kat’ Iyabo Okedeyi, who was not just a beacon of inspiration but a big sister to me.
“And joyous because today, we fulfil a part of her dream through RES Fund. Kat’s life was a testament to the power of education and the arts as vehicles for transformative change.”Her commitment was to ignite a creative spark in others, to inspire artists and scholars to pursue excellence and to resonate with their communities and tell their own unique stories.”This scholarship fund, which we established in her honour, is designed to support the brilliant recipients we celebrate today and to discover and nurture still hidden talents across Nigeria and Africa.“Kat believed deeply in lifting the voices and visions of African and Black talent, ensuring they are celebrated and supported on the world stage.
“To our awardees, this scholarship recognises your talent and also serves as a call to action. You are now part of a journey that transcends individual achievement; you are contributing to a larger narrative of cultural richness and innovation. You carry forward the legacy of a remarkable woman whose dream was to see the light of many like yourselves shine brightly.”
In his remarks, the founder of AndTop Charity Foundation, Mr Temitope Olawale, said the essence of the programme is to give back to society and support creative arts of exceptional talent in the country.
He encouraged the winner and other beneficiaries to always think about how they also want to give back to society which is his focus and his co-founder, Mr Andrew Akindutire.
“The RES are friends of Risikat who came together to see how they can immortalise the memory of their late friend good job especially in cultural architecture and make sure that it becomes a yearly programme. “The most important advice I would give the winner is to to know that in the long process they should learn to give back to the society. “I implore them to ensure that they train more people, especially in educational programmes.”
Winner of the programme, Oyelade Oyewole, a student of Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, who went t home with N500,000, said he was not expecting to be the winner of the scholarship but ascribed the victory to God and passion for arts.
“I saw the programme online and I decided to apply for it. I knew eventually I was going to win something but I wasn’t expecting to be the overall winner. “This scholarship would really go a long way in supporting me financially, educationally and in my career and I’m grateful to the RES fund and AndTop Charity foundation for the gesture. “This foundation has given me the hope that I can do something in my life with my artistic talent.“
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