Kehinde Emmanuel, Ilorin
Bayo and Bunmi Babalola Foundation (BBBF), on Thursday awarded scholarships to no fewer than 611 pupils and students from Kwara State.
The co-founder and co-sponsor of the Non Governmental Organisation, Engineer Pastor Sunday Adebayo Babalola said that 407 pupils from secondary schools and 204 students from tertiary institutions benefited from the scholarship awards.
He spoke 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.
The Co-founder and Co-sponsor of the charity organization opined 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 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 successful 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 result.
“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.”
He added: “The recent renewed commitment by the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) to address insecurity challenge in the region is commendable.
“Insecurity has impacted negatively on livelihoods of millions of people in the country and in particular, in the northern region.
“Modern technologies and new inventions in security management should be invigorated alongside non-kinetic approaches.”
The Organising Committee Chairman of the scheme, Elder Dele Ajiboye, decried the hardship and high cost of living in the country.
He also decried insecurity and loss of value in Nigeria.
Ajiboye said: “The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation (June 4, 2024), while reflecting on 365 days of President Tinubu, the President’s economic policies have left the majority of Nigerians in deeper economic austerity; national inflation rate rose to over 30% (34.19% to be precise) in that month with the possibility of it soaring higher; naira value plummeted (from about N460.00/dollar in May 2023 to N1,600.00/dollar in June 2024); exodus of multinationals leading to worsening unemployment.
“The result is that prices of food and essential household items have skyrocketed. Health care is out of reach, security situation has become treacherous while transportation and education have suddenly become luxuries.
“Government policies seem to have mortgaged our present without giving room for any hope for tomorrow.
“Unfortunately the opposite is the case in Nigeria today. Human life has no value any longer. People are kidnapped and killed for all sorts of reasons. Farmers are killed because cows must feed. People are slaughtered to harvest human spare parts. Our politicians are only interested in power and the personal gains they will derive from it. Because of government policies, essential drugs are no longer available in the market paving rooms for fake drugs. People are dying due to lack of adequate health care and food. Tomorrow is being built on a foundation of the blood of those of us who are alive today.
Unfortunately that tomorrow is bleak for those who will be there except we all join hands together to do something positive today. Education is rapidly getting out of the reach of the majority of Nigerians. So what is in tomorrow for the youths and even those yet to be born without education and qualitative one for that matter.”