The iScholar initiative has pushed the bar higher, as the humanitarian organisation recently accepted 100 Nigerian students for a fully financed scholarship outside of Nigeria.
The scholarships, which range from Master’s Degree Programmes to PhDs, are designed to help Nigerian students realise their aspirations.
Speaking during the onboarding event, Tolulope Ewherido, Chairperson of the iSL Board of Trustees, stated that this programme provides delight to the organisation every day.
“Our vision is to help as many Nigerians succeed. Opportunities get slimmer for our people but we are here to open a pipeline for everyone. This pipeline is usually open to the elite and the other classes of Nigerians are not even limited by just funding but also the right information to apply for these opportunities. As much as we hope that this opportunity is open to everyone, we also anticipate you coming back to develop different corners of our dear country. It takes all of us to make this happen,” she added.
On the other hand, Victor Ogunmola, President of the iSL initiative, stated that the charitable organisation has consistently broken its own records year after year since its inception in 2019, and that it is registered in both the United States and Nigeria.
“The organisation is committed to making dreams possible. We are very excited about this cohort. We broke our last record with them. The system is run by volunteers and funded by partners. In 2019, we got a total application of 43 students and we were able to award 20 scholarships. In 2020, we got a total of 520 applications and we awarded 50 scholarships. In 2021, we got a good number of 860 applications and we awarded 60. In 2022, we got 1500, we awarded 65. In 2023 we got a total of 2400, and we gave 70 students a fully funded scholarship. Then this year, 2024, we got 3,000 brilliant applications and we were only able to award 100.
“You will see that the numbers are increasing every year. We wish to do more of that and we are open to partners to make the dream of every Nigerian come through,” he added.
The Keynote Speaker of the Onboarding Event, Femi Oshinlaja who doubles as a Partner of the iScholar Initiative encourages participants at the event to move with clarity and focus.
“Young people need to be more prepared for change. Be ready to embrace new technology. We are ready to take charge and move swiftly. Young people need to learn to stay ahead of new developments. Have options. Also, a lot of us as young people forget the essence of building value. The systems never get older than values,” the Airtel Chief Commercial Officer added.
