Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has approved the sum of N30 million for students from rural areas participating in the 2021 edition of Countryside Emerging Leaders Fellowship (CELF).
The funds will cover tuition and miscellaneous expenses for sixteen (16) outstanding fellows across the 16 local government areas of the state, according to a statement by Saadudeen Abdulrasheed, Press Secretary, CELF
Mallam Lawal Olohungbebe, representing the corporate organisers of the Fellowship, Haashim Initiative for Community Advancement (HICA) and the Hannis Institute for Development Studies (HIDS) made the disclosure in a statement on Friday in Ilorin.
“It’s a proof of the governor’s commitment to lend a helping hand to every aspiring young Kwaran that he has now graciously approved funds to support the education of these fellows from rural communities in the state.
“As someone who has seen first-hand the disadvantages suffered by young people struggling in rural areas to access quality education, we are confident that the governor’s gesture will help to bring forth the potentials of many enterprising youths in our rural areas who will go on to make Kwara proud in the nearest future,” Olohungbebe said.
The CELF Convener expressed the gratitude of the Fellows, their parents and the organisers, to the Kwara State government for supporting independent initiatives aimed at advancing Kwara’s education and human capacity development; and for encouraging participants through targeted supports such as the scholarship awards. He also thanked the government for institutionalizing CELF through budgetary provision, a decision he said would guarantee sustainance of the programme.
The Countryside Emerging Leaders Fellowship (CELF) commenced in 2020 as a yearly educational intervention aimed at building the capacity of young people, particularly in rural areas in Kwara State.
Since the commencement of the Fellowship, individuals and corporate donors have advanced varying degrees of support to the fellows. Recently, the Senator representing Kwara Central in the National Assembly, Senator (Dr.) Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbebe fulfilled his scholarship pledge to the 2020 fellows from his senatorial district.
The 2021 fellowship with the theme: ‘Nurturing potentials and delivering growth’ was formally announced on Monday, 1st November, 2021. The would-be beneficiaries of the Kwara State government scholarships are expected to emerge from this edition of the project.
