When Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa flagged off Ondo State’s 2026 bursary and scholarship scheme, the numbers told one part of the story: N400 million, 13,360 students, 11,907 bursary awards, 614 scholarships, plus targeted support for Law School students, medical trainees and physically challenged learners.
But behind the figures lies a broader ambition: to use education as the engine of social mobility, economic transformation and digital readiness for a new generation of Ondo youths.
At the ceremony held at the Cocoa Conference Centre in Akure, Aiyedatiwa framed the intervention as more than financial relief but a core pillar of his administration’s “OUR EASE” development agenda.
Alongside the student support scheme, the government is constructing and rehabilitating 500 basic schools and has begun a Digital Literacy Programme that has seen tablets distributed to students in 50 public schools.
Beyond cash the administration of governor Aiyedatiwa has tied financial support to a culture of excellence and public service. Last year, 54 students who scored above 300 in UTME were honoured, alongside those who represented Ondo and Nigeria in academic competitions.
Seven NYSC National Award recipients werenalso given automatic employment into the Ondo State Public Service.
At the tertiary level, the government is moving to reposition key institutions with plans underway to transform Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, into the proposed University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Owo (UNASTO), with a focus on agriculture, science and technology research.
Approval has also been given for a College of Nursing at Igbokoda and a College of Education at Aboto, aimed at closing critical gaps in the state’s educational infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the state has approved the immediate implementation of the Federal Government’s new salary structure for tertiary institutions, backed by increased subvention to enable compliance.
Perhaps one of the most strategic innovations under discussion is a digital registry for Ondo students nationwide.
The state is considering a dedicated mobile application, developed with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), to create a centralised, verifiable database of indigenes in tertiary institutions.
The proposed platform would:
Identify and verify students by campus, discipline and location.
Serve as a scholarship management system resistant to fraud.
Reduce repeated submission of documents and multiple screening processes.
Generate data to guide policy on emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy and digital infrastructure.
Provide reliable information to attract Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support from private companies.
In a state where development ambitions are increasingly tied to human capital, Ondo’s N400m student support plan is not just about paying fees, it is about building a pipeline of skilled, digitally literate and socially responsible citizens who can carry the state’s development agenda forward.
