•• Best performing Students to Get Full Varsity Scholarship
Senator Saliu Mustapha, representing Kwara Central through his foundation, the Saliu Mustapha Foundation (SMF) has commenced the 2026 edition of annual West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) scholarships for indigent students and orphans in his constituency.
The initiative, aimed at expanding access to education and easing the financial burden on parents, forms part of the Senator’s long-standing commitment to educational development and youth empowerment in the state.
The Secretary of the Education Committee of the Senator’s Scholarship Scheme, Comrade Yakub Ishowo, while addressing the beneficiaries at the flag-off ceremony in Ilorin, explained that the initiative is part of the foundation’s strategic intervention to reduce the school dropout rate, promote academic excellence, and provide equal opportunities for children from less-privileged backgrounds.
According to him, 1,000 WAEC and NECO forms and 2,000 UTME forms are being distributed through political party structures, key stakeholders, community-based associations, traditional institutions, political associates, and the foundation’s online application platform via www.saliumustaphafoundation.com.
“The founder of the foundation and Turaki of Ilorin, Senator Saliu Mustapha, is so passionate about the educational growth and development of Kwarans. He has been doing this for more than a decade before he occupied elective position. He has remained steadfast in using education as a tool for social transformation,” Ishowo said.
He also disclosed that, in 2023, the legislator introduced an automatic university scholarship scheme for the beneficiaries of the WAEC, NECO and UTME forms who recorded outstanding performances in their O’Level examinations and UTME, a policy that had since benefitted hundreds of students currently studying in universities across Kwara and Osun states.
Ishowo, a former President of the Students’ Union at the University of Ilorin, expressed gratitude to Senator Mustapha for his consistent financial commitment and unwavering support for educational advancement, describing the initiative as a timely and strategic investment in the future of the state.
He urged beneficiaries to make judicious use of the opportunity and remain focused on their academic pursuits, noting that the foundation remains committed to expanding its educational intervention in the coming years.
The beneficiaries and their parents, who were present at the event, expressed heartfelt gratitude to Senator Saliu Mustapha for the gesture, describing it as a life-changing intervention.
They commended the senator for his consistency, compassion, and commitment to education, noting that the initiative has relieved many families of financial burdens and restored hope to students from less-privileged backgrounds.
They also prayed for continued strength and success for the lawmaker in his service to Kwara Central and humanity at large.