The Sola Saraki Educational Foundation (SSEF), has given cash assistance to 20 young Nigerians, who are medical students at public universities in the country.
The beneficiaries of the Foundation’s scholarship grants got N100, 000 each.
Secretary of the board of SSEF, Alhaji Oladimeji Hassan, a one-time Commissioner for Health and Chief of Staff , Government House, Ilorin, told journalists including Team@orientactualmags.com that the Foundation, which was established in 2010 had done this before, while adding that a total of 100 students are expected to benefit from the gesture of goodwill.
He also noted that the ultimate aim of those who came up with the idea of establishing the foundation is to build a cardiovascular center and get it named in honor of Dr Sola Saraki.
‘ This is the second time that we would be doing this, and our foundation is committed to contributing to positive changes, we intend to have a total of 100 students as beneficiaries but what we are doing today is to make the financial assistance available to 20 medical students for now, hopefully by January we will do more.
We had actually planned to do it before the beginning of the academic session and get another set of people for the next session .
Sponsors of the foundation are supporters, loyalists, friends and children of the late Dr Olusola Saraki , I was not referring to the biological children of the late Oloye when I said children, I was referring to people that he was a father figure to when he was alive.
Dr Sola Saraki was a popular politician, a cheerful giver and a philanthropist, how do you honour the memory of such a person? The only thing you can do is to emulate his activities by giving back to the society.
We have come a long way and we would continue with this and other activities and continue to honour his memory by impacting lives, the ultimate thing is that we hope to have a cardiovascular medical center built and named in his honour but like I said earlier ,it is a nongovernmental and nonprofit organization our source of funds come from voluntary donations’ he said.
Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki, an indigene of Ilorin, who was born on May 17, 1933, died in Lagos on November 14 , 2012.
The late Dr Olusola Saraki served as Senate Leader between 1979 and 1983. He was at different times the Turaki and Waziri of Ilorin.
One of the beneficiaries, Olumoh Aisha a 500-level medical student at the University of Ilorin , who promised to ensure that the money is used for intended purpose , thanked the Foundation for making such an opportunity available to her , saying ‘I feel grateful to the foundation for doing this’ .
She also noted that this would encourage her to give back to society in the future.
Abdulkarim Jubril also a 500-level medical student at the University of Ilorin, praised the SSEF officials’ initiative and sense of purpose while another beneficiary, Adeyemo AbdluMalik also promised to use the money for payment of his tuition fee.
‘ Like I said while being interviewed by the SSEF panel , I intend to use the money for the payment of my next tuition fees, and I will use the remaining money for living expenses ‘ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com
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