Speaking at a pre-departure reception held in Abuja, the British High Commissioner, Dr Richard Montgomery CMG, congratulated beneficiaries who succeeded in securing a scholarship through the challenging application and interview process.

Speaking at the reception, Dr Richard Montgomery CMG, the British High Commissioner, said:

“Seeing you all here is a great testimony to hard work, perseverance and resilience through a highly competitive process. I challenge each of you to aim for excellence in your studies, to be great ambassadors for Nigeria in the UK, and to take advantage of every opportunity during your scholarship – through growing your knowledge, enriching cultural exchange, and confident networking – and then bringing those experiences back to Nigeria and doing great things for your country while creating a positive change in this country and the world.”

Commonwealth Scholar, Michael Oyedoyin, who will study Family and Child Psychology at the University of Chester, UK, said:

“I have always loved to teach, and my first degree is in Teacher Education. However, while teaching in schools, I observed that family issues were often the underlying cause of students’ poor academic performance and absence from school. Therefore, I chose this master’s to equip me to support my students beyond the classroom.”

Chevening Scholar, Odera Akpata, who will study International Business at the University of Warwick, UK, said:

“Reflecting on my last two applications, I am assured that great things happen to those who never give up”.

Facts about Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships

• Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships are awarded to individuals who demonstrate intellectual ability, leadership potential and a commitment to development of their home country.

• The Chevening Scholarship, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, has offered 44 Nigerian students fully-funded scholarships to pursue one-year master’s degrees in the UK.

• The recipients were selected from a pool of over 14,000 applications in Nigeria and more than 62,000 applications across the globe. Approximately 1500 alumni have benefitted from the Chevening scholarship in Nigeria.

• This year, the Commonwealth Scholarship sends off 83 scholars to study in the UK. Every year, over 100 Nigerian students benefit from the scholarship for postgraduate and PhD degrees. The Commonwealth scheme has impacted over 2500 alumni in Nigeria since its inception.

The grants, which would provide the students with the financial aid needed to fulfill their educational needs and pursue their dreams, demonstrated the financial institution’s commitment towards the growth of the Nigerian education sector.

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Each of the successful candidates, who had recently gained admission into universities, would receive scholarships valued at N400,000.

The grants would be disbursed in tranches of N100,000 across four academic years.

The financial institution stated that it focused on empowering bright-minded individuals with the capacity to gain adequate knowledge needed to become great men and women in life.

The initiative which commenced in 2019 now has had almost 200 recipients.

The beneficiaries were chosen across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria through fair screening processes.

According to Dr. Demola Sogunle, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, the scholarship was borne out of the need to empower hardworking and diligent young Nigerian undergraduates, who aspired to pursue their tertiary education in any state or federal university in Nigeria.

“We believe that everyone deserves a chance to access quality education and we believe in rewarding students who have shown remarkable academic excellence. This initiative will go a long way in easing the financial burdens of these undergraduates who participated in the UTME and gained admission into various Nigerian state and federal universities for the 2021-2022 academic session. We are pleased to announce the 100 winners of this year’s scholarship scheme for undergraduates in 33 universities across the 36 states and the FCT. We wish them great success in their academic journey” he said.

Asides the first tranche of disbursement, subsequent disbursements would be subject to beneficiaries maintaining their enrolment in their respective universities and degree programs they were admitted into, adhering to the academic and administrative policies of the university, and the provision of a letter of good conduct issued by their respective departments. Beneficiaries would also be required to maintain a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least a second class upper range, amongst other requirements.

Demola further added that education remained one of the keys to facilitating a nation’s prosperity, hence the introduction of the scholarship initiative.

Stanbic IBTC remains committed to driving value-added initiatives like the University Scholarship programme to contribute to the educational development of the Nigerian youth.